MANILA, Philippines, October 20 ------ Filipino basketball standout Robert Bolick will no longer see action in the Japan B. League as his team Fukushima Firebonds granted his request to be released from his contract. Bolick’s agent Marvin Espiritu confirmed the development to Rappler as Fukushima, who signed Bolick to a two-year contract in May, also officially announced the news on its Instagram page. The former PBA star requested a release after playing just one game for Fukushima to care for his 10-week-pregnant wife, Cassandra, whose situation is “delicate,” said Espiritu. Due to the travel demands of home-and-away games in the B. League, Bolick’s absence from their home in Fukushima would have made the pregnancy challenging, the longtime sports agent added.
The Bolicks are expected to arrive in the Philippines on Thursday evening. “He wants to go home,” Espiritu said. “There are some things he has to take care of.”
Espiritu confirmed that they are going through the final steps in obtaining Bolick’s clearance after his release was granted. Conversations on his basketball future will also take place after the couple gets settled again in Manila. Bolick is free to sign with any basketball team outside of the Philippines, but whether or not he would want to play internationally will depend on the circumstances surrounding his wife’s pregnancy. “Once I get his clearance, he can sign anywhere. Any league in the world, for that matter, but of course, with the PBA, his rights are still with NorthPort,” Espiritu explained.
Although the former San Beda Red Lion’s recent contract with the team ended early in 2023, he cannot become an unrestricted free agent yet because he hasn’t served seven years with the ball club. In his lone B. League performance, Bolick finished with 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in Fukushima’s five-point loss to Yamagata. He did not see the court in their next matchup against Kumamoto. “Bolick was the first player announced as the first contract in this season’s lineup, and the club had high expectations for him,” said Hajime Nishida, Fukushima’s representative director, in a statement. “I think it was the same for all the boosters. However, Bolick recently expressed his intention to leave the club, and the club held many discussions, but Bolick was firm in his intentions, and in the end, we decided to respect his wishes.”
The team also announced that merchandise sales related to Bolick will be replaced
Source: rappler.com
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