The Philippine Basketball Association has implemented a new rule that imposes a three-year ban on players who choose to play in other leagues, local or overseas, without signing or re-signing with their PBA mother teams.
The rule, approved during the Board of Governors’ meeting on July 17, 2025 and effective immediately, was created to preserve parity and maintain roster stability in the league.
The policy applies to rookie draftees who are offered a Uniform Player Contract but do not sign it, as well as veteran players whose UPCs have expired and who do not sign a new deal with their mother teams.
Under the rule, a rookie draftee who receives a UPC offer but does not sign and instead plays in another league will not be allowed to return and play in the PBA for three years, starting from the date the offer was made.
The rights to the player will remain in perpetuity with the drafting team, unless traded in accordance with league rules.
Similarly, a player whose UPC has expired and who does not sign a new contract with his mother team — and then joins another league — will be barred from the PBA for three years, counted from the expiration of the previous contract.
If a valid contract offer is extended within the 30-day window after the UPC’s expiration and the player still does not sign, the three-year restriction also applies.
In these cases, the player’s rights will also remain in perpetuity with the mother team.
The rule does not apply to players who are not given a contract offer within 30 days of their UPC expiring, in which case they become Unrestricted Free Agents.
It also does not apply to players who qualify as UFAs under the PBA’s seven-year free agency rule.
The new policy comes in response to recent player movements involving draftees and contracted players opting to play in other leagues.
(C) MPBL
In the 2024 PBA Rookie Draft, Dave Ildefonso was selected fifth overall by Northport but did not sign with the team. He instead joined MPBL squad Abra Solid North.
(C) PBA Images
This year, Northport forward Arvin Tolentino, drafted in 2019 by Ginebra, signed with KBL team Seoul SK.
(C) PBA Images
Jamie Malonzo, who was selected by Northport in 2021 and later traded to Ginebra, signed with Kyoto in the B.League.
(C) PBA Images
William Navarro, another 2021 Northport draftee who was eventually traded to Magnolia, joined KBL club Busan KCC.
