Three-year ban awaits PBA players leaving for other leagues

August 9 ------ THE PBA was quick to clamp down on the current wave of players’ leaving the league to take their acts overseas. The pro league's board of governors has approved a three-year ban for players who refused to sign with their mother teams despite a valid tender offer of a new contract, and instead left the PBA for another league, either local or foreign.

The same rule now applies to all rookie prospects who refuse to sign the Unified Players’ Contracts offered by the PBA teams that drafted them and leave for another league. The rules were passed during the last board meeting of July 17 and a formal memo – which was shown to SPIN.ph - was sent to all PBA teams and players the following day (July 18) duly signed by Commissioner Willie Marcial. Also covered by it are players who refuse to renegotiate or re-sign with their mother team.

The ruling came amid an exodus of players to overseas leagues in recent weeks that saw Northport’s Arvin Tolentino and Magnolia’s Will Navarro hook up with Korean Basketball League teams, and high-flying forward Jamie Malonzo leaving Barangay Ginebra to play in the Japan B.League. Since the rules are immediately executory, a source privy to the matter said all three players are already covered by it.

Tolentino was signed by KBL team Seoul SK Knights last May despite coming off an impressive showing in the mid-season Commissioner’s Cup where he bagged his first ever Best Player of the Conference award. Malonzo, meanwhile, joined the Kyoto Hannaryz of the B.League after his contract expired at the end of July. And just this Tuesday (August 5), KCC Egis of Korea officially welcomed Navarro to the club.

The same source presumed all three received tender offers from their mother teams. In the case of rookie draftees, the new ruling could cover Dave Ildefonso, who failed to reach an agreement with NorthPort after a drawn-out negotiations between the two sides prior to the start of Season 49. A first-round pick of the Batang Pier at No. 5 overall, the son of two-time MVP Danny Ildefonso decided instead to play for the Abra Weavers in the MPBL.

All rookies who will be selected in the coming Sept. 7 draft also fall under the new rule. At the same time, the right to the player remains in perpetuity with the mother team in all cases. There are those exempted, however. It includes players who are not offered a new contract by his mother team within the 30-day grace period from the expiration of his UPC, thereby qualifying him as outright unrestricted free agent. Also, players who became UFA under the seven-year free agency rule or a total of 21 conferences completed.

Source: spin.ph