Baldwin surprised by Lebron Lopez's decision to turn pro: 'I didn't see it coming'

Tab Baldwin admitted that he didn't know that Gilas Pilipinas youngster Lebron Lopez would be deciding to bring his act elsewhere.

Lopez, who suited up for the Philippines in the third window of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, announced on July 13 that he had struck a deal to play in the Overtime Elite league in the United States.

And just like the Filipino basketball community, Baldwin shared he was also surprised by the move that the 18-year-old cager took.

"I was surprised. I didn’t see it coming," Baldwin told GMA News Online in a telephone conversation.

"I didn’t know anything about this new enterprise, this Overtime Elite league. Obviously, we’re learning about it as we go but I don’t really have a reaction because I don’t really know what exactly is going to happen."

Baldwin, though, shared he does not have control over what his players would want to do with their basketball careers. In fact, the American-New Zealander mentor said he's fully supportive of their decisions.

He also noted that Overtime Elite is new to his knowledge so he can't really say whether Lopez, one of the highly-touted rising cagers in the country, is treading the right path.

"This is a new venture so it’s untested. The personalities behind it are very strong so it looks to be on a solid footing but we don’t exactly know what their operations would be," Baldwin added.

"I can’t really have an opinion as to whether we believe it will be good for Lebron’s development or good for his exposure. We just have to wait and see."

OTE is a newly-established pathway for aspiring cagers who would want to be professional basketball players in the future.

It offers a year-round skills development program with world-class facilities and sports science technology, which are all aimed to empower the athletes beyond sports.

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA News