ADD LeBron Lopez to the growing number of Filipino cagers bringing their acts overseas.
The high-flying former Ateneo High School standout and Gilas Pilipinas national team training pool member has turned pro and will suit up in the Overtime Elite League in the United States.
“I am humbled and grateful to Overtime Elite (OTE) for believing in me and helping me get closer to my dreams. I will work hard to live up to their faith. As OTE leadership said, I will be the first Filipino player to join them,” Lopez said on his Instagram account last Tuesday night.
“It is an honor that I will not take for granted. I will not let our country down. I will work very hard to represent us well!” he added.
Lopez, 18, suited up for the all-amateur Philippine five in the third window of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers in Clark where he scored eight points, five rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in Gilas’ 76-51 drubbing of Indonesia.
The 6-foot-5 Lopez was left at home when the nationals saw action in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Belgrade, Serbia.
The OTE offers a minimum salary of at least $100,000 per year, with signing bonuses and even shares in the company. The league also offers health and disability insurance, in addition to college tuition, should players opt to go to school.
Lopez thanked coach Tab Baldwin and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas for giving him a chance to don the country’s colors.
“I want to say a special thank you to the people who helped me at the beginning of my journey– coach Reggie and coach Tab and Mr. Al Panlilio and Mr. Pangilinan and the SBP,” he said. “They saw the spark of potential in a young kid and supported it.”
By opting to go to Overtime Elite and forgo his remaining two years of eligibility for the Blue Eaglets, Lopez will no longer play in the collegiate ranks.
“Overtime Elite (“OTE”) is a transformative new sports league that offers the world’s most talented young basketball players a better pathway to becoming professional athletes, while engaging and inspiring a new community of digitally native fans,” OTE said on its website.
