Jay Washington signs with Ryukyu for upcoming B.League season

Jay Washington is the oldest Asian player signed to the B.League. PBA Images (file photo)

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA—The Ryukyu Golden Kings have also joined the Asian Player Quota craze, but they brought in probably the most veteran among the recruits.

The Okinawa-based squad announced on Thursday that it has signed Jay Washington to a one-year deal for the upcoming B.League and EASL season.

The six-foot-seven big man will be the latest addition to the now long list of Filipinos who have decided to play in Japan.

However, one can consider Washington, who will turn 41 this November, the luckiest as he ends up with the team that finished runner-up to Utsonomiya last season.

By making a trip to the finals earlier this year, the Golden Kings also qualified for the upcoming EASL tournament, and they are grouped with the San Miguel Beermen, where he won his first two PBA titles in 2009 and 2011, in Group A along with Anyang KGC and the Taipei Fubon Braves.

"I am so excited to be joining your incredible team for this upcoming 2022-2023 season. This is an amazing season, but there are greater goals for us to reach and I am excited to work towards them. I am proud to play for such a great organization and look forward to our continued success. I will work hard and give my all for the championship," Washington said.

Prior to free agency, Washington, the first pick of the 2005 PBA Draft, played for Blackwater last season.

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