MANILA, Philippines — William Navarro braved on to Korea regardless of a looming PBA ban on gamers becoming a member of different leagues.
Navarro on Wednesday plunged into the coaching camp instantly of his latest membership Busan KCC Egis within the Korean Basketball League, shortly after parting methods with Magnolia and the whipping of PBA’s stunning decision amid a brand new wave of participant exodus.
“Fulfilling the dream,” mentioned Navarro’s company, the Titan Administration Group on his signing.
Navarro, who met his teammates for the primary time in Busan’s first camp in Yongin Metropolis close to Seoul, is predicted to be one of many affected gamers from PBA’s new ruling, which imposes a three-year ban on gamers who refused to signal with their mom PBA golf equipment regardless of a contract provide to leap ship to different leagues — native or overseas — as a substitute.
The 28-year-old Ateneo stalwart with Busan on Tuesday for the 2025-2026 Season albeit the Korean membership didn’t disclose the size of the deal. It’s the end result of his KBL dream after a spoiled stint in 2022 with the Seoul Samsung Thunders to honor contract obligations with unique workforce NorthPort and Gilas Pilipinas because the No. 2 decide within the 2021 particular draft.
Additionally coated within the new rule, which is efficient instantly after being accepted by the PBA board final month, are rookies not signing the Uniformed Gamers Contract (UPC) with the groups that drafted them regardless of a young provide to hitch different leagues.
Incoming rookies on this 12 months’s draft slated subsequent month are additionally included.
The one exemptions from the brand new rule are gamers who weren’t given contract presents through the 30-day grace interval after the expiration of their UPC and people thought of as unrestricted free brokers, who’ve performed a complete of seven years within the PBA.
Getting into a milestone fiftieth anniversary in October, the PBA noticed one other wave of exodus that includes its up-and-coming stars with Navarro solely serving as the newest one.
Navarro’s transfer to Korea left the Hotshots, who albeit maintain his enjoying rights in perpetuity within the PBA like different gamers leaping ship abroad, with none returns from a blockbuster commerce in the course of the just-concluded 2025 PBA Philippine Cup.
Magnolia acquired the 6-foot-6 Navarro, who has been one in every of NorthPort’s high gamers with a double-double common of 20.57 factors and 10.57 rebounds however performed solely 5 video games for the Hotshots, in trade of Calvin Abueva, Jerrick Balanza and a second-round decide subsequent season.
Navarro’s former teammate Arvin Tolentino final May left NorthPort after bagging the Commissioner’s Cup Greatest Participant of the Convention plum to signal with the KBL runner-up Seoul SK Knights.
And simply final week, Jamie Malonzo parted methods with Barangay Ginebra to signal with the Kyoto Hannaryz within the Japan B. League whereas he’s in the course of Gilas Pilipinas’ marketing campaign within the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
