The East Asia Super League (EASL) is an international

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football * ''League of Legends'', a 2009 multiplayer online battle a ...

featuring clubs from

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

(

Chinese Taipei "Chinese Taipei" is the term used in various international organizations and tournaments for groups or delegations representing the Republic of China (ROC), a country commonly known as Taiwan. Due to the One China principle stipulated by the ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

, and

Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...

. From 2017 to 2019, four pre-season tournaments (the Super 8 and the Terrific 12) were organized by EASL, featuring clubs from selected professional basketball leagues in the region. With official backing from

FIBA Asia FIBA Asia is a zone within the FIBA, International Basketball Federation (FIBA) which contains Asian FIBA member associations. Sub-zones 44 member associations in 6 sub-zones: # Central Asia Basketball Association (CABA) – 5 member associati ...

, EASL has made a transition towards a full-fledged league. The first such season commenced in 2023 and feature eight teams. This was expanded to ten teams for the 2024–25 season, and expanded to eleven teams for the 2025–26 season.

History

The East Asia Super League was co-founded by Matt Beyer and Henry Kerins as the Asia League as a response to what the founders deem as a lack of high-level international tournaments featuring basketball clubs in the region also taking into account the population in the region, about 2 billion, which could be a potential market for a regional inter-club tournament. The Asia League was envisioned to be East Asian counterpart of the NBA's

Las Vegas Summer League The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season basketball competition organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA). NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regula ...

where professional teams from Asia could compete against each other with minimal conflict with their mother league's schedules. Their stated mission is to be able to organized basketball tournaments featuring club sides from top Asian leagues with the organizers naming the CBA (China),

B.League The B.League is a men's professional basketball league in Japan. The league is operated by the Japan Professional Basketball League and was formed as a result of a merger between the National Basketball League that was operated by the FIBA-affi ...

(Japan), KBL (South Korea), PBA (Philippines), SBL (Taiwan), and the

ABL ABL may refer to: Aviation * Airborne Laser, a weapons system designed for use by the United States military * Air Busan of South Korea (ICAO airline code) * IATA airport code for Ambler Airport in State of Alaska, USA Companies, groups, organiz ...

(Southeast Asia, China, and Taiwan).

Preseason tournaments era (2017–2020)

The Super 8

The first tournament by EASL, then called the Asia League, was the Super 8: Macau Basketball Invitational, involving eight teams in September 2017 at the Studio City Event Centre in Macau. The competing teams in attendance were the

Zhejiang Guangsha Lions The Zhejiang Guangsha Lions () are a Chinese professional basketball team based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, which plays in the North Division of the Chinese Basketball Association. Guangsha is the name of the club's corporate sponsor, but to prevent con ...

Shenzhen Aviators The Shenzhen New Century Liebao Club, also known as Shenzhen Marco Polo or Shenzhen Leopards (previously Shenzhen Aviators), are a China, Chinese professional basketball team which plays in the Southern Division of the Chinese Basketball Associa ...

(formerly Shenzhen Leopards),

Goyang Orions Goyang Sono Skygunners () is a professional basketball club based in Goyang, South Korea which plays in the Korean Basketball League. History Dayone Sports era (2022–2023) Rumours of Orion selling its stake in the club intensified in ear ...

Seoul Samsung Thunders Seoul Samsung Thunders () is a professional basketball team, competing in the Korean Basketball League. Ever since the club was founded in 1978, they have been associated with Samsung Electronics. Initially based in Suwon, they relocated to Seoul ...

Fubon Braves The Taipei Fubon Braves () are a professional basketball team that is owned by Fubon Sports & Entertainment, LLC., one of the subsidiaries under Fubon Financial Holding Co., Ltd. and currently plays in the Taiwanese P. League+. From 2014 to ...

, Pauian Archiland,

Chiba Jets Chiba Jets Funabashi () is a Japanese professional basketball team located in Funabashi, Chiba. The team joined the JBL Super League in 2005 and currently competes in the B.League, which they have won in 2021. Owned by Mixi, they have also won fi ...

