The Philippine basketball landscape has seen a rapid shift in quality as stars leave for professional opportunities abroad.
After Thirdy Ravena signed his first contract in Japan's B-League last 2020, amateur standouts such as Juan and Javi Gomez-De Liano, Kenmark Carino, and NLEX Road Warriors star Kiefer Ravena, Thirdy's older brother, have since followed suit in the 2021 season.
Dwight Ramos, Kobe Paras, Roosevelt Adams, Jordan Heading, RJ Abarrientos, Matthew Wright, and even wunderkind Kai Sotto, among others, also took their talents to Japan.
With the influx of Filipino talent, the JBL Asian import door became a lucrative option for pursuing a career abroad.
But some returned to the country to continue their careers for varying reasons. Here are some who jumped ship but decided to come back home.
Javi Gomez-De Liano
Javi Gomez de Liaño concluded his Japan B.League in 2022 with the Ibaraki Robots, a team that rarely uses him.
The University of the Philippines product averaged barely 9:40 minutes of playing time, and he only participated in 35 of their 53 games.
He produced 3.3 points and 1.1 rebounds for the Robots, who were 16-37 at the time and one of the bottom feeders in the league.
Ginebra selected Gomez De Liano in the first round of the PBA 47th season rookie draft that same year, to thunderous applause from the spectators.
However, Ginebra quickly shipped Gomez de Liaño, giving Terrafirma Dyip the No. 8 pick in return for Jeremiah Gray, the second overall pick.
He is now one of the most promising players for Terrafirma, whose team remains at the bottom of the standings.
Robert Bolick
In 2023, Robert Bolick joined the slew of Filipinos in the Japan League after signing with the Division 2 team, the Fukushima Firebonds.
That deal, however, only lasted for an entire training camp and one game.
His reason was to care for his then 10-week pregnant wife.
In his single B-League, Bolick finished with 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in a league game. In their subsequent encounter with Kumamoto, he did not see the court.
A few weeks after that development, the PBA approved a three-team trade involving the NLEX Road Warriors, NorthPort Batang Pier, and San Miguel Beermen, centered around the rights to Bolick.
The Road Warriors acquired franchise player Robert Bolick and backup guard Kent Salado in exchange for Ben Adamos, starting guards Don Trollano and Kris Rosales, and their Season 49 second-round choice from the Batang Pier.
In the four games he played for NLEX in the 2024 PBA Governors' Cup, he averaged 16 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 10.3 assists per game. NLEX fell short of a playoff seed in the conference.
Carl Tamayo
Another UP product, Carl Tamayo is the latest hooper to leave the Land of the Rising Sun.
Tamayo left the Ryukyu Golden Kings to zero in on locating fresh chances that will allow him to continue his development.
According to Tamayo's talent agency, VP Global Management, he wanted to "explore new horizons to showcase his skills and make a more significant contribution to another team."
The 22-year-old big man averaged just 2.5 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in 7.8 minutes of play across 16 games during his championship-winning debut year with Ryukyu.
There was not much of a difference in his playing time during his now-ended sophomore campaign. In 12.5 minutes across 23 games, he finished with 3.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.6 assists.
Tamayo has yet to decide what team he will play on.
