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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider SMB-Ginebra duel set in Dubai

SMB-Ginebra duel set in Dubai

Published Aug 31, 2025 02:19 pm

At A Glance

  • As a treat to overseas Filipino workers, the PBA is not only staging an ordinary game when it flies all the way to the other side of the globe in Dubai, United Arab Emirates for its first out-of-the-country game in years.
As a treat to overseas Filipino workers, the PBA is not only staging an ordinary game when it flies all the way to the other side of the globe in Dubai, United Arab Emirates for its first out-of-the-country game in years.
But rather it would be a marquee duel between perennial contenders in defending Philippine Cup champion San Miguel and crowd darling Barangay Ginebra on Oct. 26 at the Coca-Cola Arena.
The league made the announcement on Sunday, Aug. 31, with the Filipino fans expected to come in droves for the rare overseas contest that is part of the PBAs celebration for its 50th Season.
Interestingly, both the Kings and the Beermen, along with the NLEX Road Warriors were also part of the PBA delegation that played two games in Dubai back in 2019.
The two teams, however, did not play against each other on that occasion with the Road Warriors instead playing back-to-back games, first dropping a 94-98 decision against the Beermen before bouncing back with a 113-111 win over the Kings.
The duel between the two powerhouse teams is certainly offering a treat to PBA fans in the Middle East especially with the amount of talent and superstars both teams boast.
The Beermen will be led by eight-time Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo along with microwave scorer CJ Perez, sharpshooter Marcio Lassiter, defensive lynchpin Chris Ross and last PH Cup Finals MVP Jericho Cruz.
Ginebra, on the other hand, has Gilas mainstays Japeth Aguilar and Scottie Thompson along with a potent supporting cast in the likes of RJ Abarrientos, Stephen Holt, and Jeremiah Gray.
The Ginebra-SMB is just the first of the expected overseas games for the PBA as it has also set a pair of games to be played in Bahrain by December.
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