The Kia Carnival PBA team is no more. Well, at least in name. Philippine Basketball Association fans will now be referring to the expansion team as the Mahindra Enforcers--named after the rugged Indian utility vehicle recently chosen by the Philippine National Police as its transport vehicle of choice. The surprise announcement was made during Mahindra's brand launch on Monday.
Team manager Eric Pineda said that with the help of their basketball team and fans, Mahindra will become a "household name" in the Philippines. Pineda was joined onstage by team players L.A. Revilla, Hyram Bagatsing and Joshua Webb. The team members then posed for pictures with the Mahindra logo behind them.
The professional basketball team is owned by the Columbian Autocar Corporation, the local distributor of Kia vehicles in the country. CAC and Asianbrands Motors Corporation (Mahindra distributor) are sister companies under the ownership of Jose "Pepito" Alvarez.
The team attracted both local and international attention after team executives decided to hire Pinoy boxing champ Manny Pacquiao as the team's playing head coach. The squad hasn’t fared well as of late, placing 9th in the last Governor’s Cup and 10th in the Commisioner’s Cup. The team currently holds the second pick in the upcoming PBA draft.
What do you think of the name change? "Enforcers" certainly sounds more intimidating than "Carnival." Will the new moniker usher in a new era of tougher, better basketball for the team? That we'll have to see.
In the meantime, take our poll below.
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