HARDWORKING forward William Navarro’s stint with Seoul Samsung in the Korean Basketball League will have to wait, for now.
Navarro failed to get a clearance from the world governing body for basketball, FIBA, to suit up for the Thunders because he still has an existing contract with Gilas Pilipinas and NorthPort, the squad that tabbed him in the special draft last year.
“The SBP respects players’ rights to look for greener pastures. But players also need to respect agreements they have entered into with their teams,” the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas said in a statement yesterday.
“Recently, the Korea Basketball Association (KBA) requested FIBA for a Letter of Clearance (LOC) for William Raniel Navarro to play for the Samsung Thunders in Korea. However, Mr. Navarro has an existing contract to: 1) play for the national team, attend activities, practices, social and business functions and 2) with his undeniable agreement, be assigned to only and no other team or ballclub than his PBA drafting team, the North Port Batang Pier.”
With the exodus of players in the country, whether amateurs or pros, the SBP insisted Filipino cagers should also honor their commitments.
“The SBP does not intend to unduly prevent players from furthering their careers with other teams here or overseas. But it is a fundamental and ethical practice for players to honor their existing contracts with their mother teams,” the SBP said.
“The essence for the need for a Letter of Clearance (LOC) is FIBA’s policy of upholding the sanctity of an existing, legally binding contract whenever the issue of Player Transfer comes about so that proper order is maintained among all stakeholders.”
The likes of Dwight Ramos, brothers Javi and Juan Gomez de Liaño and Kobe Paras chose to bring their acts to the Japan B. League last year.
SJ Belangel, RJ Abarrientos, Justin Gutang, Rhenz Abando followed suit this year in the Korean Basketball League, while Ricci Rivero will play in Taiwan.
PBA stars such as Kiefer Ravena, Bobby Ray Parks Jr., Matthew Wright, Greg Slaughter, and free agents Roosevelt Adams and Jay Washington are also set to play in overseas leagues.