, and

Ryukyu Golden Kings The are a Japanese professional basketball team based in Okinawa (city), Okinawa, Okinawa Prefecture. They compete in the B.League, the top-tier professional basketball league of Japan. The Golden Kings have won the Japanese national title f ...

. Organizers initially dubbed the tournament as the "Asia League," but this led to a legal dispute with

FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French language, French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. FIBA defines the rules of basketball, specifies the Basketball equipment ...

over the name of the league when FIBA deemed the tournament's branding and marketing to be in conflict with its own

FIBA Asia Champions Cup The Basketball Champions League Asia (BCL Asia), formerly the FIBA Asia Champions Cup, is an annual continental club men's basketball competition organised by FIBA Asia. It is the highest level club competition for basketball in Asia. Introduce ...

. The dispute led to the renaming of the competition to "Super 8," and the tournament was then officially recognized by FIBA after the league organizers sought legal assistance of Quinn Emanuel's Thomas Werlen, who has represented FIFA in investigations of the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...

. The inaugural Super 8 tournament was won by the

of the Japanese B. League, with the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions placing second and the Goyang Orions taking third place. The event garnered 21 million views worldwide. A second edition of the tournament, dubbed the Summer Super 8, followed in July 2018 at the

Macau East Asian Games Dome The East Asian Games Dome (; ) is an indoor sporting arena located in Cotai, Macau, China. Description The venue was one of the major venues of the 2005 East Asian Games and also hosted some events for the 2007 Asian Indoor Games. The Macau East ...

, and featured the introduction of two professional club teams from the PBA, the

NLEX Road Warriors The NLEX Road Warriors is a professional basketball team owned by Manila North Tollways Corporation, NLEX Corporation, a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) since the 2014 ...

and

Blackwater Elite The Blackwater Bossing is a professional basketball team owned by Ever Bilena, Inc. that is playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) beginning in the 2014–2015 season. The franchise started as one of the founding teams in the ...

. The eight competing teams in attendance were the

Guangzhou Loong Lions The Guangzhou Loong Lions () are a Chinese professional basketball team based in Guangzhou, Guangdong. They play in the Southern Division of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). History The team was founded in November 2000 as Shaanxi Gait ...

Xinjiang Flying Tigers The Xinjiang Flying Tigers () is a professional basketball team based in Ürümqi, Xinjiang, China. The team plays its home games at the Urumqi Olympic Sports Center, which has a capacity for 12,000 spectators. The club joined the Chinese Bas ...

, Seoul Samsung Thunders,

Incheon Electroland Elephants The Daegu KOGAS Pegasus () is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League (KBL). Founded in 1994, the team has been playing in the KBL since the inaugurate 1997 season. Since 2021, the club is based at Daegu Gymnasium in Daegu ...

, NLEX Road Warriors, Blackwater Elite,

Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka The Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka is a Japanese professional basketball team, playing in the second division of the B.League. They are based in Fukuoka Prefecture and were coached by Joe Bryant, the father of Kobe Bryant, in 2015. Roster ...

, and

Formosa Dreamers The Formosa Dreamers ( zh, 福爾摩沙夢想家) are a Taiwanese professional basketball team based in Taichung City. They have competed in the Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL) and play their home games at the Taichung Intercontinental ...

. The Guangzhou Loong Lions won first place, while the Seoul Samsung Thunders took second place and the Incheon Electroland Elephants placed third.

The Terrific 12

In 2018, the Super 8 tournament was expanded into a larger tournament format called The Terrific 12, featuring 12 teams instead of eight. The Terrific 12 (2018) tournament was organized in collaboration with and supported by the Sports Bureau of Macau SAR Government and hosted at the Studio City Event Centre. The competing teams were the

Shandong Heroes Shandong Hi-Speed Kirin () is a Chinese professional basketball team based in Jinan, Shandong, competing in the Northern Division of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Some of the team's home games are also held in the nearby city of Linyi. ...

(formerly Shandong Golden Stars), Zhejiang Guangsha Lions, Xinjiang Flying Tigers,

Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus The Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League. History Foundation and amateur era Before the professional Korean Basketball League was established in 1997, domestic basketball was an amateur s ...

