The Macau Black Bears, also known as the Macau Black Knights and the Macau Giant Pandas (PBA-only), are a Macanese professional basketball team.
Originally based in mainland China, they played under a different name when debuting at the ASEAN Basketball League in 2017. In 2018, they moved to Macau, becoming the Macau Black Bears, and kept on playing in regular seasons of the ABL until 2020. They debuted at the East Asia Super League as representatives of the city in its 2024–25 season. They entered the Philippine Basketball Association, playing as a guest team in the 2026 Commissioner's Cup, and the 2026 Governors' Cup.
History Chong Son Kung Fu Macau Black Bears was originally a basketball team based in mainland China which played in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL). The team was based in Nanhai District, Foshan, Guangdong and played their home games at the 4,000-seated Nanhai Gymnasium. They joined the ABL from 2017–18 season as Nanhai Long Lions, the affiliate team of Guangzhou Loong Lions. They changed their name to Nanhai Kung Fu to differentiate from their mother team. After they partnered with Macau's Grupo Desportivo Chong Son, they changed the name once again, to Chong Son Kung Fu Basketball Club by November 2017.
Macau Black Bears After the 2017–18 ABL season, the team relocated to Macau to become the Macau Black Bears, in a bid to promote professional basketball in the city. The inaugural season was led by the general manager Lukas Peng.
They reached the playoffs in their first season (2018–19) representing Macau. The next iteration of the ABL, the 2019–20 season, was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the team remained active via the 3x3 basketball format, competing in the 3×3 Super League and the Wynn Cup 3X3 Greater Bay Area Tour in China.
The Macau Black Bears got promoted from the junior to the senior category of the Macao Silver Medal Basketball Tournament in 2019. In 2023, the Black Bears began taking part in The Asian Tournament. It also joined the 2023 ABL Invitational. They won their first senior title in the All-Macau Basketball League in February 2024. This was followed by the Macao Silver Medal Tournament defeating Fukien in the senior final in May 2024. They joined East Asia Super League, starting with the 2024–25 season.
PBA entry On 6 February 2026, it was announced that they will join the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) as a guest team in the upcoming PBA Comissioner's Cup, and change their name to the Macau Black Knights after Star Entertainment invested in the team. Special player eligibility rules were imposed for the purpose of their PBA participation. Players from Greater China are considered as "locals", while they can have two imports and only one can play at a time. They cannot have Filipinos in the roster. They plan to be a permanent member in the PBA. On March 25, the team have announced that they would replace Garrett Kelly as their head coach, after bringing in former player Marcus Elliott.
The Macau Black Knights was granted the permission to take part at the 2026 PBA Governors' Cup as a guest team. Ahead of the conference start in July, Macau changed their branding again, to the Macau Giant Pandas for the PBA.
Continued Macau domestic participation Locally, they compete in the Macao Silver Medal Basketball Tournament as of 2026, as the Macau Black Bears.
Team image The team is part of the Macau Black Bears Sports Club, dating back to 2018. The earlier logo features Bobo the Black Bear, an individual asian black bear who came to public attention in the 1980s when it was rescued from being cooked in a gourmet restaurant as a cub. In early 2026, the team changed their branding to the Macau Black Knights, with the bear given a knight's armor. The team retained the name Black Bears for domestic tournaments.
For the purpose of their participation in the PBA, the team adopted the name Black Pandas in June 2026, to promote the city's giant pandas.
Current roster PBA
EASL
Head coaches Charles Dubé-Brais (2017–2018, 2022–2023) Mu Jianxin (2018–2019) Charles Hantoumakos (2019–2020) Kevin Connelly (2023–2025) Garrett Kelly (2024–2026) Zhou Lu Nan (2025–2026) Marcus Elliott (2026–present) Mark Dandan (TAT) (2026–present)
Season-by-season record SeasonLeagueTeam nameRegular season Post seasonWonLostWin %FinishWonLostWin %Result2017–18ASEAN Basketball LeagueChong Son Kung Fu1551st02Lost in semi-finals to Mono Vampire2018–19Macau Black Bears14126th12Lost in quarter-finals to Singapore Slingers2019–20776thCancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in Asia2023775thDid not qualify2024–25East Asia Super League 33 3rd in Group BDid not qualify2025–2606 4th in Group BDid not qualify2025–26(Commissioner's)Philippine Basketball AssociationMacau Black Knights3911thDid not qualify2025–26(Governors')Macau Giant Pandas266th in Group ATo be determined
Affiliates Guangzhou Loong Lions
References
External links Chongson Kung Fu page at the ABL official website (archived)