Following the decision by the Malaysia Basketball Association (MABA) to restructure its age-group competition system and introduce a nationwide Under-20 (U20) regional tournament in 2013, the Kota Kinabalu Basketball Association (KKBA) launched the inaugural Metro Tire Cup KK U20 Basketball Championship. The primary goal of the tournament was to scout and select elite talent to represent the district at the state level.

At the opening ceremony of the first edition, Chairman Fung Chun Fatt remarked:

“As this is a new nationwide initiative, it is also the first time the KKBA is hosting an U20 event. We lacked experience in this area, but when we approached Mr. Lee Hock Eyang, the owner of Metro Tire, regarding sponsorship, he agreed immediately. He has since become one of the five major sponsors for KKBA’s key tournaments.”

Chairman Fung emphasized that regardless of future changes to state or national formats, the KKBA would strive to maintain the U20 tournament as a permanent fixture.

On the historic day of March 19, 2013, the first edition officially tipped off. The following day, Sabah Basketball Association President Phan Chee Yong presided over the opening ceremony. The response was unprecedented for a debut event, attracting 21 teams (17 boy’s and 4 girl’s).

That year, the KKBA set a precedent by hosting the first district-level U20 tournament and was subsequently commissioned by the state association to host the inaugural Sabah Regional Qualifiers. In the finals, the formidable B & T Company and Tshung Tsin Secondary School (Team A) emerged as the first-ever boy’s and girl’s champions, respectively.

2014–2015: Continued Growth and Rivalries

In 2014, despite the Sabah Basketball Association deciding not to hold a state-level tournament, Mr. Lee Hock Eyang of Metro Tire continued his staunch support for the U20 league. The 2nd edition commenced on March 10 with 13 boy’s and 4 girl’s teams, and was officiated by the Mayor of Kota Kinabalu, Datuk Abidin Madingkir.

Boy’s: B & T Company successfully defended their title by defeating Undergod.

Girl’s: Keng Cheong Furniture claimed the championship.

By the 3rd edition in 2015, the tournament opened on March 12. While the boy’s field grew back to 17 teams, the girl’s division saw only 3 entries.

Boy’s: The two-time defending champions, B & T Company, were upset in the semifinals. Undergod, who had been the runner-up for two consecutive years, finally seized the throne by defeating the dark horse, Lok Yuk.

Girl’s: The powerhouse Ji Gong Tan claimed the title.

The 4th Edition: Good Forefront, a strong team composed of young Lok Yuk players, secured the boy’s title with a perfect winning streak. In the girl’s division, Ji Gong Tan (formed by Tshung Tsin students) successfully achieved a “three-peat.”

It is worth noting that Tshung Tsin’s girl players effectively won the first four championships, simply competing under different team names each year.

The 5th Edition: The girl’s division was cancelled due to an insufficient number of participating teams. In the boy’s division, a team primarily composed of Beaufort players—who had recently won the State U17 Championship—continued their winning streak by toppling the defending champions, Good Forefront, to take the title.