Brickman, Miller defy age as they enter PBA Rookie Draft

The PBA is about to welcome a pair of rookies who don’t fit the usual mold. While most hopefuls enter the league straight out of college or in their early 20s, Jason Brickman and Christopher Miller are setting out to begin their PBA journeys in their 30s.

Both guards have spent years playing across the globe before deciding to test themselves in Asia’s first professional basketball league. Their names are now officially in the pool of 128 applicants for the Season 50 Draft on September 7 at the Mall of Asia Music Hall.

Christopher Miller, fresh off his 32nd birthday, has logged a 10-year professional career spanning Iraq, Switzerland, and Germany. Standing 6-foot-2, he last suited up for Darbandkhan in Iraq, averaging 17 points per game with remarkable efficiency: 55 percent shooting from the field, 40 percent from deep, and 92 percent from the stripe.

Miller also made waves in Switzerland’s second-tier league, where he played for the Goldcoast Wallabees. He was honored as Defensive Player of the Year and named to the All-Import Team after posting stellar numbers — 20.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.9 steals, and 37 percent three-point shooting during the 2022–23 season.

Jason Brickman, 33, is no stranger to Filipino fans. Known for his court vision and steady playmaking, he previously starred in the ASEAN Basketball League with the Malaysia Dragons, Mono Vampire of Thailand, and Alab Pilipinas. 

With a decade of experience as a pro in leagues all over the world, Christopher Miller now looks to call the PBA his home as he tries his luck in the upcoming draft #PBA50 https://t.co/8aZO7eu2Cy\

— SPIN.ph (@spinph) September 1, 2025

His career has also taken him to Germany, Russia, Taiwan’s T1 League with the Kaohsiung Aquas, and most recently the MPBL’s Abra Weavers. He also helped Strong Group Athletics retain the William Jones Cup crown in 2024.

Brickman was once set to join the PBA Draft in 2021 but was deemed ineligible after failing to complete Fil-foreign requirements. Since then, the PBA has amended its rules, now only requiring a Philippine passport for eligibility. Born in San Antonio, Texas, to an American father and a Filipina mother from Pangasinan, Brickman finally has the clearance to pursue his PBA dream.

His résumé speaks for itself. During his college years at LIU Brooklyn from 2010 to 2014, he became one of only four players in NCAA Division I history to record at least 1,000 assists, and the second ever to average double-digit points and assists in a season.

Brickman and Miller are treading a trail once blazed by Stephen Holt, who also built a long career abroad before testing PBA waters. Holt suited up in Australia, Spain, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia before finally entering the Season 48 Draft at age 31 — where he went on to be selected first overall.

Come September, their presence will be a reminder that in basketball, sometimes rookies arrive with more than just potential — they arrive with proven credentials. 

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