WITH the continued decline of talent in local leagues due to the growing number of players heading abroad, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is taking stronger action to curb this trend.

The league has introduced a new rule that enforces a three-year ban on players who leave to play in other leagues—whether local or overseas—without first signing or re-signing with their original PBA teams.

Approved during the Board of Governors’ meeting on July 17, 2025, and immediately enforced, the rule aims to uphold competitive balance and ensure lineup consistency across teams.

Overseas Opportunity

This measure addresses the increasing trend of players, both rookies and veterans, choosing to compete in other leagues instead of committing to their PBA teams.

In the 2024 PBA Rookie Draft, Northport picked Dave Ildefonso fifth overall, but he declined to sign and instead joined the MPBL’s Abra Solid North, where he’s flourishing.

Earlier this year, Northport’s Arvin Tolentino—originally drafted by Ginebra in 2019—signed with KBL’s Seoul SK. Jamie Malonzo, picked by Northport in 2021 and traded to Ginebra, moved to the B. League’s Kyoto team.

William Navarro, another 2021 Northport draftee who was later sent to Magnolia, also went overseas to join Busan KCC in the KBL.

No Turning Back?

The ban applies to rookies offered a Uniform Player Contract (UPC) who decline it, and to veterans whose contracts have expired and who choose not to sign new ones with their original teams.

For rookies, once a UPC is offered and the player opts to play in another league instead of signing, a three-year ban from the PBA starts from the date the offer was made.

In such cases, the drafting team retains rights to the player indefinitely, unless the rights are traded under PBA rules.

Veterans whose UPCs expire and who reject new offers from their mother teams in favor of joining other leagues will also face a three-year PBA ban, starting from the date their contracts expire.

If the team gives a valid offer within 30 days of the contract’s expiration and the player still does not sign, the same three-year penalty applies. In these instances, the team also keeps the player’s rights indefinitely.

However, the rule does not apply to players who aren’t offered new contracts within the 30-day window after expiration, making them Unrestricted Free Agents. It also excludes players eligible for free agency under the league’s seven-year rule.