PBA: NLEX opts to buy existing club instead of entering as expansion team

The PBA announced on Monday the intention of the NLEX Road Warriors to enter the league by taking over a pre-existing team, instead of as an expansion club.

The announcement was shared via the PBA’s official Twitter account.

From the Office of the Commissioner: Applicant team MPIC-NLEX today informed the PBA Office of the (cont) http://t.co/Pdebtqyg1l

— pbaconnect (@pbaconnect) June 16, 2014

The tweet added that NLEX is “in the process of finalizing the acquisition of the current member-ballclub [that NLEX will acquire] and will update the league…after the last game of the member-team in the ongoing Governors’ Cup.”

NLEX did not disclose the identity of the team, and the PBA added that “the intended acquisition would have to undergo another round of approval by the Board of Governors.”

The Road Warriors, who have won six out of the seven conferences in the PBA-DL, originally applied to be an expansion team along with fellow D-League squad Blackwater Sports and newcomers Kia Kamao, coached by Manny Pacquiao.

All three teams were denied the ability to make direct hires, which would have seen NLEX bring up the core of their semi-pro title-winning squad, and instead were told to get by with an expansion draft, plus the last three picks of the first round in the upcoming 2014 PBA Draft.

Recent rumors have the franchise being eyed by NLEX as either the Air21 Express or the Alaska Aces.

It was not immediately known how this would affect the expansion draft, or the other concessions given to Blackwater and Kia.  - AMD, GMA News