The Singapore Slingers became the third club in two months to pull out of Australia's National Basketball League, reducing the domestic competition to 10 teams.
The Slingers were not competitive during their brief NBL history, winning only six of their 30 matches in the 2007-08 season - including just one on the road - and finishing next to last.
Officials decided the cost of traveling and changes to the NBL criteria made it too difficult to field a team for the 2008-09 season starting Sept. 13. Powerful franchises the Sydney Kings and Brisbane Bullets, first and third after the last regular season, have folded after team owners got into financial difficulties.
The only other foreign team in the NBL now is the New Zealand Breakers.
NBL interim chief executive Chuck Harmison said the Slingers planned to establish their own Asian league. Harmison said the Slingers' backers, the Singapore Sports Council, undertook a review and decided the spiraling cost of air travel made it financially unviable to enter a third season in Australia.
"Instead, the team is looking at setting up its own local Asian professional league, and we wish them well with that venture," Harmison said.
"Following the review, the Slingers indicated they could not maintain their original commitment to cover all team flight costs to and from Singapore and made a formal request to enter the NBL travel pool, which equalizes the overall cost of airfares across our other teams. "
''After due deliberation, the league made it clear this was not an option."
