WITH no height restrictions in place for the upcoming Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup, most teams have gone for towering imports to reinforce them in the mid-season conference.
The Terrafirma Dyip has enlisted 7-foot center Mubasha Ali, while Magnolia secured the services of 6-foot-9 Terrell Brown-Soares with less than a month before the mid-season conference tips off.
Several other squads are also banking on size.
Meralco Bolts will continue to rely on 6-foot-9 Ismael Romero, while Blackwater Elite bring in 6-foot-11 Daniel Ochefu.
Rain or Shine has tapped 6-foot-9 Jaylen Johnson, and TNT is reportedly finalizing a deal with 7-foot-3 former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Bol Bol.
Ali, a 28-year-old native of Helsinki, Finland, is expected to arrive in the Philippines this week, along with Ochefu. The latter is no stranger to the PBA, having briefly played for Rain or Shine in 2023 before suiting up for TNT in the East Asia Super League (EASL).
Meanwhile, both Brown-Soares and Romero are already in the country. Romero, 34, has been seeing action for the Bolts since the EASL began in October, giving Meralco a potential edge in team chemistry heading into the Commissioner’s Cup.
Other teams moved early to secure their reinforcements. NLEX brought in 6-foot-10 Cady Lalanne, Phoenix signed fellow 6-foot-10 big man James Dickey, and Barangay Ginebra once again turned to dependable veteran Justin Brownlee. At 6-foot-6, Brownlee stands as the shortest among this imposing group of imports.
Lalanne, a second-round pick by the San Antonio Spurs in 2015, already offered a preview of his impact after suiting up for Meralco in its final EASL group-stage game against the Ryukyu Golden Kings.
As of now, Converge FiberXers, Titan Ultra, San Miguel Beermen, and guest team Macau Black Bears remain the only squads yet to announce their imports.
The Commissioner’s Cup will fire off on March 11. / RSC