Ray Parks, Jr. is completely focused on helping his San Miguel Alab Pilipinas chase history in the ASEAN Basketball League by becoming the first team to win back-to-back championships.
But that doesn’t mean he’s closing his doors on the 2018 PBA Rookie Draft.
The ABL’s reigning Local Most Valuable Player said that he’s keeping an open mind with regards to this year’s Draft, as he has long been awaited to join the Filipino pro league.
“It’s still up for grabs right now, definitely open-minded,” Parks, Jr. told Tiebreaker Times.
“The PBA is definitely one league that I know in my near future is something that I wanna prove myself.”
Though he’ll be playing for Alab this season, there would be no issues at all should he decide to declare himself eligible for the Draft and submit his papers on or before December 3.
Parks, Jr. could take the same route as Christian Standhardinger last year, when he joined the Draft while being under contract with the then-defending ABL champs Hong Kong Eastern.
Standhardinger was the number one overall pick by the powerhouse team San Miguel Beermen – from the then-Kia Picanto – but did not play in the entirety of the 2018 Philippine Cup due to his commitment with the Long Lions.
The Filipino-German made his PBA debut in the Commissioner’s Cup.
And much like Standhardinger – whom he has played with for Gilas Pilipinas twice in 2017 where they won a gold in the SEA Games – Parks, Jr. won’t be coming into the PBA as a rookie.
“I’m not coming in as a rookie,” pointed out the 25-year-old, who has played for the Dallas Mavericks’ Summer League Team and its NBA D-League affiliate Texas Legends back in 2015.
“I’ve been playing pro ball since I left college, since I left NU. The growth that I’ve had since then, I don’t expect anything less than myself than just to bring what I can bring to the table.”
