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MANILA, Philippines — In the past few months, there were talks of the Terrafirma Dyip franchise in the PBA being sold to another owner.
The team, which arrived in the PBA back in 2014, is reported to have been sold to Starhose Shipping Line back in February.
A couple of months later, though, the deal ultimately fizzled out, with PBA commissioner Willie Marcial saying Starhorse “could not comply” with the league’s requirements financially.
Now that the deal will no longer push through, Marcial bared that there were three other applicants for a franchise in Asia’s oldest pay-for-play league.
Two of those, Marcial added, have already submitted their letters of intent.
However, it is still unsure whether those applicants wanted to buy Terrafirma or purchase another one.
So, what do we know so far about this? Will we see another team in the future?
Viva, Valientes
Last Monday, professional basketball team Zamboanga Valientes bared that they have “reached an agreement” with the Dyip, but they are still waiting for the PBA’s approval.
In a statement, the Valientes, owned by Junnie Navarro, revealed that the agreement was “mutual” to make the sale. Navarro, as well as Kings Asia Pacific President Cory Navarro and Crewsharp CEO Trevor Crewe, led the way in the negotiations.
Last Wednesday, Marcial confirmed this, saying that Valientes and the Dyip are already in talks and are nearing an agreement.
“Sana makasama sila sa 50th anniversary natin. May talks na sila, alam ko medyo nagkakasundo na sila,” Marcial said during halftime of the PBA Philippine Cup matchup between Barangay Ginebra and the NorthPort Batang Pier.
The STAR’s Quinito Henson, on Monday, reported that the Valientes already submitted a Memorandum of Agreement to buy Terrafirma.
The next move is to settle the financial terms.
The Zamboanga-based team is no stranger to basketball, both locally and internationally. It has joined numerous leagues in the country, both on the five-a-side and 3x3.
In 2023, the team tapped former NBA champion Mario Chalmers as they competed in the Asian Basketball League.
Recently, the squad competed in The Asian Tournament, where it won the title in Zamboanga City last year.
During that run, NBA star DeMarcus Cousins and 7-foot-2 big man Rickey Bryce Jr. led the team, which was also composed of former PBA standouts Franky Johnson, Rudy Lingganay and Mike Tolomia.
The squad also played in the 34th Dubai International Basketball Championship, but lost all four elimination games. This time, the team was made up of Sam Deguara, college stars Nic Cabanero and Forthsky Padrigao, and former PBA players Prince Caperal and Kyt Jimenez
A few weeks later, the Valientes bagged the 3rd Gov. Ann K. Hofer Open Invitational Basketball Tournament championship.
The Valientes, in the statement, said that if the turnover is completed, the Zamboanga squad could make its PBA debut by October, in time for the league’s 50th season.
Recent PBA team acquisitions
The most recent successful team acquisition in the PBA was the Converge FiberXers taking over the fabled Alaska Aces team in 2022.
One of the most storied franchises in the league, Alaska bid the PBA adieu after 35 years and 14 championships.
Now, Converge is one of the up-and-coming teams in the PBA.
In recent years, younger teams such as the Phoenix Fuel Masters, NLEX Road Warriors, NorthPort Batang Pier and Meralco Bolts joined the league by acquiring existing franchises.
Terrafirma and the Blackwater Bossing came into the fold via expansion.
Since joining the league in 2014, Terrafirma, who was previously named Kia Sorento, Kia Carnival, Mahindra Enforcer, Mahindra Floodbuster, Kia Picanto and Columbian Dyip, missed the playoffs in 23 conferences.
Their highest finish throughout the seasons were two quarterfinal finishes — the first in the PBA Season 41 Governors’ Cup and then again in the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup.
If the transfer is completed, time will tell whether the fortunes of the franchise will do a 180-degree turn.
