B.League: Kobe Paras joins Division 2 club Altiri Chiba
FILE– Kobe Paras for Niigata Albirex BB. B.LEAGUE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Kobe Paras signed with Altiri Chiba for the 2022-23 Japan B.League Division 2.
Chiba, which was recently promoted from Division 3 to Division 2, announced that the high-flying Filipino basketball player will be under its Asian Player Quota.
Paras, who reinforced the Niigata Albirex BB in Japan B.League Division 1 in the previous season, is excited to play for his new team.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of Altiri Chiba. Thank you to the management, team sponsors, and coaches for giving me a chance to play in Japan again,” said Paras in a statement.
“I’m excited to go and be part of the team. I can’t wait to meet my teammates and see all the Altiri Chiba fans in the games this upcoming season!” he added.
Yoshihide Arai, Representative Director of Altiri, can’t wait to see the former University of the Philippines star lead their team.
“He is a player of exceptional physical ability and has extensive experience playing in the B1 level. We are excited to see Altiri Chiba basketball evolve with his talent on this team,” said Arai.
The 24-year-old averaged 8.24 points on 35 percent shooting to go with 2.06 rebounds and 1.20 assists in 21.8 minutes of play in 49 games.
But Niigata finished as cellar dweller with a 7-45 record in Paras’ first B.League season. Altiri Chiba, which was founded two years ago, won the promotion match against Tryhoop Okayama to move up to Division 2. Chiba finished second in Division III with a 36-7 card.
