All set for PBA Legends tour; first stop in Dammam

Basketball-batty Filipinos in the Kingdom get to see their PBA idols in the flesh for the second time in little over two years when the PBA Legends tour takes place this month.
The organizing Coordinations Est. for Event Planning and Organization (CEEPO) has confirmed the arrival of Alvin Patrimonio and Co., who were the PBA stars of the 80s and the 90s, for the three-day exhibition in the major cities of Dammam, Riyadh and Jeddah on April 16 to 18.
Unlike in 2012 this year’s batch of retired PBA players promises to be more exciting and more popular among the legions of fans of Asia’s first professional league.
Organized by CEEPO and Saudi Basketball Academy (SBA) in cooperation with Saudi Basketball Federation (SBF) and sanctioned by the office of General Presidency Youth & Welfare (GPYW), the Legends tour will have its first stop in Dammam followed by Riyadh and Jeddah.
“This is it. We promised to bring back the PBA Legends this year and we kept our promise. This is our way of saying thank you to all our friends and supporters who stood behind us for the past two years in all our basketball leagues,” said Abdul Aziz “Jawo” Dizon, CEEPO chief executive officer.
The Legends will play against ARCC-EEI on Thursday, April 16, at the Green Hall Stadium Sports City, Rakkah Dammam.
Then they will fly to Riyadh for a game against an all-star selection from Middle East Filipino Basketball Association (MEFBA) of Commissioner Nasser Ponponan on Friday, April 17, at the Prince Faisal Olympic Complex in Al Wadi Riyadh.
Their last game will be in Jeddah against the “Saudi Legends” on Saturday, April 18, at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium. The Saudi team is composed of former Saudi national basketball players, according to CEEPO Chairman Fahad Ibrahim Al Sekaity.
The PBA Legends first visited Saudi Arabia in 2012 when thousands of Filipino fans were able to meet and greet with Bal David, Ponky Alolor, EJ Feihl, Gerry Esplana, Bonel Balingit, Vince Hizon, Noli Locsin, Jerome Ejercito, Marlou Aquino, Rodney Santos, and Bong Hawkins.
To banner the PBA Legends this time is a powerhouse lineup of Alvin “the Captain” Patrimonio, Ejay Feihl, the 7-foot-1 behemoth, Noli “The Tank” Locsin, Nelson “The Bull” Asaytono, Kenneth “Captain Marbel” Duremdes, Vince “The Prince” Hizon, Dindo “The Bullet” Pumaren, three-point specialist Ren Ren Ritualo and Cris Bolado. They will be accompanied by team coach Derick Pumaren and Noli Macapanas of AMMOS referee association.
Philippine Airlines, official carrier of the PBA Legends, is one of the major sponsors of the event. Other diamond sponsors include KIA Motors Al Jabar Saudi Arabia, Enjaz Banking Services, Metrobank, BDO Remit, BPI, DBP, China Bank, My Remit ABS-CBN, Asia Union Bank Al Dawaa Pharmacy distributor of OPPO product, Sodas Sports, distributor of Peak shoes, ARCC-EEI, and OSN TV – Kapatid 5 Network, Aksyon TV Int’l, Kingdom Coffee 9 & 1, Red Tag, and And 1 shoes.
Also supporting the event are silver sponsors A.H. Al Gosaibi & Bro. Foods Co., Popeyes & Vanellis, Sky Freight Forwarders, Saudi Diesel Equipment Ltd. Company, Kabayan Restaurant, Bangus Restaurant, Flash Cargo, and Giordano Fashion.

Also in the management team in addition to Al Sekaity and Dizon are Mohamad Khamis, president of Saudi Basketball Academy in Jeddah; OFBL Commissioner Rocky Gil, Jeddah Coordinator; and Arnold dela Cruz, Riyadh coordinator. CIS, AKRO and SMPII are the marshalls. Documenting the event are Photographers Tru Colors in Dammam, UMIF in Riyadh, and Kulay in Jeddah.
For further details, interested parties may contact Dizon in Dammam at 0503512013, Gil in Jeddah at 0542698619 and dela Cruz in Riyadh at 0502828283.