2026 PBA Governor's Cup

[Ziskinberg]

Gilas just completed their two tune-up games against South Korea and the result wasn't impressive for them as they were blown out on those two games, South Korea were deadly on the rainbow as usual while Gilas 2.0's chemistry was clearly wasn't there.

I read that it was another blowout loss for Gilas, so I guess that first loss was not just a bad game.

With these two blowout losses in the tune-up games, it’s really hard to expect too much, especially since this lineup is all-Filipino and not even made up of our best players. Still, these are just tune-up games, so I’m hoping they can adjust before the actual tournament. At this point though, I’d already be happy if Gilas can win at least one game.

[Russlenat]

With these two blowout losses in the tune-up games, it’s really hard to expect too much, especially since this lineup is all-Filipino and not even made up of our best players. Still, these are just tune-up games, so I’m hoping they can adjust before the actual tournament. At this point though, I’d already be happy if Gilas can win at least one game.

This isn’t what we were expecting, after a successful run at home, this new team suddenly looks not competitive at all.

It’s not like we’re playing against European teams, these are still Asian teams, so getting blown out twice is really something worth thinking about. Maybe Coach Tim needs to ask himself if he really chose the right players to represent us.

Of course we will still support Gilas, but if they lose like this in the actual games, it will be hard to feel proud of the performance. Hopefully they prove us wrong when the real tournament starts.

[mirakal]

Of course we will still support Gilas, but if they lose like this in the actual games, it will be hard to feel proud of the performance. Hopefully they prove us wrong when the real tournament starts.

This is probably the first time I’ve seen Gilas lose this badly in exhibition games. By September 11 they will already start the actual tournament against Bahrain. I don’t know much about Bahrain, but among the three teams in our group, they look like the most beatable opponent. So if Gilas cannot win that first game, then honestly it will be very hard to expect them to beat Kazakhstan and especially China after that.

[bisdak40]

Have you guys read that post regarding Kai Sotto being drafted in the PBA because of his plan to join the US NCAA was derail because he was flagged due to his professional earnings as he has played professionally in Australia and Japan.

I don't know the reason but is he not eligible to play again in the Japan B-league as the compensation there is far way greater than playing in the PBA or explore his option in other countries such as Korea or Taiwan.

Nevertheless, it would also be great to see him playing in the PBA but i want him to play to an independent team like Rain or Shine not in the SMC or MVP Group of Companies. If healthy in his rookie year then i think he will be the one to duplicate Benjie Paras' achievement of being the only player to got the MVP and Rookie of the Year award in a single season.

[LogitechMouse]

Have you guys read that post regarding Kai Sotto being drafted in the PBA because of his plan to join the US NCAA was derail because he was flagged due to his professional earnings as he has played professionally in Australia and Japan.

I don't know the reason but is he not eligible to play again in the Japan B-league as the compensation there is far way greater than playing in the PBA or explore his option in other countries such as Korea or Taiwan.
---

I haven't seen any news regarding him getting drafted in the PBA, and I don't see him playing in our league as well. I mean for me, there are still other teams outside PH that could give him higher salary compared to the PBA, and no offense to our league, but the monthly salary compared to other leagues out there is very, very low.

Now as for the US NCAA getting derailed, you can read more on this link: LINK. That's true unfortunately and that might've shut down his hopes in playing in the US or at least in the NBA as well. As for him not eligible to play in Japan B-league, I haven't seen any news article about it, and I don't even think that it's true either way. It's just that it's harder for now to play there right now because majority of the teams already have filled the slots for Asian imports.

Like what I said, I don't see him playing in the PBA now that he's on his prime years. I'd rather risk playing overseas than going back if I'm him. I still believe that there are still teams out there that would like to have somebody like him on their team.

[Ziskinberg]

Now as for the US NCAA getting derailed, you can read more on this link: LINK. That's true unfortunately and that might've shut down his hopes in playing in the US or at least in the NBA as well. As for him not eligible to play in Japan B-league, I haven't seen any news article about it, and I don't even think that it's true either way. It's just that it's harder for now to play there right now because majority of the teams already have filled the slots for Asian imports.

Sad for him, I’m not too familiar with the rules yet, does he really have to play in the NCAA first before he can get drafted into the NBA?

What about players like Wemby and others, I think they didn’t play in the NCAA, they just entered the draft and got picked. Just correct me if I’m wrong on this one.

It’s really sad to see Kai’s NBA dream having so many blockers along the way, because for us, he’s probably still the best chance to see a full-blooded Filipino finally make it to the NBA.

