Malaysia to Host Next Year’s SEA Games—Lee Tian Hock: Malaysian Basketball Targets 1 Gold and 2 Silvers

(Kuala Lumpur, 1st) Next year is Malaysia’s turn to host the “2027 Southeast Asian Games,” and the Malaysia Basketball Association (MABA) is determined to build a gold-winning team within less than two years, setting a target for the national team to clinch 1 gold medal or at least 2 silvers!

MABA President Dato’ Sri Lee Tian Hock stated that among the “5 Major Plans” of MABA, the ultimate goal of winning gold at the SEA Games is yet to be achieved. From this moment, MABA will focus its efforts on the Malaysia SEA Games scheduled for September 2027.

“We have invested a lot of funds and resources into basketball development, all in hopes of clinching a gold medal on our home turf. MABA has been honing its efforts over five years, and the upcoming SEA Games will be the ultimate test of all this hard work. We have set a goal of winning 1 gold or 2 silvers at the Games!”

Lee Tian Hock made this gold promise during a speech last night (31st) at the “2026 MABA Chinese New Year Gala Dinner” in Kuala Lumpur, addressing guests including Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming.

He later revealed to the media that MABA is keenly aware that the road to gold is not easy. Therefore, in addition to actively reviewing its strengths and weaknesses, the gold medal goal is being entrusted to the most promising “3x3 Basketball” event.

“Currently, our national 3x3 basketball team ranks 11th in the world, so our goal is to maintain their standard and not let the ranking drop, keeping our eyes firmly on the SEA Games!”

In addition, Lee Tian Hock praised the Association's redevelopment partner, EXSIM Group, for increasing its annual pre-paid profits under the “Land and Building Redevelopment Agreement” from RM4 million to RM6 million per year, meaning that MABA has now embarked on a path to “financial independence.”

“MABA has replaced ‘association-style operations’ with ‘corporate management,’ generating resources through real estate instead of relying on external fundraising. This sort of innovative change is unprecedented in Malaysian sports!”

He added that with the groundbreaking of the new “MABA SUITEZ KL” building last November, the 60-story twin towers are expected to be completed on schedule by 2031.

On another note, when talking about enhancing the cultivation of high-quality players, Lee Tian Hock stated that the Association has recently completed the naturalization of the first batch of three male and female players, including one each for the men’s 3x3 and 5x5 teams, and one for the women’s team.

“Youth development in local basketball is trending, with the number of participants in MABA’s national youth selection camp at Bukit Jalil Sports School soaring from a few dozen in 2022 to 127 last year. This is a dramatic increase and signifies that local basketball is moving toward popularization.”

Housing Minister Nga Kor Ming announced in his speech that the Ministry would become MABA's strategic partner, exploring ways to “blossom across the nation” by building at least one covered basketball court in every Chinese new village.

“We hope to be the cradle for basketball, fostering children’s interest in the sport from a young age. Therefore, the New Village Development Department will collaborate with MABA to consider how to build at least one covered basketball court in each of Malaysia’s 613 new villages! Take Manjung District in Perak as an example—the area already has as many as 32 basketball courts.”

Later, Nga Kor Ming also presented MABA with a RM50,000 grant on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, taking concrete action to support local basketball. This was met with applause from guests, among them Olympic Council of Malaysia Vice President Dato’ Mohamed Sumali, MABA Secretary General Tan Khee Sien, EXSIM Group Managing Director Lim Yik Jie, and Sheng Group Managing Director Dato’ Sri Lim Chin Hui.