Eastern, who just won the A2 championship, shelled out HK$10million to fulfill its dream of becoming Hong Kong's first professional basketball team, South China Morning Post reported on Thursday.

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After bulldozing their way to another championship, Eastern is now ready to take on much stronger opposition in the top-tier league, rekindling their rivalry against South China and Winling.

Eastern head coach Tam Wai-yeung is confident that Eastern's decision to become a professional team will allow Hong Kong to compete for the coveted Asia Champions Cup, just like what Regal did in 1997 when they beat South Korea's KIA Motors.

"Our plans will be to build the strongest force in domestic basketball and then set foot in regional competitions, just like another Hong Kong side Regal did in the 1990s," Tam told SCMP. We hope to set the standard for domestic basketball as we believe there is a market for the sport. If Eastern take the lead, I am sure other teams will follow."

Former Regal player Lee Wai-lun, who now serves as assistant coach to Eastern, also believed the team's move to the professional ranks will open the doors for other teams in Hong Kong teams and improve the quality of basketball in the nation.

"Many of our Asian counterparts have already started professional leagues but we are falling far behind. There have been some positive signs recently as the two top teams have strengthened their squads by securing overseas players but this is not enough as the nature of our league is still pretty much amateur," Lee stressed.

Knowing they are up against pretty heavy competition in the Pro, Eastern had already beefed up their frontline with the acquisition of American and Mexican league veteran Chris Barnes. The 6-foot-7 center is expected to comply with the league's one-year residency rule for foreign players, having already stayed in Hong Kong for half a year with still plenty of months to go before the start of the season.

TagsEastern, South China, Winling, Eastern Hong Kong, kia motors, Chinese basketball league