Did the Phoenix Fuelmasters trade rising star Evan Nelle for nothing?
Well, sources told SPIN.ph that most likely is the case.
Information reaching us bared that Sidney Onwubere, the player traded by the NLEX Road Warriors to Phoenix to get their hands on Nelle, has long expressed his desire to quit basketball.
READ Coach Jimmy makes first move at NLEX with trade for Nelle
A source close to the Filipino-Nigerian banger bared that he suffered from 'personal struggles' and lost his appetite and drive for basketball shortly after being absorbed by the NLEX organization in 2025.
“Nawalan ng gana mag-basketball si Sidney after napunta siya sa NLEX kasi kinuha siya tapos hindi siya ginamit at all,” said the source.
Since joining the league in 2017, Onwubere spent his time mostly as a role player for TNT Tropang Giga and Rain or Shine.
It was at Northport Batang Pier in 2021 that Onwubere was able to get the breaks he deserved when he tallied averages of 6.4 points and 2.9 rebounds while enjoying an exposure of 18.8 minuters per game.
His potential did not escape the eyes of Ginebra coach Tim Cone, who soon acquired 6-4 forward for Art Dela Cruz in November 2021.
Sadly, he only played 4.3 minutes per game at Ginebra in the 2022-2023 season before being traded back to NorthPort in 2024.
“Sayang din yung career ni Sidney talaga. Hindi nya nakuha yung breaks na kailangan n'ya for him to prosper. Akala namin magtutuloy-tuloy na kaso nagsunod-sunod yung nakakuha sa kanya na team na hindi rin siya ginamit,” said the source.
Asked why he isn’t playing at Phoenix where he is expected to be given playing minutes by fast-rising coach Charles Tiu, the answer was straightforward.
“Wala na siyang drive to play. Nawalan na siya ng tiwala sa sarili nya at siguro sa sistema na rin,” he said.
“Actually, bago pa siya na-trade ng NLEX sa Phoenix, nasabihan na nya yung management ng NLEX na hindi na siya lalaro. Nagulat nga ako kasi pumayag ang Phoenix sa trade,” said another source.
At the moment, Onwubere’s camp revealed that he might do some soul searching for the next six months and hopefully try to come back next season.
“Ang problema dun, may babalikan pa kaya siya? Kasi ngayon, hindi naman siya nabigyan ng contract ng Phoenix. Yun nga lang sayang 'yung trade na 'yun for Phoenix kasi Evan Nelle ang nawala,” said the source.
It's quite unfortunate that there are such talents that are wasted.
Is it because of a surplus of players or just mere bad breaks?
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