BEIRUT (Lebanon) - Last year's Basketball Champions League Asia (BCL Asia) was a letdown for Indonesian hoops as its passionate fans did not have anyone to root for in the continent's highest club competition.
After a memorable 2024 campaign for Pelita Jaya, the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL) outfit wasn't able to book a return trip to the prestigious contest following a Semi-Final exit in the BCL Asia-East inaugurals.
Soon, another chapter of the pan-regional contest is about to unfold, with the responsibility of bringing the Southeast Asian nation back to the BCL Asia falling on a relatively young entity in Dewa United Banten.
Qualifying path
Dewa United earned their BCL Asia-East 2026 ticket after copping the 2025 IBL title by dethroning Pelita Jaya, in which they came back from a Game 1 loss and completed a reverse sweep of the best-of-3 affair.
They became just the second team in league history to win a championship series after trailing, a feat which was previously accomplished by, coincidentally, Pelita Jaya in the 2024 finale versus Satria Muda Pertamina.
After losing in the opening bout via rout, 94-77, Dewa United escaped with an 80-75 decision in Game 2, and momentum would shift in their favor as they went on to take Game 3, 74-73, to clinch the coveted crown.
Team history
For starters, Dewa United was established in 2021 as a professional sports organization that manages several popular sports divisions in Indonesia, namely football, basketball, esports, and motorsports.
Dewa United entered the IBL by acquiring Louvre Surabaya, competing under the name Louvre Dewa United Surabaya during the 2021 season and immediately made an impact by reaching the Semi-Finals.
Following the conclusion of the 2021 season, the club officially rebranded as Dewa United Surabaya, marking the beginning of a new identity within the league although it won't be the only time that they'd revamp.
In 2023, the club relocated their home base to Tangerang, Banten, officially rebranding as Dewa United Banten. And the next season would mark another milestone as they opened the Dewa United Arena in Tangerang.
Eventually, they'd taste the sweetest of success when they snared the IBL crown as discussed above. It was their very first title as they finally got over the hump after three Semi-Final appearances in the past.
Players to watch
Joshua Ibarra won Finals MVP honors for leading Dewa United to history and the Mexico men's national star is expected to lead the front once again as they venture in their first international campaign.
The towering center, who played in two editions of the BCL Americas , will be reinforcing the squad together with DJ Cooper and seasoned forward Troy Gillenwater, whom the team signed and brought in just recently.
But what makes this team exciting to watch, really, is the solid mix of star locals into the fold, led by veteran internationalists Arki Wisnu and Kaleb Gemilang - a tandem that has three IBL MVP awards combined.
Dewa United are situated in Group A together with the Johor Southern Tigers of Malaysia and comebacking Thai side Hi-Tech Basketball Club. To know more about their BCL Asia-East 2026 campaign, click here.
FIBA