[mirakal]

Now as for the US NCAA getting derailed, you can read more on this link: LINK. That's true unfortunately and that might've shut down his hopes in playing in the US or at least in the NBA as well. As for him not eligible to play in Japan B-league, I haven't seen any news article about it, and I don't even think that it's true either way. It's just that it's harder for now to play there right now because majority of the teams already have filled the slots for Asian imports.

Sad for him, I’m not too familiar with the rules yet, does he really have to play in the NCAA first before he can get drafted into the NBA?

No, not necessary, NCAA is more about exposure. If you play well there and become popular, then you have a bigger chance of getting noticed and drafted, but it’s not really a prerequisite to enter the NBA.

What about players like Wemby and others, I think they didn’t play in the NCAA, they just entered the draft and got picked. Just correct me if I’m wrong on this one.

It’s really sad to see Kai’s NBA dream having so many blockers along the way, because for us, he’s probably still the best chance to see a full-blooded Filipino finally make it to the NBA.

Kai’s NBA dream is still alive, though he can’t enter the draft again since he already did in 2022 and no team picked him.

But it’s still possible if an NBA team is willing to give him a chance, not necessarily directly on the NBA roster. He could start through Summer League or the G League, prove himself there, and maybe eventually earn an NBA contract.

[bhadz]

Sad for him, I’m not too familiar with the rules yet, does he really have to play in the NCAA first before he can get drafted into the NBA?

I am also not familiar with it but based on what I've read, he's got more chances to enter NBA through NCAA. But he has chosen a different path at that time when he should be there. I think I remember it when he has to choose playing there and in G League but he's got that handler that didn't prioritized it.

What about players like Wemby and others, I think they didn’t play in the NCAA, they just entered the draft and got picked. Just correct me if I’m wrong on this one.

Wemby and the others are one of a kind, I mean no disrespect for our Kai. But he's also a generational talent but he needs more exposure and his one way of going into the NBA is with his exposure on the FIBA and has to dominate it.

It’s really sad to see Kai’s NBA dream having so many blockers along the way, because for us, he’s probably still the best chance to see a full-blooded Filipino finally make it to the NBA.

There's still some hope in it, I'm sure that there can be ways. No need for so much connection to handle it for him, his talent will be noticed and just like Yuki Kawamura when got noticed through FIBA, that will be his way too.

[bisdak40]

It’s really sad to see Kai’s NBA dream having so many blockers along the way, because for us, he’s probably still the best chance to see a full-blooded Filipino finally make it to the NBA.

Yeah, it's just sad that Kai Sotto's dream of reaching the NBA will not materialize as we won't see a player from the PH who is a full-blooded Filipino with his size and talent for a long time. But who knows that some NBA teams will sign him to 10-day contract just like what the Blazers did to South Korea's version of Stephen Curry, Lee Hyunjung. Even if it is just a 10-day contract, it will be history in the making for the Philippines.

[Russlenat]

There’s a video posted today claiming that Brownlee is already in Japan. If this is true, then most likely he could still join Gilas, otherwise why would he be there just before the Asian Games?

But we still need to verify if the report is reliable, especially because Philstar reported today that Coach Tim Cone said they “don’t expect Justin to join us.” So for now there are conflicting reports.

There’s still some time though, Gilas will play its first game on September 11 against Bahrain. If Brownlee is really already in Japan and gets cleared to play, that would be a huge boost for this team.

[Sanitough]

There’s a video posted today claiming that Brownlee is already in Japan. If this is true, then most likely he could still join Gilas, otherwise why would he be there just before the Asian Games?

But we still need to verify if the report is reliable, especially because Philstar reported today that Coach Tim Cone said they “don’t expect Justin to join us.” So for now there are conflicting reports.

We have to see that as a surprise, but since Brownlee hasn’t trained with them, there could be some chemistry issues. Still, I’d rather take that risk and let him play because this current lineup doesn’t look competitive enough. We already saw them lose by blowout in two tune-up games, so adding Brownlee could still give them a much better chance.

There’s still some time though, Gilas will play its first game on September 11 against Bahrain. If Brownlee is really already in Japan and gets cleared to play, that would be a huge boost for this team.

3 day of training with the team, that's already good as Brownlee is not new to the team.
Aside from that youtube video, there's no other source, that makes me think might be just hype to gain views.

[Ziskinberg]

3 day of training with the team, that's already good as Brownlee is not new to the team.
Aside from that youtube video, there's no other source, that makes me think might be just hype to gain views.

