In 2015, spearheaded by the Kuching Lord Tigers, the major basketball teams from four key Bornean cities finally united for a grand competition. The inaugural participants included the host Kuching Lord Tigers, the Kota Kinabalu (KK) Eagles, the Labuan Wasps, and the Miri Fire Horses. The following year (2016), after the withdrawal of the Miri Fire Horses, the Brunei Beruang Blazers stepped in, maintaining the competitive “Four Powers” format.

This tournament sent shockwaves across the nation, as East Malaysia had never before hosted a cross-border sporting event of such magnitude. The financial requirements were substantial; the preliminary rounds consisted of four teams (Kuching, KK, Labuan, and Miri/Brunei), where all four teams competed at every stop. In essence, every team faced off against each other three times per leg.

Named after its sponsor, YuWang, the event utilized a 4-Team Round Robin system:

Automatic Finalist: The team finishing at the top of the standings after the preliminary rounds earned a direct ticket to the Final.

Pre-Final: The second and third-seeded teams battled in a single-elimination match for the remaining spot in the Final.

The Grand Final was traditionally hosted in Kuching.

In the 2015 inaugural season, the Labuan Wasps’ import players displayed incredible prowess, dominating the court for much of the year. However, they suffered a narrow defeat to the Kuching Lord Tigers in the Final. Meanwhile, the KK Eagles took down the Miri Fire Horses to secure third place.

By the 2016 second season, the Kuching Lord Tigers had become a powerhouse. With a lineup and coaching staff that outclassed the competition, they didn’t drop a single game throughout the four legs. They cruised through the Final, defeating their old rivals, the Labuan Wasps, while the KK Eagles once again held onto their third-place finish.