CHICAGO - A former NBA team executive who now dabbles in the lucrative world of player representation for a giant agency sent me a text message this past weekend.
"I saw UP signed Francis 'LeBron' Lopez. How good is this kid?" he asked.
Well, I don't know where to begin.
But let me start with freakishly athletic as a 6-foot-5 and roughly 198-pound wing. Great finisher and can bounce like a trampoline.
READ: Lopez says Tamayo played big role in UP switch
However, the more compelling question surrounding Lopez is this: How the hell did he flip from Ateneo Blue to scorching Maroon?
Doesn't matter. It's a coup for UP and a shining, shimmering testament to the hard work that program director Bo Perasol and the team's boosters have put in. Let's just leave it at that.
The news of LeBron's migration was so joyous that UP's iconic statue, the Oblation, briefly changed its solemn outstretched arms pose into a vigorous "raise the roof" motion.
FEELING BLUE
As for Ateneo, the loss was stinging, especially on the heels of the university's famous bonfire ritual.
"Recruiting is a very uncertain realm. For our part, we just move on," an Ateneo official told me via text message.
With the formalities out of the way, let's get to the nitty-gritty.
After reportedly signing a deal with the Overtime Elite last July 2021, is Lopez now deemed a pro and therefore ineligible to play for Season 86 or any other UAAP season for that matter?
The answer depends who you ask.
"No, he is not a pro," said the former NBA executive who messaged me earlier. "He never played for the Elite."
"He is a pro, man," opined an international agent who has clients all over the Japan B.League and the PBA.
BUT THERE'S AN OUT, HE ADDED.
"I heard he got partially paid for signing but since he was unable to travel to the US and become officially a part of that team, perhaps, the contract was never consummated. So, a strong case can be argued that he is an amateur as long as he returns the money supposedly paid up front."
Here in the US NCAA, if a player transfers, there is a required academic year in residence at the new school before a player can play unless the said transferee qualifies for an exception or a waiver.
I sought for clarity on the UAAP's transfer rules and how it may or may not apply to LeBron's case. Unfortunately, my go-to guy for these delicate matters, Mickey Ingles, inarguably the best sports lawyer in the entire Philippines, was unavailable as of posting time.
Ultimately, though, the only opinion that matters is the wisdom of another attorney, Rebo Saguisag, the UAAP's highly-esteemed executive director.
I called and texted Saguisag but he, too, was unavailable.
If you find the rush to get this eligibility issue resolved exhilarating, don't hold your breath.
UAAP's Season 86 won't be here till September. There's plenty of sweet time for the UAAP to do due diligence.
Rebo Saguisag won't adjudicate this matter quickly. He will do it right.
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