Magnolia-TNT matchup to highlight PBA season opening festivities

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Finally, the PBA is back.

After sacrificing two eyed dates to give way for the FIBA World Cup and the 2023 Asian Games, the country’s oldest professional basketball league will finally kick off this November 5, 2023, to be held at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

Headlining the highly-anticipated opening game day of the PBA will be the rivalry between the Magnolia Chicken Timplados against the TNT Tropang Giga at 7 PM.

Who didn’t miss Magnolia’s Paul Lee and TNT’s Jayson Castro trading buckets in the middle of an intense ball game?

The matchup between Calvin Abueva and the deep TNT forward rotation led by Calvin Oftana and Glen Khobuntin?

And of course, all eyes will be on TNT import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson who will look to lead the Tropang Giga to another import-laced conference championship title.

Aside from the household names, Magnolia will also be unveiling their newest reinforcement in the upcoming conference, former NBA player Tyler Bey.

The 36th overall pick during the 2020 NBA Rookie Draft will be playing for the first time in the PBA and is looking to put Magnolia back in the championship stage of the league.

It was Magnolia’s head coach Chito Victolero who confirmed the development and announced that Bey already signed the contract for the playing season.

Listed at six-foot-seven, Bey was a standout from the Colorado Buffaloes and is widely known to be a top-tier defensive player.

Before the game begins, the 47^th Leo Awards will take place at 4 PM to be followed by the official opening ceremonies at 5 PM.