THE PBA rookie pool for next season just got significantly thinner after Joshua Munzon announced on Thursday that he's skipping the next draft.
"I will not be entering the draft this year," he declared.
Munzon is a consensus Top 5 pick for the next draft. His decision stemmed from his desire to continue pursuing the Philippines' Olympic dream through 3x3 basketball.
The Fil-Am swingman is the top-rated 3x3 player in the country and has seen action in the 2019 Fiba 3x3 World Tour for Pasig Chooks.
That is enough reason for the 24-year old to postpone his PBA plans.
"This one's really special because it's the dream of my family to me and represent the country, play for Gilas one day. It's a huge honor," he said.
For Munzon to realize that dream in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Philippines must finish in the top 24 of the Fiba 3x3 rankings by the October 31 deadline.
Munzon is the third 3x3 player to forego the chance of entering the Draft, after Alvin Pasaol and Santi Santillan.
"I definitely want to be more successful in the international scene next year. That's everbody's goal heading into season two of Chooks 3x3," he said.
"I think that is always more than you can get out of anything. Me being the top player in the country has a lot to do with my teammates. Hopefully, we could make more noise next year and have a very successful campaign in the World Tour."
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