Where: Okinawa SUNTORY Arena  

When: Wednesday, Oct. 22, 7 p.m. JST 

Team Records: Ryukyu Golden Kings (0-1) / Meralco Bolts (0-0)

Where to Watch: Ticket Information / Broadcast Information  

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PROJECTED STARTERS
Ryukyu Golden Kings: 

PG: Ryuichi Kishimoto — 176cm / 75kg
SG: Shota Onodera — 182cm / 82kg 

SF: Ryo Sadohara — 192cm / 97kg 

PF: Vic Law — 201cm / 94kg 

C: Jack Cooley — 206cm / 115kg

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Meralco Bolts: 

PG: Chris Banchero — 183cm / 79kg
SG: Chris Newsome — 188cm / 86kg 

SF: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson — 198cm / 98kg

PF: Cliff Hodge — 193cm / 88kg

C: Ismael Romero — 206cm / 100kg 

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TEAM LEADERS 

Ryukyu Golden Kings: 

Points: Vic Law — 29.0 

Rebounds: Jack Cooley — 14.0
Assists: Ryuichi Kishimoto — 3.0 

Steals: Vic Law — 2.0 

Blocks: Cooley — 1.0 

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Meralco Bolts: 

The Meralco Bolts have yet to play an EASL game. The Bolts make their EASL debut on Oct.  22 against the Ryukyu Golden Kings.

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THE RUNDOWN:  

The Ryukyu Golden Kings and the Meralco Bolts — the East Asia Super League’s first true rivalry — enters Round 5 on Wednesday. The two Group B teams have now been grouped together for the third straight season. 

But the Bolts have ground to make up. Ryukyu leads the all-time series 3–1 and swept the matchup (2-0) in 2024–25. Meralco’s lone win over the Golden Kings came on December 13, 2023 in an overtime thriller, thanks to former point guard Zach Lofton’s 35 points. 

This game is Meralco’s 2025–26 season debut and a fresh start. The Bolts bring back Chris Newsome, Bong Quinto, Cliff Hodge, and Chris Banchero, and add former NBA player and three-time PBA champion Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. 

For Ryukyu, this matchup is a chance to bounce back after an opening road loss to Chinese Taipei’s Taoyuan Pauian Pilots put them at 0–1.

On Wednesday, Oct. 22 at Okinawa Arena, the rivalry resumes.

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THE GOLDEN KINGS: 

Prior to entering its third straight EASL season, Ryukyu had never lost a season opener. In the 2024–25 season, the Golden Kings rattled off four straight victories to start, becoming the quickest team last year to earn a Final Four spot.

That changed on Oct. 8 at EASL Tip Off 2025. On the road at Taipei Heping Gymnasium, RGK fell to the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots in its season opener — the same team that ended its run to the EASL championship last March — by a decisive 94–80 margin. Forward Vic Law was the lone bright spot, totaling a game-high 29 points on 56.3% shooting from the field.

Now 0–1 to begin the 2025–26 campaign, Ryukyu needs to get back on track and, historically speaking, Meralco presents the perfect opportunity. The Golden Kings won both meetings with the Bolts last season, and, in fact, their home opener in 2024–25 was a 77–74 victory against the same team.

However, a slide to 0–2 within the first two weeks of the new season would put the perennial B.LEAGUE powerhouse in early trouble.

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THE BOLTS:  

It is hard to get a read on the new-look Bolts. Meralco brings back much of the group that featured in EASL last year. Domestically in 2025–26 it is largely the same core as well, but the EASL roster looks different.

The Bolts face Ryukyu with two new imports, Hollis-Jefferson and Ismael Romero, both with EASL experience. Hollis-Jefferson played the inaugural 2023–24 season with the PBA’s TNT Tropang Giga and averaged 29 points across five games. Romero featured in 2024–25 with Korea’s Suwon KT Sonicboom, averaging 15.0 points and 12.5 rebounds over two games. Add to that long-time captain and Philippine national team guard Chris Newsome, who scored 18 points the last time he played at Okinawa Arena.

It is difficult to predict how quickly this group will gel in their first competitive run together, especially against a team like Ryukyu, but the talent on paper is clear.

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SPOTLIGHT STORYLINE: 

MERALCO’S CURSE

No PBA team has won its season opener in EASL’s home-and-away era. In 2023–24, Meralco and TNT both opened with losses. In 2024–25, Meralco and the San Miguel Beermendid the same, with the latter finishing 0–6 — the first winless season in EASL history. 

For Meralco, the pattern is especially stark: this will be the third straight season it opens against Ryukyu, again in Okinawa. Can the Bolts break the curse on Wednesday?