, Seoul Samsung Thunders, Fubon Braves,

Yulon Luxgen Dinos Yulon is a professional basketball team in the Super Basketball League in Taiwan. It was founded in 1965 by Yulon Motor's (or the Taiwanese Car Manufacturer Luxgen) Chairman as a First Division amateur basketball team. It has also been member ...

Nagoya Diamond Dolphins The are a professional basketball team that competes in the first division of the Japanese B.League. Prior to their entry into the B.League in September 2016, the club was the corporate team of Mitsubishi Electric. In 2020, the Diamond Dolphi ...

, Ryukyu Golden Kings and Chiba Jets. The Ryukyu Golden Kings won first place, while the Guangzhou Loong Lions placed second and the Seoul Samsung Thunders took third place. In 2019, Asia League rebranded to the "East Asia Super League," and it hosted the second iteration of The Terrific 12 at the

Tap Seac Multi-Sports Pavilion The Tap Seac Multi-sports Pavilion (; ) is an indoor sporting arena located in São Lázaro, Macau, China. The land on which the Tap Seac Multi-sport Pavilion sits at present belongs to the Ho-Tung Primary School. It acts as a substitute for the ...

from September 17–22. The competing teams were the

Liaoning Flying Leopards The Liaoning Flying Leopards (), also known as the Liaoning Shenyang Sansheng Flying Leopard Club or Liaoning Bengang (), are a Chinese professional basketball team based in Hunnan District, Shenyang, Liaoning, which plays in the Northern Divisi ...

, Shenzhen Aviators, Zhejiang Guangsha Lions, Chiba Jets,

Niigata Albirex BB The Niigata Albirex BB () is a professional basketball team based in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, Japan that compete in the third division of the Japanese B.League. Outline The club was founded in 1954 as the company team of Daiwa Secur ...

, Ryukyu Golden Kings, Utsonomiya BREX,

Jeonju KCC Egis The Busan KCC Egis () is a professional basketball club based in Busan, South Korea. The team competes in the Korean Basketball League (KBL) and has established a substantial fanbase in South Korea. Founded in 1997, the team was initially based i ...

Seoul SK Knights The Seoul SK Knights () is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League. The club was originally founded by Jinro Group in 1997 as Cheongju Jinro McCass. Before the official launch of the basketball club, Jinro Group filed fo ...

, Blackwater Elite,

TNT KaTropa The TNT Tropang 5G is a professional basketball team currently owned by Smart Communications, a subsidiary of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) since 1990. The fran ...

and

San Miguel Beermen The San Miguel Beermen are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). It is one of three PBA clubs owned by the San Miguel Corporation group of companies along with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Magnolia ...

. Terrific 12 (2019) also featured the EASL debut of former NBA player and CBA import

Lance Stephenson Lance Stephenson Jr. (born September 5, 1990) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League. He attended Lincoln High School in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, where he was named Mr ...

, who earned MVP awards for his 34-point outburst in the Terrific 12 (2019) championship finals, a close 83–82 finish for the Liaoning Flying Leopards over the Seoul SK Knights. The Zhejiang Guangsha Lions won second place and the San Miguel Beermen took home third in the event. Plans for a 2020 iteration of The Terrific 12 tournament on September have been cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Start of regular EASL seasons (2023–)

Plans and postponements

In August 2020, EASL and FIBA entered into a multi-year agreement granting EASL FIBA's recognition to hold a full-fledged in-season league featuring clubs from Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Taiwan (representing "

Greater China In ethnogeography, "Greater China" is a loosely-defined term that refers to the region sharing cultural and economic ties with the Chinese people, often used by international enterprises or organisations in unofficial usage. The notion contains ...

"). The inaugural season would feature 8 teams. It was planned that they would play home-and-away games against each other with the top four teams advancing to a Final Four event. P. League+ (Taiwan), the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines, composed of twelve company-branded Franchising, franchise teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia ...

