FORMER National Basketball Association (NBA) player Manute Bol, who played for TNT Tropang 5G in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup, is not eligible for the Best Import award.
The league released official candidates for the award, which honors the top reinforcement for the mid-season conference.
Manote was not on the list that included Justin Brownlee of Barangay Ginebra, Jaylen Johnson of Rain or Shine, TNT’s Chris McCullough, who replaced Bol, and Patrick Gardner of Meralco.
The league rule says that imports whose teams made it to the semifinals are automatically qualified for the award, as long as they’re still playing until the end of their mother club’s campaign.
Bol led Tropang 5G to the semis, even routing the twice-to-beat NLEX in the quarterfinals, but he was not able to finish the semis due to a full tear on his Achilles tendon in Game 2 of the semifinals against the Meralco Bolts.
McCullough replaced Bol and is playing for the franchise in the PBA Finals. / RSC
