MANY basketball players start their careers in the PBA, but there are some who may want to see it end in Asia's first and oldest professional league.
Two that fit the bill may be Christopher Miller and Jason Brickman. Both players traveled the world before deciding to try their luck in the Philippines by putting their names in the PBA Season 50 draft to be held at the Mall of Asia Music Hall on Sept. 7.
Miller, born in Brooklyn, New York, turned 32 on Sunday. He and Brickman, 33, are among the 128 players who applied for the draft. Miller had played in Iraq, Switzerland and Germany while Brickman had stints in in Russia, Germany, the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL), and Taiwan before joining Abra in the MPBL.
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The two are following the path laid down by Stephen Holt, who had a lengthy professional basketball career overseas before joining the PBA. He played in Australia, Spain, Czech Republic and Slovenia before entering the draft at age 31 and was picked No. 1 in Season 48.
Listed at 6-foot-2, Miller had a 10-year pro career, based from online sources, and recently played for Darbandkhan in Iraq where he averaged 17 points while shooting 55 percent field goal shooting, 40 percent from threes, and 92 percent from free throws.
Miller also played in Switzerland’s second-tier league with Goldcoast Wallabees where he was part of the All-Import Team and the Defensive Player of the Year after posting averages of 20.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.9 steals, and 37 percent from three-point area during the 2022-23 season.
In Germany, he played for Roth Energie in the Germany’s 1.Regionalliga in 2022, the fourth tier league in the country, where he was named Player of the Year that season where the team won a championship.
The Salem University product also suited up for the Albany Patroons in The Basketball League in the United States, and had stints in the Dominican Republic, Bosnia and El Salvador.
Brickman is currently playing with the Abra Weavers in the MPBL and may miss the start of the conference to honor his commitment with the regional league.
Currently, the Weavers are top contenders for the championship and Brickman may have to wait until the end of the MPBL season before he can join his PBA team.
The same happened with last year's No. 1 pick, Justine Baltazar, who had to finish his stint with Pampanga before he was able to play with Converge who picked him No. 1 in Season 49.
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