When Juan Gómez de Liaño was negotiating his contract with B.League Division 2 team Earth Friends Tokyo Z, he made sure to have just one clause in it — the FIBA Release Clause.
And it’s because the 6-foot-1 combo guard remains committed to Gilas Pilipinas Men and its build-up to the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
“In my contract, Tokyo allowed me to play for the national team,” bared the 21-year-old University of the Philippines product to Tiebreaker Times.
Gómez de Liaño was part of Gilas in the first two windows of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.
In three games played, he normed 12.0 points, 3.0 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game.
However, a dental procedure last January forced him to miss the first nine days of Gilas’ January camp in Inspire Sports Academy. He was also absent the entire March camp of Gilas since he was still recovering from a minor injury and needed to heal first.
“I spoke to Juan and the important thing is the door to Gilas is still open in the ensuing bubbles after the June competitions. I already told him that he will be invited back,” Baldwin said a few months ago.
“They already told me that I was going to be invited,” affirmed Gómez de Liaño.
That is why Gómez de Liaño has been granted by Tokyo to report to the team only after the Asia Cup.
His availability for the 31st Southeast Asian Games though is not a certainty as it is not a FIBA event.
Still, Gómez de Liaño is just honored to represent the country once more in a different capacity.
“I’m not just representing myself or my family when I get to Tokyo, I’ll continue to give glory to our country to the best of my abilities.”
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