, the

Korean Basketball League The Korean Basketball League () or simply KBL is a professional men's basketball league in South Korea which was established in 1997. The league consists of ten teams and each team plays a total of 54 games (27 home and 27 away) in the regular s ...

(

), and the

(

) committed to send teams for the EASL. The Bay Area Dragons, a franchise team meant to represent "

" was also formed by the EASL. The EASL received high profile financial support.

The Raine Group The Raine Group, commonly referred to as Raine, is a global merchant bank focused exclusively on industries related to technology, media and telecommunications (TMT). Companies the firm has been involved with significantly include Endeavor, Sof ...

along with former NBA stars such as

Metta Sandiford-Artest Metta Sandiford-Artest (born Ronald William Artest Jr., November 13, 1979), previously legally named Metta World Peace, is an American former professional basketball player who played 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Un ...

Baron Davis Baron Walter Louis Davis (born April 13, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player who is a studio analyst for the ''NBA on TNT''. He was a two-time NBA All-Star, made the All-NBA Third Team in 2004, and twice led the NBA in st ...

and

Shane Battier Shane Courtney Battier ( ; born September 9, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He also worked for ESPN and recently joined the board of Yext. Battier is best known for his four years playing basketball at Duke, his 13 ...

in December 2021 reportedly invested in the EASL. The launch of the EASL would be hindered by the

, with plans to hold its inaugural home-and-away tournament in 2022 cancelled.

2023 season: Champions Week

In place of the cancelled 2022 home-and-away tournament, the 2023 EASL Champions Week would be organized. It was originally meant as a pre-season tournament for the 2023–24 season.

Anyang KGC The Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters () is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League, based at Anyang Gymnasium in the city of Anyang. The club has won four KBL championship titles ( 2011–12, 2016–17, 2020–21, and 2 ...

were the first champions. 2023-24 EASL Season: Inaugural Season With the

travel restrictions lifted in regions surrounding the partnering leagues, EASL was able start their inaugural season in October 2023. The champions and runner-up of Japan's

(

and

), South Korea's KBL (

and

), Chinese Taipei's P. League+ (

Taipei Fubon Braves The Taipei Fubon Braves () are a professional basketball team that is owned by Fubon Sports & Entertainment, LLC., one of the subsidiaries under Fubon Financial Holding Co., Ltd. and currently plays in the Taiwanese P. League+. From 2014 to ...

and

New Taipei Kings New Taipei Kings ( zh, 新北國王) are a Taiwanese professional basketball team based in New Taipei City. They have competed in the Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL) and play their home games at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium and University ...

) got a berth for the 2023-24 season. The Philippines' PBA was represented by 2023 PBA Commissioner's Cup champions,

TNT Tropang Giga The TNT Tropang 5G is a professional basketball team currently owned by Smart Communications, a subsidiary of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) since 1990. The fra ...

and semifinalists,

Meralco Bolts The Meralco Bolts is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team began in 2010 after the Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) acquired the PBA franchise of the Sta. Lucia Realtors. The team is one of thre ...

. The 2023 B.League runner-up

went undefeated in the Group Stage, winning the Group A while 2023 KBL champions,

Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters The Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters () is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League, based at Anyang Gymnasium in the city of Anyang. The club has won four KBL championship titles ( 2011–12, 2016–17, 2020–21, and 2 ...

came in second in Group A with a 4-2 record. In Group B, 2023 KBL runners-up,

won the group, while P. League+ runners-up,

, came in second. The four teams would advance to the 2024 EASL Final Four in a three-day playoffs held in Hoops Dome, Cebu, Philippines. In the first game of the 2024 EASL Final, the

defeated Korean-counterpart

in a tightly contest battle, advancing to the 2024 EASL Final Four Championship Game. The

stayed undefeated following a win against the

. In the Championship Game, the

defeated

in a tightly-contested game, beating the Korean side 72-69, becoming the first champion in EASL history.

