At A Glance
- Former University of the Philippines standouts Carl Tamayo and JD Cagulangan stood out and made the biggest strides on foreign soil after winning their respective individual awards in the Korean Basketball League.
Former University of the Philippines standouts Carl Tamayo and JD Cagulangan stood out and made the biggest strides on foreign soil after winning their respective individual awards in the Korean Basketball League.

Tamayo, 24, was named as one of the members of the Mythical Team, joining his Changwon teammate Assem Marei alongside Seoul SK’s Jameel Warney, Kim Sun-hyung, and Ahn Young-Jun, who bagged the Most Valuable Player (MVP) plum.
The Talisay, Cebu native, who is currently in his first year in the Korean league, achieved the feat as he averaged 15.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists to propel the LG Sakers to a 34-20 tally at second place and clinch an outright semifinal berth.
The Gilas Pilipinas ace listed 39 games with double-digit effort which was highlighted by his career-high 37 points – the most by any Filipino in KBL – in their 92-88 loss to the Seoul Samsung Thunders last Jan. 9.
Tamayo, who played for two years with Ryukyu in Japan B. League, also had four 30-point games, 10 20-point outings, and three double-double performances under his name.
Though suiting up for Suwon KT Sonicboom just earlier this year, Cagulangan proved to be an emerging star as he bagged the Rookie of the Year plum.
Cagulangan became the second Filipino cager to cop the said award, following Ginebra guard RJ Abarrientos who previously played for the Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus in the 2022-23 season.
The two-time UAAP champion posted 7.3 points, 4.3 assists, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 28 contests for the Sonicboom who currently hold a 33-21 card to enter the quarterfinal.