Don’t expect this anymore, it was already announced that Brownlee will not play. Who would you trust more, a vlogger or Coach Tim himself? Coach Tim already said Brownlee is not going to play, so that report saying he is already in Japan looks like fake news.

Some influencers really love making this kind of content just to get views, and this seems like one of those examples.
so i check their h2h...  and i see we have the edge here as Bahrain has never beat us in the past.

here are he record.

2023 PH 89-61 Bahrain
2111 FIBA asia championship 113-71

[LogitechMouse]

Don’t expect this anymore, it was already announced that Brownlee will not play. Who would you trust more, a vlogger or Coach Tim himself? Coach Tim already said Brownlee is not going to play, so that report saying he is already in Japan looks like fake news.

Some influencers really love making this kind of content just to get views, and this seems like one of those examples.

I can't find any article online where they're saying that Brownlee will not play in Asian Games anymore, but he's doubtful, and not out though.
The article that I can only find is this one: LINK.On that article, it shows that the team will still reserve a spot for Brownlee just in case, but there's still no confirmation yet that he'll play or not. Brownlee is still working for clearances for his doctors, but right now there's nobody that will fill up that 12th spot just in case he'll not play.

The "good" thing though is that Coach Tim Cone says that the team will be fine even with just 11 players. I wonder if they'll be fine though after being crushed 2 times by the South Korean team in the tune-up games. Well, it's just a tune-up anyway, and it's a way for both teams to build chemistry, and that's not enough for us to make an assumptions whatsoever.
Anyway, I just saw this article from Spin.ph as well: LINK

Apparently, Boatwright will be eligible to play for the November window of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers. He's a good addition especially now that Brownlee's being sidelined due to injuries. With this, we have a secondary option as our naturalized player and not relying on Brownlee anymore. An all-local team should be fine just like we saw, but having a naturalized player on your team is still different.

[tech30338]

Don’t expect this anymore, it was already announced that Brownlee will not play. Who would you trust more, a vlogger or Coach Tim himself? Coach Tim already said Brownlee is not going to play, so that report saying he is already in Japan looks like fake news.

Some influencers really love making this kind of content just to get views, and this seems like one of those examples.

I can't find any article online where they're saying that Brownlee will not play in Asian Games anymore, but he's doubtful, and not out though.
The article that I can only find is this one: LINK.On that article, it shows that the team will still reserve a spot for Brownlee just in case, but there's still no confirmation yet that he'll play or not. Brownlee is still working for clearances for his doctors, but right now there's nobody that will fill up that 12th spot just in case he'll not play.

The "good" thing though is that Coach Tim Cone says that the team will be fine even with just 11 players. I wonder if they'll be fine though after being crushed 2 times by the South Korean team in the tune-up games. Well, it's just a tune-up anyway, and it's a way for both teams to build chemistry, and that's not enough for us to make an assumptions whatsoever.
Anyway, I just saw this article from Spin.ph as well: LINK

Apparently, Boatwright will be eligible to play for the November window of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers. He's a good addition especially now that Brownlee's being sidelined due to injuries. With this, we have a secondary option as our naturalized player and not relying on Brownlee anymore. An all-local team should be fine just like we saw, but having a naturalized player on your team is still different.

I don't think they are okay playing 11 players only, PBA is different in Fiba cone is just putting a psychological thing in the players, but if he will only play 8 players then its really okay for 11 players lol, with 2 games loses this is not a good sign for them, even if its just a like tune up game, having a win will boost their confidence losing will lower the moral, i don't know tim is thinking, but they really need to upgrade and use players properly and stop the favoritism going on in the rooster.

[bisdak40]

so i check their h2h...  and i see we have the edge here as Bahrain has never beat us in the past.

here are he record.

2023 PH 89-61 Bahrain
2111 FIBA asia championship 113-71

Seeing how lopsided the score, i think Bharain was playing all local or at least one naturalized player on their lineup so the score wasn't close. I have read an article on my social media feed that this coming Asian Games, Bharain will be bringing with them 4 naturalized players.

Uros Ilic,a 6-foot-10 player of Serbian descent
Elijah Thomas, a 6-foot-11 who  played college ball for Texas A&M
JaKarr Sampson, 7-foot resident naturalized player
Austin Ajukwa, a 6-foot-6 guard who played NCAA Division 1

Looking at those players, they have the height that could pose problem with our small Gilas so i will be very careful on betting if the odds will be out as for sure Gilas will be the favorite on this matchup.