Japan National Basketball Team The Japan national basketball team, also known as Akatsuki Japan (), is the national team representing Japan in international basketball competitions and is administered by the Japan Basketball Association (JBA), (Japanese: 日本バスケッ ...

captain, Yuki Togashi was named 2024 EASL Final Four Most Valuable Player. 2024-25 EASL Season: Second Season The 2024 B.League champions

Hiroshima Dragonflies The Hiroshima Dragonflies (in Japanese: 広島ドラゴンフライズ) are a professional basketball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. In October 2014 they commenced competing in the Western Conference of the Japanese National Basketball League. ...

and runners-up

represented Japan. The 2024 KBL champions,

Busan KCC Egis The Busan KCC Egis () is a professional basketball club based in Busan, South Korea. The team competes in the Korean Basketball League (KBL) and has established a substantial fanbase in South Korea. Founded in 1997, the team was initially based i ...

and runners-up,

Suwon KT Sonicboom Suwon KT Sonicboom () is a professional basketball club based in Suwon, South Korea which plays in the Korean Basketball League. Their home games are played at the Suwon KT Sonicboom Arena. Founded in 1997, the team was initially based in Gwangju ...

represented South Korea. The 2024 P. League+ champions

and runners-up

Taoyuan Pauian Pilots Taoyuan Pauian Pilots () is a professional basketball team based in Taoyuan, Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lie ...

represented Chinese Taipei. The

2024 PBA Philippine Cup The 2024 PBA Philippine Cup, also known as the 2024 Honda PBA Philippine Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the second and final conference of the 2023–24 PBA season of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The 45th PBA Philippine Cup star ...

champions

and 2024 PBA Commissioner's Cup champions

represented the Philippines. For the expansion teams, representing Hong Kong was

Hong Kong Eastern The Eastern Sports Club (), also known as Hong Kong Eastern (), is a professional men's basketball team of the Eastern Sports Club. The team also known as (). Eastern competes in the Hong Kong A1 Division, and the ASEAN Basketball League sin ...

, while the

Macau Black Bears The Macau Black Bears () are a Macanese professional basketball team. History Chong Son Kung Fu was a Chinese basketball team playing in the ASEAN Basketball League. The team was baed in Nanhai District, Foshan, Guangdong and played their ho ...

represented Macau. In the Championship Game, the

defeated

, 72-68, winning the 2024–25 season championship. And Dwayne Evans was named as 2025 EASL Final Four Most Valuable Player. 2025-26 EASL Season: Third Season On January 24, 2025, the EASL announced that the 2024-25 season champion of

The League ''The League'' is an American television sitcom that aired on FX and later FXX from October 29, 2009, to December 9, 2015, for a total of seven seasons. The series, set in Chicago, is a semi-improvised comedy show about a fantasy football l ...

will represent Mongolia to join 2025-26 EASL season. On May 13, the EASL announced that the 2025 Emperor’s Cup champion will join 2025-26 EASL season.

Leagues represented

The East Asia Super League starting from the 2023 EASL Champions Week is represented by teams from selected domestic leagues. The league considers the franchise team and the P. League+ championship team of Taiwan as representatives of "

". Starting from the 2025–26 season, the league represented are as follow:

Preseason tournaments

The following leagues were represented in the EASL's preseason tournaments from 2017 to 2023. From 2021 to 2023, the EASL maintained its own franchise team independent from any other domestic leagues, the Bay Area Dragons.

Tournament champions

Regular seasons

Preseason tournaments

Medal table

Preseason tournaments era (2017–2023)

Media coverage

As of the 2024–25 season

Notes

References

{{Men's professional basketball leagues Multi-national basketball leagues in Asia Sports leagues established in 2016 Sports organisations of Hong Kong Basketball in Macau Professional sports leagues in China Multi-national professional sports leagues 2016 establishments in Hong Kong

History

Preseason tournaments era (2017–2020)

The Super 8

The Terrific 12

Start of regular EASL seasons (2023–)

Plans and postponements

2023 season: Champions Week

Leagues represented

Preseason tournaments

Tournament champions

Regular seasons

Preseason tournaments

Medal table

Preseason tournaments era (2017–2023)

Media coverage

See also

Notes

References