Macau Black Bears not allowed to sign Filipino players for PBA guest run

Macau’s long-anticipated entry into the PBA Commissioner’s Cup comes with a clear boundary: no Filipino players allowed.

As excitement builds around the Macau Black Bears’ participation as a guest team, PBA commissioner Willie Marcial made it clear that the league is sticking to precedent. Despite the Black Bears’ history of fielding Fil-foreign players in international competitions, that option won’t be available once they step onto the PBA stage.

“Tulad nung mga dati nating guest teams, hindi sila puwedeng mag-line up ng Filipino players,” Marcial said, underscoring the league’s intent to remain consistent with rules previously applied to teams like Bay Area Dragons and Hong Kong Eastern.

The clarification matters, especially given Macau’s recent past. The Black Bears once featured Fil-Ams Quentin Millora-Brown, Cole Micek, and Kascius Small-Martin—names familiar to local fans after the team even faced Gilas Pilipinas in a sendoff game at the Smart Araneta Coliseum ahead of the FIBA Asia Cup.

Since then, the trio’s paths have diverged. Micek was drafted by Rain or Shine but never signed, Small-Martin was removed from the draft list after failing to complete requirements, and Millora-Brown has since been declared a local player and is now playing professionally in Japan with the Chiba Jets, while also becoming eligible for Gilas Pilipinas in FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

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No doubt that the Macau Black Bears should be allowed to hire Filipino players even those who have yet to join the PBA draft, granted that these players are draft-eligible.

But, given how the PBA operates, it’ll likely thumb this down and just allow free agents to be signed up.

— PBA insider (@PBAinsider) January 26, 2026

Even if any of those players were to become available, Marcial reiterated they remain ineligible to suit up for Macau in the mid-season conference.

“Dapat mga locals (Macau players) lang ang nasa lineup,” he stressed.

Where the Black Bears will enjoy flexibility is in the import department. Like previous guest teams, Macau is allowed to carry two imports of different heights, with the option to replace one in case of injury—a setup similar to what Bay Area and Hong Kong Eastern previously utilized.

“Ganun pa rin ang bibigay natin na concession. Puwede kang magpalit ng import kung ma-injured yung isa. Pero kapag ini-activate ulit yung original import, hindi ka na puwede ulit magpalit,” Marcial explained.

The league’s leadership is now moving to formalize Macau’s participation. Marcial, along with PBA board vice-chairman Alfrancis Chua, is set to travel to Macau this week to meet with team owners Jackie Fung and Lukas Peng to finalize the Black Bears’ entry.

As the Commissioner’s Cup approaches, the message is clear: Macau is welcome—but it will play by the same guest-team rules that came before it.

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