NorthPort has signed seasoned journeyman Taylor Johns to be its import for the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup that begins next month.
Head coach Bonnie Tan confirmed the development to Tiebreaker Times, as the Batang Pier have finally come to terms with the American forward.
Johns last played in the 2024 Indonesia Basketball League (IBL) with the Kesatria Bengawan Solo, whom he helped reach the playoffs but was let go before the postseason. The club eventually lost to Satria Muda Pertamina.
He once had a triple-double for Kesatria in the regular season, tallying 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in an 88-79 win over Dewa United last May.
Johns finished his IBL stint with per-game averages of 15.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.05 blocks, and 2.1 steals in 26.5 minutes.
Now, he looks to start afresh with the Batang Pier, bringing experience gained from playing in various parts of the globe.
After ending a solid four-year college career with UC Riverside in 2016, the San Francisco-native has taken his talents to Slovenia, Israel, Mexico, Greece, Finland, Iceland, China, and, as mentioned above, in Indonesia.
As he’s now set to play in the PBA, Johns will be seeing familiar faces, starting of course with Justin Brownlee as they’ve met one another in the IBL.
The other is his soon-to-be teammate Abu Tratter.
The two have crossed paths back in high school as they both hail from California.
A team looking to bounce back after missing the quarterfinals of the previous Governors’ Cup, NorthPort is slated in Group B of the season-opening tilt with reigning champions TNT, Meralco, Magnolia, Converge, and Terrafirma.
