Newsome stays put with Meralco; Ginebra signs Norbert Torres
At A Glance
- The veteran point guard has agreed to stay with Meralco after signing a three-year contract extension on Friday, Sept. 5.
Chris Newsome is not going anywhere.
The veteran point guard has agreed to stay with Meralco after signing a three-year contract extension on Friday, Sept. 5.
Drafted in 2015 as the fourth overall pick, Newsome has played the entirety of his nine-year PBA career with the Bolts, steering the team to a maiden championship in the 2024 Philippine Cup.
Newsome turned into an unrestricted free agent last month and there have been feelers from other teams and even from abroad.
But the 35-year-old player chose to stay put.
"He could have gone elsewhere," Meralco head coach Luigi Trillo said in a story in the PBA website.
"Playing with the national team, he could have gone overseas, could have tested the market too. But I'm happy that he stayed because he's done so much for the team so it's nice that he continues his journey with us.
"I'm just happy because New's been part of our program for the longest time and he's one of the reasons why Meralco's where it is," he added.
Meanwhile, Newsome's former teammate Norbert Torres has recently signed with Barangay Ginebra.
Serving as a reserve big man for the Bolts for a couple of years now, Meralco released the sweet-shooting big man allowing the Kings to tap his services from the free agency.
Torres is expected to provide additional height and heft for the Kings who have been heavily relying on Japeth Aguilar to man the paint while Isaac Go is still recovering from a knee injury.