At least one PBA player is supportive of the idea of holding another bubble in the light of the return to stricter quarantine regulations in most parts of the country.
Alaska guard Maverick Ahanmisi said he wouldn’t mind dealing with mental challenges of the bubble as long as it gives them the opportunity to play in the PBA’s 46th season.
“The PBA bubble was tough mentally,” Ahanmisi tweeted Monday, March 29. “But if that’s what we gotta do to play, let’s get it.
“We are all tired of watching other countries play basketball already. We wanna play too!” added the incoming sixth-year veteran.
The start of the PBA campaign remains uncertain after a surge in COVID-19 cases forced the government to reimpose Enhanced Community Quarantine regulations in Metro Manila and neighboring countries.
Other areas were also placed under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine or General Community Quarantine guidelines, a move aimed to control the situation.
That has put talks between the PBA and the Rizal government to hold the season at the Ynares Center in Antipolo under a closed-circuit concept in limbo while practices have been put on hold until Easter Sunday, April 4, provided that ECQ regulations are lifted.
PBA commissioner Willie Marcial has not ruled out the possibility of staging the season in another bubble, but acknowledged that having the same arrangement is costly and mentally difficult for every participant.
The league spent about P65 million in order for the two-month bubble to push through in Pampanga.
All members were billeted at the Quest Hotel in Clark while the Angeles University Foundation Sports and Cultural Center in nearby Angeles City served as venue for games and practices.