On Tuesday, July 22, Filipino basketball fans cried foul following the fiasco that was "The Last Home Stand" at the SMART Araneta Coliseum. They are now asking for an explanation—and refunds, of course.
Fans were expecting to see an action-packed game between the Gilas Pilipinas national team and some NBA stars, but instead they got what amounted to a training session by coach John Lucas.
The cheapest ticket for the game was P750, while the most expensive patron ticket was P23,000.
The NBA players who were supposed to participate in the games are James Harden, Tyson Chandler, Terrence Ross, Brandon Jennings, Ed Davis, DeMar DeRozan, Nick Johnson, Kyle Lowry, Damian Lillard and Kawhi Leonard.
Apparently, the NBA players' contracts prohibited them from playing any game unless certain conditions were met.
Explaining their side of the situation, the NBA said that under the terms of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), "players are allowed to participate in offseason basketball games or exhibitions, when requirements for those events are met."
Among the requirements are "ensuring that appropriate safeguards are in place, and the promoter seeks the proper exemptions from the NBA and the player's team."
"The promoter of this proposed event, East-West Private LLC, was informed of this process several months ago but did not take the required steps," the NBA said in its statement.
Because the "Last Home Stand" was an unsanctioned event, the players could have been fined and suspended if they participated in Tuesday night's festivities, including the 5-on-5 game and even the three-point shootout contest and slam dunk contest.
In a statement published on TV5's news portal, PLDT chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said, "It was a sudden turn of events and we ourselves are disappointed with the way things developed contrary to our expectations."
The announcement also indicated that fans can contact the hotlines 836-5818, 836-5890 and 836-5819 starting at 9 a.m. on Wednesday to begin the process ofgetting a refund for their tickets.
In a statement published on TV5's news portal, PLDT chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said, "It was a sudden turn of events and we ourselves are disappointed with the way things developed contrary to our expectations."
The announcement also indicated that fans can contact the hotlines 836-5818, 836-5890 and 836-5819 starting at 9 a.m. on Wednesday to begin the process ofgetting a refund for their tickets.
No comments:
Post a Comment