Given the talent in the Philippines, Jay Washington knows some of his contemporaries in the PBA could've easily signed with a team abroad in places like Japan.
MACAU—Former PBA forward Jay Washington has seen firsthand the level of competition in Japan’s B.LEAGUE.
Even as he made the jump to Japan at age 40, Washington played a brief stint with perennial powerhouse Ryukyu Golden Kings in 2022, and then another stint with the Yokohama Excellence in the B3.
And while he believes that he would have given the Japanese squad more contributions in his prime, Washington also sees several of his PBA contemporaries excelling abroad if they had been given the same opportunity years ago.
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When asked which former PBA stars could have thrived in the B.LEAGUE, Washington, who is now an East Asia Super League (EASL) ambassador, pointed to two former national team standouts.
“Obviously, a guy like Ranidel [de Ocampo] can go over and do well. I would love to see a Danny Seigle get that opportunity because he can really go,” Washington reporters during the EASL Final Four 2025 here.
De Ocampo is a six-time PBA champion, two-time PBA Finals MVP, and a PBA Best Player of the Conference awardee during the 2014 Governors' Cup.
Meanwhile, Seigle is an eight-time PBA champion, four-time PBA Finals MVP, two-time PBA Best Player of the Conference, and won the PBA Rookie of the Year back in 1999.
While he acknowledged that the B.LEAGUE often seeks bigger players as Asian imports, Washington had no doubt that a PBA legend like Jayson Castro also would have made an impact. To further the point, Castro was actually as an international prospect with the Singapore Slingers before he joined the PBA, and "The Blur" was reportedly targeted by CBA teams in China in 2016.
“Guard-wise, obviously, like a Jayson Castro would do great in the B.LEAGUE, but most of the time, they’re looking for a bigger guy in an Asian import,” Washington noted.
Beyond individual talent, J-Wash highlighted the growing recognition of Filipino basketball players in the international scene.
“I think it’s a great thing. It’s a great thing to be able to show what Filipinos have. The crazy part is when you talk to coaches in the region, Filipinos are the cream of the crop in terms of talent,” said Washington.
“That’s why B.LEAGUE teams want a Filipino player—because of the level of talent that comes out of the Philippines.”