November 6 ------ Six Filipinos have become the pioneers for Southeast Asian basketball players in the Korean Basketball League this year. But how much are they earning in Korea’s premier league?
In a report by Korean basketball outlet Jumpball, the publication reported the salaries of the six Filipinos. Signing the richest contract was none other than NCAA Season 97 Most Valuable Player Rhenz Abando. The University of Santo Tomas and Colegio de San Juan de Letran product signed a two-year deal with Anyang KGC that starts at ₩237,000,000 (P9,786,911.55). If broken down in nine months which is the course of a season, Abando is earning almost P1,090,000 a month. The report also added that Anyang had to do a lot of tinkering with their financials just to get Abando.
Meanwhile, Justin Gutang’s one-year deal with Changwon LG netted him a cool ₩213,000,000 (P8,795,836.04). The product of College of Saint Benilde, who is also the inaugural Filbasket MVP, though has yet to play a game for the Sakers and is reportedly being sent down to the KBL’s developmental league for more seasoning.
Ethan Alvano, meanwhile, got a one-year, ₩200,000,000 deal with Wonju DB. If converted into pesos, the Cal State San Marcos product is earning P8,258,997.44 this season.
RJ Abarrientos, on the other hand, will earn ₩193,000,000 (P7,969,932.53) in the first year of his record-setting three-year deal with Ulsan Hyundai Mobis. It is still unknown the raises he will receive in his second and third years.
Christian David of Butler University got himself a one-year, ₩140,000,000 deal as he was tasked to replace William Navarro by Seoul Samsung. Like Gutang, David is also set to be sent to the KBL D-League.
Surprisingly, the first-ever Filipino to sign in the KBL SJ Belangel will “only” earn ₩132,000,000 (P5,451,243.97) in the first year of his two-year deal. Unlike the others though, the Ateneo lifer was allowed by Daegu KOGAS to bring his family to South Korea.
There is also a seventh Asian Quota Player in the league in Japanese player Moriguchi Hisashi of Goyang Carrot. He signed a one-year, ₩60,000,000 deal (¥6,241,008).
Also included in the players’ contracts are bonuses, lodging, and at least two round-trip tickets per season. Agent’s fees are also not deducted in the player’s salary.
Currently, there are three teams who have yet to sign an Asian Quota Player, namely Seoul SK, Jeonju KCC, and Suwon KT. Out of the three teams though, it’s only the Sonicboom who have yet to be capped out. According to multiple sources closely monitoring the situation, KT is looking to sign a guard from the UAAP by December.
Source: tiebreakertimes.com
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