MANILA, Philippines — The Meralco Bolts have signed a new import ahead of the PBA Governor's Cup conference after former NBA player Shabazz Muhammad was unable to travel to the Philippines due to a "personal emergency".
The Bolts will employ Dallas-born Panamanian Tony Bishop who has been playing internationally since 2011.
He recently reached the finals with Puerto Rican club Guaynabo and is also a member of Panama's national team.
Bolts manager Paolo Trillo said that the team is "looking forward" to working with Bishop.
"We wish Shabazz the best in dealing with his family matters, and we are looking forward to welcoming Tony Bishop as our import for this conference," he said.
Muhammad was set to be the reinforcement with the best credentials in the upcoming import-laden conference.
But Bishop is no pushover as he has plenty of experience from various overseas leagues in Lithuania, Puerto Rico, and Germany.
The Bolts, with the help of Bishop, will attempt to have a deep run in the Governor's Cup set to begin in the next couple of weeks.