Daven Tamayo

Get to know the imports suiting up for the PBA Season 50 Governors' Cup

Article (news)

Paige Javier

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17829757325881782975745058.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><em>Photos from PBA</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — The PBA Season 50 Governors&#x27; Cup will tip off in eight days featuring a mix of old and new faces suiting up as reinforcements in the season-ending conference.</p><p>Each team will be parading an import that meets the 6-foot-6 height limit set by PBA. The season-ending conference will tip off on July 10 at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.<strong></strong></p><div> </div><div><strong>Barangay Ginebra</strong> </div><p>Four-time PBA Best Import Justin Brownlee is returning for Barangay Ginebra, after leading the Gin Kings to its first championship since the Commissioner&#x27;s Cup in 2023.</p><p>Brownlee helped Ginebra get revenge on the TNT Tropang 5G, clinching the PBA 50 Commissioner&#x27;s Cup in a grueling seven-game series.</p><p>The last time Ginebra won the Governors&#x27; Cup was in 2022, where Brownlee won Best Import for the second time in his career.  </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Blackwater Bossing</strong></div><p>Kentrell Barkley will be reinforcing the Blackwater Bossing, after last playing for Kesatria Bengawan Solo in the Indonesian Basketball League.</p><p>The 6-foot-5 import was named Most Valuable Player in the IBL and Vietnam Basketball Association, also winning championships in the VBA and Super Basketball League in Taiwan.</p><p>Barkley joins the Bossing, who are being led by Pat Aquino in his second conference as interim head coach.</p><div> </div><div><strong>Converge FiberXers</strong></div><p>Jalen Hudson is making a comeback to the PBA after three years, this time with the Converge FiberXers.</p><p>The 30-year-old played for the TNT Tropang 5G in the same conference back in 2023.</p><p>Hudson&#x27;s best game during his stint with TNT was against Converge, where he dropped 56 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in the Tropang 5G&#x27;s win.  </p><div> </div><div><strong>Macau Giant Pandas</strong></div><p>De&#x27;Vondre Perry will be suiting up for guest team Macau, who changed their monicker to Giant Pandas from Black Knights.</p><p>The 27-year-old played for Temple University in college and then took his act to several countries like Belgium, Dominican Republic, and Germany.</p><p>Perry last played for the SBB Baskets Wolmirstedt in the Germany ProA league.</p><div> </div><div><strong>Magnolia Hotshots</strong></div><p>Kenyon Joseph &quot;KJ&quot; Buffen has been tapped by the Magnolia Hotshots to reinforce the team in the season-ending conference.</p><p>The American forward played for University of Alabama at Birmingham in US NCAA Division 1.  </p><p>Buffen last suited up for RANS PIK in the Indonesian Basketball League, after playing in Finland and New Zealand.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Meralco Bolts</strong></div><p>Jordon Varnado is set to make his debut in the PBA with the Meralco Bolts, a team that he is already familiar with.  </p><p>The 29-year-old previously played for the Bolts in the 2025 Basketball Champions League Asia, where the team reached the quarterfinals.</p><p>Varnado looks to bring his experience in Hungary, Poland, Italy, Greece, and Israel to power the Bolts, who finished in the semifinals of the PBA 50 Commissioner&#x27;s Cup.</p><div> </div><div><strong>NLEX Road Warriors</strong></div><p>DeQuan Jones is running it back for the NLEX Road Warriors in this season&#x27;s Governors&#x27; Cup, under new head coach Jimmy Alapag.</p><p>The former Orlando Magic player suited up for NLEX in the Season 49 Governors&#x27; Cup as a replacement for Myke Henry midway into the tournament.</p><p>Jones joins an NLEX squad that finished first in the PBA 50 Commissioner&#x27;s Cup eliminations and ended its dream run in the quarterfinals after losing to TNT.  </p><p>The G League Most Improved Player was teammates with former NLEX player Kiefer Ravena for the Shiga Lakes in the Japan B.League.</p><div> </div><div><strong>Phoenix Fuel Masters</strong></div><p>BJ Johnson will be leading the charge for the Phoenix Fuel Masters in his first foray in the Asia&#x27;s first pay-for-play league.</p><p>The 30-year-old had prior stints in the NBA with Orlando Magic, Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Hawks.</p><p>Johnson last played for the PBC Lokomotiv Kuban in the VTB United League in Russia.</p><div> </div><div><strong>Rain or Shine Elasto Painters</strong></div><p>Aaron Fuller is back as the reinforcement of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, after last playing in Mexico.</p><p>Fuller saw action for Rain or Shine in the same conference in Season 49, where he led the team to the semifinals before being knocked out by eventual champions TNT.</p><p>After reaching the semifinals in the previous conference, the Elasto Painters seek a deeper run into the playoffs with Fuller already familiar with the team.</p><div> </div><div><strong>San Miguel Beermen</strong></div><p>Returning import George King will be playing for the San Miguel Beermen after being released by Blackwater, according to the PBA website.</p><p>The former NBA player is no stranger to the PBA, making his presence when he scored a career-high 64 points with the Bossing in the Season 49 Governors&#x27; Cup.</p><p>Since reinforcing Blackwater, King has played in Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, Taiwan and Germany.  </p><p>San Miguel hopes King is in it for the long run, after changing three imports in the previous conference.  </p><div> </div><div><strong>Terrafirma Dyip</strong></div><p>Justin Strings will also be making his first appearance in the PBA with the Terrafirma Dyip.  </p><p>The 6-foot-7 forward played for the Sacramento State Hornets varsity team.  </p><p>Strings, who is 29-years-old, has played ball in Canada, Germany, Argentina, and Uruguay.</p><div> </div><div><strong>Titan Ultra Giant Risers</strong></div><p>Tirrell Brown will serve as the import of the Titan Ultra Giant Risers in the PBA 50 Governors&#x27; Cup.  </p><p>The 6-foot-6 forward played professional ball around South America, namely Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Uruguay.</p><p>With Brown as its reinforcement, Titan looks to improve on its 2-10 win-loss record in the PBA 50 Commissioner&#x27;s Cup.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>TNT Tropang 5G</strong></div><p>As Rondae Hollis-Jefferson still in recovery, the TNT Tropang 5G have tapped former NBA player Darius Days to reinforce the team in its title defense bid.  </p><p>Days was initially tapped by TNT to be its import in the Governors&#x27; Cup in 2024, but Hollis-Jefferson decided to return for the Tropang 5G. The former NBA player went on to play for the Illawara Hawks, where they won a championship in the National Basketball League. </p><p>Days last saw action with the San-en NeoPhoenix in the Japanese B.League.</p>

<p>The PBA Season 50 Governors' Cup will tip off in eight days featuring a mix of old and new faces suiting up as reinforcements in the season-ending conference.</p>

The PBA Season 50 Governors' Cup will tip off in eight days featuring a mix of old and new faces suiting up as reinforcements in the season-ending conference.