With less than a month to go before the PBA Commissioner’s Cup tips off, teams are racing to get their foreign reinforcements in place—and the arrivals are now coming in fast.
San Miguel added another key piece to its title defense bid with the arrival of Marcus Lee on Monday. The 6-foot-11 big man is expected to anchor the middle as the San Miguel Beermen chase a rare back-to-back championship in Season 50, fresh off their dominant Philippine Cup triumph.
Lee brings with him a solid basketball résumé, having played college ball for the University of Kentucky and the University of California before carving out an extensive overseas career after going undrafted in the NBA in 2018. His size and experience could prove vital in a conference traditionally ruled by imposing imports.
Also already in the country is Converge’s reinforcement Kylor Kelley, who arrived over the weekend. The 7-footer, coming off a stint with the South Bay Lakers in the NBA G League, is set to provide rim protection and interior presence for the Converge FiberXers as they look to make noise in the mid-season tilt.
Meanwhile, guest team Macau Black Bears revealed a formidable import pairing of Sam Deguara and Tony Mitchell. The 7-foot-6 Deguara has been a familiar figure in Asian leagues, including the East Asia Super League where he previously suited up for the Black Bears.
Mitchell, a seasoned PBA campaigner standing 6-foot-7, earlier played for the Magnolia franchise and the NLEX Road Warriors during the 2017 and 2019 Commissioner’s Cup editions.
League rules, however, allow guest teams to field only one import at a time, with the second serving strictly as a backup in case of injury—meaning Macau will have to carefully choose which reinforcement to unleash at any given moment.
Several other teams have already locked in their imports well ahead of opening day. Former NBA player Bol Bol is set to banner TNT, while Terrafirma has secured Mubasha Ali. Magnolia tapped Terrell Brown-Soares, Blackwater went with Daniel Ochefu, and Meralco brought in Israel Romero.
Rain or Shine will parade Jaylen Johnson, Phoenix signed James Dickey, NLEX landed Cady Lalanne, and Barangay Ginebra once again entrusted its title hopes to crowd favorite Justin Brownlee.
As the March 11 opening looms, only Titan Ultra remains without an announced import—adding one last layer of intrigue to a Commissioner’s Cup shaping up to be as import-driven and competitive as ever.