Home > Sports > Basketball

For East Asia Super League CEO Henry Kerins, 'premium' a priority in expansion

Published: 10 Mar. 2025, 15:28

PAIK JI-HWAN
[email protected]

East Asia Super League CEO Henry Kerins speaks during a press conference at Studio City in Macau on March 7. [EASL]

MACAU — Since the inception of the East Asia Super League (EASL) in 2023, the competition has provided numerous basketball teams from across Asia a rare opportunity to gather together and determine which side can execute their skills best on the international stage.

Multiple KBL teams have also competed in the EASL, through which they have been able to translate their performance from the Korean league into an effective threat against other Asian teams, with Anyang KGC, now called the Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters, and the Seoul SK Knights making it to the final in the league’s first two editions.

Fellow KBL teams Busan KCC Egis and the Suwon KT Sonicboom, however, failed to carry the previous seasons’ momentum in this year’s expanded 10-team league, with both sides exiting the group stage. But KBL teams have still left an impression on EASL CEO Henry Kerins.

He said during an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily at Studio City in Macau — the host for this season’s semifinals and final — on March 7 that Korean basketball is “distinct and physical,” comparing it to the European game.

Kerins also discussed what he thinks the EASL has done for the development of Asian basketball, how Korean basketball can further grow its competitiveness on the international stage and what other plans the EASL has in terms of expansion.

The following are excerpts from that interview, which have been edited for length and clarity.

Q. Could you tell us about what goals for Asian basketball you envisioned to achieve with the EASL?

A. I think, just overall, the market’s ripe. Basketball is changing a lot. And it’s becoming a very young sport, a very social media sport, and there is just a huge amount of interest and investment going into basketball globally.

The Hiroshima Dragonflies shooting guard Kaine Roberts, right, goes for the basket during an East Asia Super League semifinal against the New Taipei Kings at the Studio City Event Center in Macau on March 7. [EASL]

What we're trying to do, we're very focused on East Asia, and we're very focused on elevating the game at the club level. You'll see that the competitions are the best teams from Japan, Korea, Chinese Taipei, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Macau, expanding to new markets soon.

But the ability for these clubs to now have an opportunity to play the best of the best in a premium environment and compete — that translates into elevating the game not just at the club level but the national team level. So the leagues that play with us, the Japanese, the Filipinos, you've seen them going from 40 to 30 now to 20 in global rankings. So I think our mission statement is to elevate the game.

Our mission statement is to deliver a premium product, not just to the fans but to the clubs and the leagues, that is commensurate with the respect they deserve, and so I think we will see a continued elevation of the sport in the region.

Fans watch an EASL semifinal between the Hiroshima Dragonflies and New Taipei Kings at the Studio City Event Center in Macau on March 7. [EASL]

The EASL has invited more teams from across Asia since it began in 2023. Do you have a specific objective on how big you want to make this league in the future?

Yeah, I think we're going to look to expand gradually, to 12, maybe 15 teams, next season and about 18 teams, but it's really about the markets that we introduce. We want competitive basketball; 20 percent of our games are within three points. That's good basketball, right? We want to keep it in a way that everyone is competitive, and so that's how we'll expand slowly but surely.

The EASL will invite teams from Mongolia starting next season. Are there any more countries you are considering inviting?

We are in discussions with a lot. We announced Mongolia. We'll make an announcement on the full schedule soon.

You have seen multiple Asian teams competing in the EASL since 2023, but which country’s teams has impressed you the most and why?

I was very impressed this season with Hong Kong and Macau. These are, in the perspective of Japan and Korea, underdeveloped leagues. And they put together incredible teams with incredible passion, and obviously these markets are crazy about basketball, so I wasn't worried about fans showing up.

Busan KCC Egis's Heo Ung in action during an East Asia Super League game against the Macau Black Bears at the Studio City Event Center in Macau on Nov. 6, 2024. [EASL]

I was worried about whether these guys can compete with the likes of SK [Seoul SK Knights] or KT [Suwon KT Sonicboom] or KCC [Busan KCC Egis], and they showed up and they played incredible basketball and delivered, so I think what I've learned going through this is 'don't underestimate anyone in terms of their ability to execute on the court, but also their passion to perform.'

Korean teams performed well in the past two seasons, although none reached the semifinals this year, but based on what you've seen in the EASL, what do you think are some visible strengths that Korean teams have?

Discipline. There's perimeter ball movement. We have a lot of data analytics on all teams, but if you look at the average amount of passes per point, the Koreans are leading. So it's incredible team ball that you don't really see anywhere else, and that's a huge strength that you can't copy and paste. It takes a lot of time to develop that. It's a very European system of basketball.

Suwon KT Sonicboom power forward Park Jun-young, right, in action during an East Asia Super League game against the Hiroshima Dragonflies at Suwon KT Sonicboom Arena in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on Dec. 4, 2024. [EASL]

This season, both Korean teams were hampered by a lot of injuries. It was really unfortunate. But Korean basketball is distinct. It's physical.

The EASL is a chance for Korean basketball to elevate its competitiveness on the international stage, where we have struggled to shine in recent years. The men's team failed to medal at the Asian Games in 2023 and failed to even qualify for the Paris Olympics last year. What do you think Korean basketball needs to improve?

I'm not an expert on federations or national team programs, but — and maybe this is controversial — I would say that basketball is international now. The last five MVPs in the NBA are foreigners.

I think the best thing that Korea can do is really think, 'How can we internationalize the game while keeping the integrity of Korean basketball?' And that is a hard balance.

In order for more basketball fans to tune into the EASL, the league needs to be well-known to a bigger audience across Asia. What initiatives have you implemented to further promote the EASL?

I think in Korea, we haven't done a good job. I don't pay for social media. We haven't done a good job on educating fans about why this is important, what this is and telling those stories in Korea. That is something we are going to be working on a lot.

I think the other thing from the fans’ perspective is that fans everywhere want 'premium.' So how do we deliver that premium experience not just on the court but around the court for these fans? When I look at what’s happening in esports in Korea, that’s how we do it. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but we just have to make sure that our narrative is competitive.

Is the EASL planning to hold all semifinal and final games in Korea in the future to promote the tournament in the country?

We actually have an ongoing discussion now about holding the final four in Korea next year, and we would love it. And Korea, as you know, is one of the best places to hold international events, whether it's concerts or events like the Coupang Play Series. I think if we did it in Korea, it would be phenomenal.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]