By Adrian Stewart Co

Gilas Pilipinas guard Francis “LeBron” Lopez has decided to turn professional after agreeing to a deal to play for the Overtime Elite League (OTE) in the United States.

In an Instagram post on Tuesday evening, the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eaglet mainstay expressed his gratitude to OTE for giving him the opportunity to move closer to his basketball dreams.

“I am humbled and grateful to Overtime Elite (OTE) for believing in me and helping me get closer to my dreams. I will work hard to live up to their faith,” the 18-year-old Lopez said.

“As OTE leadership said, I will be the first Filipino player to join them. It is an honor that I will not take for granted. I will not let our country down. I will work very hard to represent us well!,” he added.

Lopez becomes the fourth international prospect to sign with the upstart league after Jean Montero (Dominican Republic), Alexandre Sarr (France) and Nathan Missia-Dio (Belgium).

The 6-foot-5 Lopez, who is the first-ever Asian player to sign up for the league, will receive a minimum of $100,000 in his stint under OTE head coach and Director of Player Development Kevin Ollie.

“Francis is a high-flyer with his ability to play above the rim,” Ollie told Sports Illustrated. “We’re building a program for him that will develop his game more completely so that he can achieve his dream of a professional career and as a leader on the Philippines national team for years to come.”

Lopez recently played for Gilas Pilipinas in the third window of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers in Clark and logged eight points, five rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block in 10 minutes of play in the Philippines’ 76-51 win over Indonesia.

OTE prides itself as a transformative new sports league that offers the world’s most talented young basketball players a better pathway to becoming professional athletes in the NBA./ASC, WDJ