A "Bubble" Inside the Coca Cola Arena in Dubai: Another Option for the PBA

From as close as being in Cubao, Quezon City to as far as Laguna or even Subic in Zambales, Asia's first professional basketball league has a lot of options at hand in which they could emulate the bubble idea that National Basketball Association (NBA) has been holding in Orlando, Florida. But, the options don't stop there as the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA)  earlier this week revealed the idea of holding a "bubble" outside of the country and it's a venue that has already hosted two PBA games during the 2019 PBA Governors' Cup: the Coca Cola Arena in Dubai.

Coca Cola Arens has a capacity that can fill in 17,000 people and has a space that is versatile enough to be adjusted to suit different specifications depending on the type of event it is holding. And it since we saw it host two PBA games last October, the arena's capability to host games is no longer in question and the good news is, they are in fact, open to hosting the PBA "bubble".

According to PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial, there have been initial talks ongoing between the league and the arena through Commercial Director Mark Jan Kar. "They have communicated with us (PBA)  and they're asking for requirements," Marcial said of the initial talks. For PBA Chairman Ricky Vargas who floated the idea of a PBA bubble during last Tuesday's edition of the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum, "We already have a model. The model is the NBA. We should just go ahead and move forward, look forward to the time when we can already play" He then added "We were talking about several options in terms of following the (NBA) bubble. Do we have a place in the Philippines where we can hold a bubble?"

While seeing the PBA bubble happening anytime soon remains a long shot as several considerations are needed to be taken, it's still a welcome development that Coca Cola Arena is open to the idea. They've already played host to two PBA games last year which marked the first time in years that PBA games were played overseas. Everything will now depend on how the talks between the league and the arena officials will proceed. 

Photo is from Gulf News