No PBA Draft Combine this year amid pandemic

FILE PHOTO–2016 PBA Rookie Draft Combine. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—The PBA on Friday announced that it will do away with the Draft Combine for this year’s rookie selection with the league prioritizing the applicants’ safety amid the pandemic.

“The league’s paramount duty and responsibility is to ensure the health and safety of all participants and staff that extra precautions are continuously in place to minimize/eliminate the risk of exposure to the COVID-19 virus,” said the league in a statement.

There’s also the issue of the mandatory quarantines that the applicants outside of the Philippines and Metro Manila will have to undergo.

A significant number of Filipino-foreign applicants are still in the United States and they will have to serve a 14-day quarantine once they arrive in the Philippines.

Players living outside of Metro Manila will also be subjected to the same protocol once they travel to the National Capital Region.

League commissioner Willie Marcial also noted that some of the Draft aspirants are allowed to complete their obligations with their current clubs in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League playoffs and wouldn’t be able to join the Combine.

The league will hold its 2021 Draft on March 14 in a virtual setting.