Filipinos are prime targets of Japan, Korean leagues

East Asia Super League (EASL) CEO Matt Beyer believes Filipino players possess a number of qualities that make them prime recruitment targets of teams from the Japan B.League and Korean Basketball League.

"Filipino players are dynamic and tough, which is why Japanese and Korean teams are leaping on the opportunity to sign them," Beyer told The Manila Times.

The Ravena brothers Kiefer and Thirdy, along with Bobby Ray Parks and Kobe Paras, were among the first batch of Filipino players recruited by B.League teams from 2020 through 2021.

Others who eventually followed suit include Javi Gomez de Llano, Matthew Aquino, Matthew Wright, Jordan Heading, Greg Slaughter and Roosevelt Adams, among others.

Beyer is very familiar with Filipino players after PBA teams NLEX and Blackwater competed in the second edition of the Super 8 tournament in Macau in 2018.