MANILA – Despite being selected during Sunday’s 2018 PBA Rookie Draft, Filipino-American guard Bobby Ray Parks Jr. is still committed to finish his obligations with San Miguel-Alab Pilipinas in the ASEAN Basketball League before jumping to pros.
Parks, who was selected as second overall pick by Blackwater Elite, said he plans to finish first the 2018-2019 ABL season before moving to the PBA, the same path done by last year’s top overall pick Christian Standhardinger with the San Miguel Beermen.
“I’m definitely committed to Alab right now. Definitely committed, hopefully ‘til May,” said Parks, who was not personally present during the PBA Rookie Draft due to Alab’s game against CLS Knights in Indonesia on Sunday night.
“So hopefully, we’re still there at the end of the road. Trying to make history (with back-to-back titles),” he added. “I want to continue to just grow here and just enjoy my teammates (before moving to PBA).”
Parks and Alab Pilipinas had a strong chance of winning its second consecutive ABL championship with its strong core led by Puerto Rican reinforcements Renaldo Balkman and Peter John Ramos.
With Parks planning to finish the entire 2018-2019 ABL Season with Alab Pilipinas, he will not be making his professional debut until midway of the 2019 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
That move also will discredit the two-time UAAP and ABL MVP from winning the PBA Rookie of the Year award, same with Standhardinger, who was not present with the Beermen in the 2017-2018 PBA Philippine Cup.
Under the PBA rules, a player must see action for at least 70 percent of the season for his team to be qualified for any individual award./PN
