By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
PBA big man Greg Slaughter finally revealed his latest career move after months of being inactive for the NorthPort Batang Pier due to contract disputes.
The seven-foot towering center posted a lengthy message on his Instagram account and announced that he will be joining the Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka basketball club in the Division II of the Japan B. League.
“I’m thrilled to announce that I have signed with Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka of the B. League for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 seasons. I’m looking forward to joining the team and playing for their great city and fans,” Slaughter wrote in his Instagram post.
With his recent move, the PBA veteran will not be returning to the Batang Pier in this ongoing Philippine Cup and might not reinforce the team in the next conferences.
It was an unfortunate ending for Slaughter and the Batang Pier after the former Ginebra San Miguel multi-champion found a new home under the tutelage of head coach Pido Jarencio.
Under NorthPort, Slaughter was starting to redefine his career and showed a huge jump in his career statistics when he averaged 14.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per contest during the last PBA Governor’s Cup.
However, controversies once again surrounded Slaughter after not showing up for the rest of the season including the start of the Philippine Cup.
In defense, Slaughter finally addressed the issue and spoke to the public two months ago to air his side.
“I expired at the end of January and talked to our team manager about extending. After our meeting he said he would get back to me. I never heard back then my contract expired,” explained Slaughter.
Slaughter is expected to bring an immediate impact to the Rizing Zephyr as they are looking to bounce back from a 20-30 record last season.
He became the ninth Filipino to sign a contract in the B. League and will join Kobe Paras, Jordan Heading, Kiefer & Thirdy Ravena, Ray Parks Jr., Dwight Ramos, Justine Baltazar, and Matthew Aquino.