[Sanitough]

Seeing how lopsided the score, i think Bharain was playing all local or at least one naturalized player on their lineup so the score wasn't close. I have read an article on my social media feed that this coming Asian Games, Bharain will be bringing with them 4 naturalized players.

So there’s no limit on naturalized players? I thought only one naturalized player was allowed, so I was surprised to see that they reportedly have four.

If that’s really allowed, then they might no longer show much of their own brand of basketball, especially if most of the starting lineup are naturalized players. And if there’s really no limit, then countries that are weak in basketball could simply bring in more naturalized players just to become competitive.

[Maslate]

So there’s no limit on naturalized players? I thought only one naturalized player was allowed, so I was surprised to see that they reportedly have four.

here's the answer to that.

https://qa.philstar.com/sports/2026/08/21/2550663/common-denominators

Fil-foreigners Perkins, Barefield, Lucero, Ganuelas-Rosser, Tiongson and Bates received their Filipino passports after 18 so they’re eligible for the Asian Games but not FIBA. Boatwright, Brownlee and Kouame may play together in the Asian Games as there is no limit to naturalized players.

As what I read in that article, as long as they have the country’s passport and meet the Asian Games eligibility requirements, they can play as naturalized players.

That’s different from FIBA competitions, where only one player classified as a naturalized/restricted player is allowed on the roster.

[cryptoaddictchie]

Yeah, it's just sad that Kai Sotto's dream of reaching the NBA will not materialize as we won't see a player from the PH who is a full-blooded Filipino with his size and talent for a long time. But who knows that some NBA teams will sign him to 10-day contract just like what the Blazers did to South Korea's version of Stephen Curry, Lee Hyunjung. Even if it is just a 10-day contract, it will be history in the making for the Philippines.

As time pass by I think the chances of Kai Sotto is quite slim to be on the league, cause most of his batchmate like the small Point Guard In Japan Kawamura has been set foot on NBA but still no offers since then for our own Kaiju!

If ever theres a Filipino whoever set foot on NBA I think the chances are likely high for international players like Kevin Quiambao whose record are really off the chart and probably the younger player, Andy Gemao whose into Penn state and I believed will played in Canada now.

For our PBA players, Im not so hopeful for now.

[LogitechMouse]

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That’s different from FIBA competitions, where only one player classified as a naturalized/restricted player is allowed on the roster.

Well, if that's the case then our team is in trouble. We've seen Cambodia in one of the tournaments years ago where they're being filled with so many naturalized players that we lost to them. Now that we have an all-local team, the chances of us defending the title decreased BY A LOT.

Yes, we are going all-local because it's already confirmed that Brownlee will not play in this tournament anymore, and will be replaced by Oftana. We are being grouped with China, Bahrain and Kazakhstan, and the top 2 will proceed alongside the best 3rd placer. At the start, I expected that our team will easily defeat Kazakhstan and Bahrain and we will lose to China, but looking at the roster, we might lose even to Bahrain as well especially when all 4 of their naturalized players play at the same time. Their naturalized players are tall compared to our roster that only has around 6'9" inches as the tallest I think.

TBH, I will not be surprised if we will not even clinch the Quarterfinals just by looking at the roster. I know that the tune-up games against Korea is just a tune-up game, but looking at our roster vs. other countries, we have a slim to low chance in defending the title. China for me has the highest chance to win the tournament... or we might get surprised and Bahrain will do it.

[bhadz]

So there’s no limit on naturalized players? I thought only one naturalized player was allowed, so I was surprised to see that they reportedly have four.

here's the answer to that.

https://qa.philstar.com/sports/2026/08/21/2550663/common-denominators

Fil-foreigners Perkins, Barefield, Lucero, Ganuelas-Rosser, Tiongson and Bates received their Filipino passports after 18 so they’re eligible for the Asian Games but not FIBA. Boatwright, Brownlee and Kouame may play together in the Asian Games as there is no limit to naturalized players.

As what I read in that article, as long as they have the country’s passport and meet the Asian Games eligibility requirements, they can play as naturalized players.

That’s different from FIBA competitions, where only one player classified as a naturalized/restricted player is allowed on the roster.

I am confused to this ruling and probably mixing the Asian Games and the FIBA tournament. But I think there's a point where there have been some teams in FIBA that have a lot of naturalized players and then the organization have been so strict with the Philippines. I don't still understand if that's with Asian games or FIBA but, sometimes if we look at it they're so biased against our national team.