To honor or not to honor?

EMOTIONS usually shoot up when a nervy issue crops up— such as the case of Will Navarro.

The former Ateneo star was blocked on September 12 this year from playing in the Korean Basketball League (KBL). The decision was made by the Fiba (International Basketball Federation) upon clarification from the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP).

The SBP was forced to seek the Fiba verdict after discovering that Navarro is in possession of two contracts.

Navarro has a contract to play for SBP’S Gilas Pilipinas until March 23, 2022. Yet, he signed last July another contract to play for the KBL’S Seoul Samsung Thunders.

Aside from the two contracts, Navarro, 25, is also with Northport after he got selected in a special Philippine Basketball Association (Pba)-gilas Draft two years ago.

In explaining the Fiba decision to thumb down Navarro’s Korean stint, the SBP, through its executive director Sonny Barrios, said: “The SBP does not intend to unduly prevent * players from furthering their careers with other teams here or overseas. But it is a fundamental and ethical practice for players to honor existing contracts with their mother teams.”

In this case, Navarro’s mother team is Gilas—at least up to March 2023.

So, is there anything wrong with SBP’S position? Is the SBP’S call to honor a live contract out of order?

Seemingly, yes to both Greg Slaughter, Japan leaguebound, and Kai Sotto, now playing in Adelaide, Australia.

Sotto wrote on Twitter: “I’m sorry but this is crazy. THIS HAS TO STOP. You got players who’ve been working hard and dreaming to play basketball at the highest level they can reach and we got our own people stopping us from achieving our greatness. At the end of the day, one’s success is ‘everyone’s.’ So we have to help each other go up! Not down.”

Slaughter wrote: “TOTAL BS and crab mentality at its highest.”

Do they make sense?

You be the judge.

THAT’S IT EJ Obiena, our very own world No. 3 pole vault star, is in town for a much-needed break—three years after having himself practically immersed in the sport he had begun to embrace so faithfully in 2014. The true sportsman and a gentleman that he is, he has paid courtesy calls to Chairman Noli Eala of the Philippine Sports Commission and President Bambol Tolentino of the Philippine Olympic Committee. By way of recognizing his recent global feats of having won six gold medals in eight events in Europe, Sen. Bong Go, the Senate chair of the committee on sports, spearheaded a resolution commending Obiena, 26, for his effusive efforts to consistently bring honor to flag and country. Welcome home, EJ. The nation salutes you.