June Mar Fajardo, Scottie Thompson among 12 PBA ambassadors to EASL

Philippine Basketball Association six-time Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo of San Miguel Beer and Barangay Ginebra's Scottie Thompson are among the 12 players named by the league as ambassadors to the East Asia Super League (EASL).

Joining Fajardo and Thompson as the PBA ambassadors to EASL are Paul Lee (Magnolia), Jeron Teng (Alaska), RR Pogoy (TNT), Gabe Norwood (Rain or Shine), Matthew Wright (Phoenix), Chris Newsome (Meralco), Juami Tiongson (Terrafirma), Kevin Ferrer (NorthPort), Baser Amer (Blackwater), and Kevin Alas (NLEX).

The 12 players will act as faces of the league in the tournament which is expected to start October 2022.

According to the PBA website, Meralco's Jared Dillinger will also be an ambassador after his videos inside the Pampanga bubble last year were picked up by the EASL.

"The extra cherry on top is representing your country. It brings out your competitive nature and the pride of proving you're better. EASL will bring people together. Fans from different countries will be under one roof and I'm excited for the PBA and EASL joining forces," Dillinger said.

The PBA early this month formalized a multi-year partnership with EASL, where PBA clubs will have a chance to compete with teams from Japan B.League, Korean Basketball League, Chinese Taipei P.League, and a team from Hong Kong for a pan-regional tournament.

—Justin Kenneth Carandang/MGP, GMA News