RJ Abarrientos. Photo from Ulsan Mobis Phoebus
MANILA, Philippines—Despite a promising first-year run in the Korean Basketball League, Asian import RJ Abarrientos was let go by the Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus after a “mutual agreement.”
Abarrientos, who was named Rookie of the Year in the 2022-2023 KBL Season, also reportedly expressed his intentions to play in another league.
“We have decided to terminate the contract and retire from the team through mutual agreement,” Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus said in a story on Star News Korea.
“As Abarrientos requested a transfer to another league, we decided to retire (him) after mutual contract termination through an internal decision,” an official from Mobis Phoebus said.
The Far Eastern University product had at least two more years to play for Ulsan from his contract signed last year.
Abarrientos played stellar for Mobis Phoebus in 51 games, helping the squad reach the KBL Playoffs.
His averages of 13.6 points, 4.8 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game also earned him the Rookie of the Year honor–the first time an Asian import won the award.
Abarrientos’ last game in an Ulsan uniform turned out to be an underwhelming one, finishing with only five points in the squad’s 77-71 eliminating loss at the hands of Goyang in the KBL quarterfinals.
As of writing, there is still no official word on Abarrientos’ next move.
The Star News Korea report also said that Abarrientos can only return to the KBL after the summer of 2024, at the earliest.