WATCH: PBA Season 47 Opening Ceremony!

PBA Season 47 will be offering something that hasn’t been done in a long, long while.

The Philippine Cup opener on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum is going to feature a doubleheader game to be played in the same venue for the very first time in 28 years.

The June 5 twin bill is highlighted by the rematch of last year’s finals between defending champion TNT and Magnolia, with new team Converge officially making its PBA debut in the curtain raiser against Rain or Shine.

As per league chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III, the last time the league had a doubleheader in the same venue came in 1994 yet during the opening of the All-Filipino Cup at the Astrodome, and saw Sta. Lucia defeating Tondena, 111-108, and Alaska dumping Formula Shell, 119-95.

Back in 2014, the PBA opened the season with a triple header held simultaneously, but spread in different parts of the country. Ginebra routed San Mig Coffee at the Big Dome, 86-69, TNT defeated Meralco in Cebu, 89-80, and Rain or Shine downed Alaska in Davao City, 87-74.

Commissioner Willie Marcial credited the longer air time provided by TV 5 on opening day for the league to hold back-to-back games.

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