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Ange Kouame to play as Bolts' naturalized player in EASL

Sports | Basketball

Ange Kouame to play as Bolts' naturalized player in EASL

By Reynald I. Magallon

At A Glance

Ange Kouame is set to bolster Meralco as part of its naturalized player in the 2024-25 East Asia Super League set to fire off on Oct. 2.

Ange Kouame is set to bolster Meralco as part of its naturalized player in the 2024-25 East Asia Super League set to fire off on Oct. 2.

Apparently, EASL has allowed PBA teams to tap a naturalized player for its roster on top of the two imports, who, in the case of the Bolts, would be their PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup reinforcement Allen Durham and journeyman DJ Kennedy.

Kouame, who was granted Filipino citizenship back in 2021 and was part of the Gilas Pilipinas naturalized player pool, already joined practice with the Bolts.

Meralco is set to play on the opening day of the EASL when it takes on the Macau Black Bears at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Kouame is not entirely new to suiting up with PBA teams, having once played as part of Rain or Shine in the Jones Cup last year. He was part of the Gilas team that won the gold medal in the Hangzhou Asian Games, ending the country’s 61-year drought.

The 6-foot-11 Fil-Ivorian also played professionally in France.

Kennedy, on the other hand, is a well-traveled reinforcement, having stints in numerous teams in Europe, Australia and China.

The addition of the two should be a welcome boost for Meralco as that would certainly help reduce the workload for the team’s local players who will be juggling their duties with the ongoing PBA season.

For one, the Bolts have also been dealing with manpower issues with wingmen Allein Maliksi and Aaron Black down with respective knee problems while big men Raymond Almazan and Norbert Torres are also nursing injuries.

For the part of the other PBA team in the EASL, San Miguel, it's still unclear whether it would tap a naturalized player for its lineup.

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