Malaysia has always been a key part of the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) community, playing
a huge part throughout its history. In the upcoming 2023 ABL Invitational next year, that
tradition continues with NS Matrix Malaysia coming in to join the party.

“In the past 10 years, we have been paying attention to these games, especially the home and
away game system and the support of the local audience, which impressed us deeply,” stated
the NS Matrix Malaysia club..

Since the inception of the ABL in 2009, Malaysia has had its presence in the league with the
participation of the Malaysia Dragons. The team were consistently title contenders, making it all
the way to the Finals in 2014.

Even though NS Matrix Malaysia are a club that is new to the ABL setting, they are not entirely
unfamiliar with the competition. Some of the players that are expected to play for NS Matrix in
the 2023 ABL Invitational have actually played in the ABL in the previous seasons, namely the
veteran Kuek Tian Yuan as well as former “rising stars” like Wong Yi Hou and Ting Chun Hong.
While the experienced players will certainly be excited to return to familiar ground, they aren’t
the only ones hyped up for the games ahead.

“Everyone is excited enough to participate in this ABL, especially some of the young players on
the team,” NS Matrix stated.

There’s a good reason for the Malaysian squad to be excited. Their very first game of the 2023
ABL Invitational in Singapore at OCBC Arena will be against the Singapore Slingers on 2 January
2023 at 8:00 PM GMT +8.

In the past, the matchups between the Dragons and the Slingers has been dubbed the
“Causeway Bay Rivalry” due to the relatively close proximity between Kuala Lumpur and
Singapore. Even now as the club on Malaysia’s side has changed, the same intensity can be
expected from both sides.

In this sense, NS Matrix will not only be playing for the pride of their team in the opening game.
They will also be shouldering the pride of their country as well.

“This time the competition is not only for our club,” they added. “We also hope to improve
Malaysia basketball and prepare ourselves for the next international competitions. We believe
that the intensity of the 2023 ABL Invitational is enough to help us improve the team.”
NS Matrix Malaysia is also scheduled to play against Saigon Heat (4 January 2023 at 6:00 PM
GMT +8), Macau Black Bears (6 January 2023 at 8:00 PM GMT +8), and Zamboanga Valientes (7
January 2023 at 6:00 PM GMT +8) in the week-long tournament in Singapore to start the year.
Even with these new and exciting opponents to face ahead, NS Matrix are mainly focused on
preparing themselves the best they can for these challenges.

“We can only maintain our state by maintaining patience, focus and continuous training.”
The Kuala Lumpur-based team will be aiming to do their best in the 2023 ABL Invitational.
They’re hoping that their hometown fans will see their determination, so that when it comes
time for them to support NS Matrix whether it is while they are playing abroad or playing in
Malaysia, there will be an overflow of support for their players.

“I hope everyone can enter the court to support NS Matrix, and we also hope that the league
and the team can give supporters a perfect basketball experience.”