A player very familiar to NLEX coach Jimmy Alapag is the Road Warriors' next import in the PBA 50th Season Governors' Cup.
The Road Warriors announced on Friday that they are tapping Deonte Burton as the replacement for the injured Dequan Jones.
READ NLEX import Dequan Jones has suffered a 'Paul George-type injury'
The 32-year-old Burton played for the Stockton Kings in the NBA G League and briefly with the Sacramento Kings in the NBA back when Alapag was part of the teams' staff.
Burton is expected to arrive in the country on Sept 4, which is right in the middle of the pro league's seven-week break.
"He's the personal choice of coach Jimmy," said NLEX team governor Ronald Dulatre. "Ang katwiran niya kilala n'ya na ito (Burton). Kaysa sumugal pa kami sa iba."
A native of Milwaukee, Burton went undrafted in the NBA in 2017. He initially played in the Korean Basketball League before he found his way to the Oklahoma Thunder in the 2018 season.
After four years with the Thunder, he was tapped by the Stockton Kings in the G League before signing up with the Kings in 2023 - in a stint that saw him play under Alapag both times.
Alapag was an assistant coach at Stockton from 2021 to 2023 before moving up to the franchise's NBA team as players development coach.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
