Former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Curtis Washington will be officially suiting up for the NLEX Road Warriors as their import this upcoming 2019 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup, which begins Sunday, May 19, in replacement of first-choice import Tony Mitchell.
Because Mitchell was unable to depart from his duties in Taiwan, NLEX head coach Yeng Guiao confirmed that they needed to take action and picked up Washington immediately. In his words, “We’ve been waiting since they won their championship in Taipei but for one reason or another, he cannot make it,” referring to the former Star (now Magnolia) import and his commitments with the Taiwan Super Basketball League.” Coach Yeng added, “We’re losing time, so we decided to select another import.”
In choosing Washington, Guiao explained, “He’s immediately available and we’ve been considering him for a while as part of our short list while waiting for Mitchell. He’s also in good shape because he’s also actively playing and based on the films, I think he will be a natural fit for our team.”
Originally from Chesapeake, Virginia, 27- year-old Washington has experience playing in leagues across various countries, including Canada, Dominican Republic, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Thailand, and Australia. Recently playing in Bahrain for their Premier League representing Al Nweidrat, the American ex-pro averaged 31 points and 19 rebounds per game. He stands six-foot-ten.
Washington is expected to land in the Philippines next Saturday – a day before the start of the Commissioner’s Cup and four days before his new team will make their first appearance of the season against Talk N’ Text Katropa.