Jason Brickman has been on the watchlist of PBA teams since before the pandemic. Now they may finally get a chance to sign him up.
For several years now, PBA teams have been waiting for Jason Brickman to declare for the league’s rookie draft. The wait may finally be over.
Brickman has been on the PBA radar for quite some time now, ever since he started to make a name for himself in the defunct ASEAN Basketball League. But for one reason or another, the talented point guard’s plans of joining the pro league here have been scuttled.
Brickman first tried to apply in 2021, but the COVID lockdown prevented him from completing the exhaustive list of documents, a couple of which required a personal appearance in Manila, in time for the deadline.
The following year, it appeared that Brickman would never have a chance of playing in the PBA after the league imposed a head-scratching age limit of 30 on all future Fil-foreign applicants. Brickman was already 31 at the time.
Thankfully, the PBA eventually abandoned this rule, but by that time Brickman was already tearing up the T1 League in Taiwan and couldn’t get out of his contract.
Fast forward to January 2025, and it now appears that there is nothing to stop Jason Brickman from finally throwing his name into the PBA draft.
“Yeah, I think the goal is to enter the PBA, so I’m looking forward to the next draft,” Brickman told a group of reporters on Sunday after practicing with Strong Group Athletics (SGA). “Hopefully I can enter and join the PBA.”
Brickman says he has played out his contract in Taiwan, where he led the league in assists in 2021-22.
“I was in a contract in Taiwan, so I was not able to get out of my contract. I had a few more years still left, so now that I’m out of my Taiwan contract, I’m able to join the PBA. I wanted to when they changed the rules to allow just the passports. I would be able to join, but unfortunately, I was just in a contract in Taiwan.
“Now that I’m out of the contract, I should be able to join the next PBA draft.”
But first things first. At the moment, Brickman is signed with SGA for the 34th Dubai International Basketball Championship, set to reel off next week. He’ll be quarterbacking a talent-laden team that includes former NBA star DeMarcus Cousins, who calls Brickman “a hell of a competitor,” Mikey Williams, Ange Kouame, and Rhenz Abando.
Brickman will be teaming up once again with Williams to form a deadly backcourt.
“He’s a great player. I got to play against him in the ABL. I also played with him in the Jones Cup for Mighty Sports. He’s a great player. It’s going to be fun to play with him. Great shooter. I just want to get out and run. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
The tournament will also allow Brickman to be reunited with coach Charles Tiu.
“I’ve played like five tournaments with him so far, so I always have a great group of guys. He does a great job of bringing everybody together, so I’m excited for this tournament in Dubai.
“We’re excited to all play together. I think we have a really talented team. Just great vibes going into the tournament, so I think we’re all looking forward to this Dubai tournament.”
Meanwhile, Jason Brickman is just enjoying himself again in Manila, catching up with friends and relatives before the team flies to Dubai on Thursday.
“It feels great. The last time I was here was during COVID, so it’s been a few years. I’m always excited to come back and see all the fans, my family.
“I’m just excited to get to play and represent the country. I have a lot of cousins here in Pangasinan. My mom has a lot of family out here. They got to watch the practice the other day, so they were excited.”
Banner Image from Sid Ventura.