Jamie Malonzo’s hopes of coming back to the Philippine Basketball Association sooner rest entirely in the hands of its Board of Governors.
Commissioner Willie Marcial said as much, as he doubled down on the three-year ban imposed on players who leave for other leagues — a ruling that covers the former Ginebra star after he left for Japan this summer.
“Sa akin, firm ‘yun,” he said Monday. “Pero, depende pa rin sa mga governors. Appealable naman lahat ‘yan eh. Depende pa rin sa mga governors.”
Marcial said as much before the send-off presser for Gilas Pilipinas at the Upper Deck Sports Center in Pasig, in which Malonzo himself no longer took part.
The athletic winger left just before the undertaking, as he was among the tough cuts of Coach Tim Cone to create the 12-man roster set to face Guam twice in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers’ opening window.
Rejoining the Philippine men’s team was among the things that he did weeks after his B.League stint proved to be a very brief one. He was released by the Kyoto Hannaryz mere five games into the 2025-26 season.
Coach Tim Cone praised how motivated his former ward was in training camp, but ultimately decided to leave him out for Window 1, although the veteran mentor stressed that he and the other cuts remain a part of the program.
(C) B.League
Now, it remains to be seen as to where Malonzo could be headed next, but what’s certain is that he can’t return to the league he once called home — yet.
All because of the new three-year ban, which Marcial explained is part of their efforts to safeguard the interests of the league, particularly its member teams, which they believe would suffer the most if there’s such a rule exists.
“Ang rationale talaga roon, one, para kumuha ka ng magandang kontrata — mga three years. ‘Yun ang pinaka-importante,” offered the PBA chieftain.
“Pangalawa, kasi [mahihirapan] sa inyo ‘yung mga teams eh. Parang… Ikaw, kasama sa team, mawawala ka, so mababakante, babalik ka, tapos mawawala ka. So, panget para sa team,” Marcial added.
“Panget din para sa PBA.”
But as he mentioned, the league is also after the players’ welfare, and that’s precisely why Marcial & Co. have been encouraging them to secure better deals for themselves with the future in mind if they really want to go elsewhere.
“Ayun ‘yung sinasabi namin sa kanila. Kailangan anuhin niyo ‘yung kontrata niyo para mas maging [pabor] din sa inyo — para sa inyo rin ‘yung three years eh,” he said.
“Kaya nga sinasabi ko sa mga players, pag-isipan niyo, para maayos.”
