Former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Manute Bol, who played for TNT Tropang 5G in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup, is not eligible for the Best Import award. The league released official candidates for the award, which honors the top reinforcement for the mid-season conference.
Bol was not on the list that included Justin Brownlee of Barangay Ginebra, Jaylen Johnson of Rain or Shine, TNT’s Chris McCullough (who replaced Bol), and Patrick Gardner of Meralco. The league rule states that imports whose teams made it to the semifinals are automatically qualified for the award, as long as they are still playing until the end of their mother club’s campaign.
Bol led Tropang 5G to the semifinals, even routing the twice-to-beat NLEX in the quarterfinals, but he was not able to finish the semifinals due to a full tear of his Achilles tendon in Game 2 of the semifinals against the Meralco Bolts. McCullough replaced Bol and is playing for the franchise in the PBA Finals.
This exclusion highlights the strict adherence to PBA rules regarding import eligibility. Despite Bol's significant contributions, his injury prevented him from completing the conference, thus disqualifying him from contention. The award will now be decided among the remaining candidates, all of whom have led their teams to the later stages of the competition.
