Rhenz Abando opens up on his absence from Gilas Pilipinas preparations for the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup

Philippine basketball star Rhenz Abando was conspicuously absent from Gilas Pilipinas’ training sessions in the country before the team traveled to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for the upcoming 2025 FIBA Asia Cup.

Abando was named to Gilas’ extended pool for the tournament, joining the likes of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s Troy Rosario and RJ Abarrientos, as well as Magnolia Hotshots’ Zavier Lucero.

It should be noted that the 27-year-old had already committed to playing for Strong Group Athletics in the 44th William Jones Cup at the time he received the Gilas invitation—a commitment that Abando revealed, during a media interview, was the reason for his absence from Gilas’ training sessions.

“Nung time na ’yun, alam nila coach Richard del Rosario na may commitment pa ako sa Strong Group. Pero napag-agreehan naman namin na pagbalik namin from Taiwan, tatawagan nila ako para mag-practice sa kanila,” Abando said.

The 2025 William Jones Cup ran from July 12 to 20, with Strong Group sweeping all eight of their games to win the title and secure back-to-back championships. Abando, along with the rest of the team, returned to the Philippines on July 22, where he received another call from Gilas management.

[Official] JKJ RedBoosters Club has signed with Rhenz Abando.#RhenzAbando pic.twitter.com/6FdfPINGO2

— 알럽바스켓공 (@baekpd1983) July 29, 2025

“Nung tinawagan na nila ako nung pagdating namin, sabi nila na hindi na raw ako aabot dahil short time na lang para matutunan yung sistema ni coach Tim Cone. Pero sabi naman din ni coach Richard na kasama na rin ako sa pool kaya grateful pa rin ako,” he added.

The high-flying guard also expressed gratitude for getting another opportunity to play abroad after being re-signed by Anyang Jung Kwan Jang in the Korean Basketball League (KBL).

“Nagpapasalamat talaga ako sa Anyang at lalo na sa Bridge Sports Global, kayla Manong (Kiefer Ravena) at boss Miguel (Alegre), dahil nakabalik ako sa Korea. Gagawin ko ang lahat para mabalik yung tiwala na binigay nila sa akin. Second chance ko na ito e, at hindi lahat ng tao nabibigyan nito,” Abando continued.

Looking ahead, Abando is hopeful to be part of Gilas’ pool for the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, after being cut from the final 12-man roster by head coach Tim Cone for the upcoming 2025 FIBA Asia Cup.

OKBET is Asia’s most trusted and popular online sports gaming platform. Visit us on OKBET to stay up to date with all sports news from around the world.