National Basketball League: more home games for Hong Kong Bulls fans as season begins with format, imports rule changes
- The season, which starts June 15, sees 10 teams – two fewer than last season – divided into Northern, Southern conferences
- China’s second-tier league will now allow teams to field 3 imported players per match but only 2 of them in each quarter
Basketball fans in Hong Kong will be able to watch more Hong Kong Bulls home games when the new season of China’s National Basketball League (NBL) tips off in a fortnight.
The season, which starts on June 15, will see the adoption of an NBA-like league format, with 10 teams – two fewer than last season – divided into Northern and Southern conferences.
The Bulls are in the Southern Conference alongside Guangxi, Jiangxi, Changsha and Wuhan, while Henan, Shijiazhuang, Jiangsu, Hefei and Anhui belong to the Northern Conference.
“With the conferences settings, just like the East and West in the NBA, we have two more home games than last season,” said Leo Sun Xinwei, general manager of the Bulls.
“Teams from the same conference will play each other twice at home, but only one home game will be scheduled for teams across the other conference.”
