Fil-Am guard Jason Brickman sets sight on next PBA Draft after ending Taiwan stint

Finally after four years, Jason Brickman will once again try his luck in the PBA.

The Filipino-American guard said he's throwing his name into the next PBA Draft as he looks to fulfill his long-awaited dream of playing in Asia's pioneering professional basketball league.

"I think the goal is to enter the PBA so I’m looking forward to the next draft. Hopefully I can enter and join the PBA," the 33-year-old Brickman said on Sunday during Strong Group Athletics' media day in Mandaluyong.

Brickman was supposed to join the PBA Draft back in March 2021, but his inability to submit necessary documents for Filipino-foreigners forced him to put his dream on hold.

Back then, Filipino-foreigners were required to provide other documents like Certificate of Recognition as Filipino Citizen from the Bureau of Immigration and Affirmation of Recognition from the Department of Justice. These were on top of the Philippine passport.

Eight months later, the PBA decided to tweak its eligibility rules for Fil-foreigners in November 2021, which now allowed players like Brickman to apply with just a Philippine passport.

Brickman, however, already had a contract with the Kaohsiung Aquas in Taiwan league T1, where he would suit up until 2024.

But the 6-foot playmaker shared he has finished his contract with the club, allowing him to finally apply once more in PBA Season 50 Rookie Draft.

"I was in a contract in Taiwan so I was not able to get out of my contract and I had a few more years left. Now that I’m out of my Taiwan contract, I’m able to join the PBA," Brickman, who leads the backcourt for SGA in the upcoming Dubai International Basketball Championship, added.

"I wanted to [apply] when they changed the rules to allow just the passport. Unfortunately, I was just in a contract in Taiwan so now that I’m out, I should be able to join the next PBA Draft."

—JMB, GMA Integrated News