Magnolia hires Paris Olympian

Magnolia has brought in versatile South Sudanese power forward Nuni Omot as reinforcement for its campaign in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup.

The Hotshots made a move even before their debut in the mid-season, import-flavored tournament by releasing original foreign guest player Terrell Brown-Soares on Tuesday in favor of the 6-foot-9 Olympian.

Omot, who was officially introduced on Wednesday through the team’s Facebook page, is set to suit up for Magnolia on Friday when it takes on Phoenix at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

A veteran internationalist, the Baylor University product has played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) G-League after going undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft.

He plied his wares in Germany, Macedonia, Netherlands, Turkey, Poland, Germany, Puerto Rico, Egypt, China, Israel, France, Rwanda and recently with Lebanese powerhouse Al Riyadi Beirut.

Omot averaged 21.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals per outing for Al Riyadi before the West Asia Super League and the Lebanese league were postponed due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Magnolia took advantage of Omot’s unexpected free schedule to tap the 31-year-old cager to beef up the LA Tenorio-mentored squad.

Omot is a familiar name in international basketball, being one of South Sudan’s go-to players on its path to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

He helped his country finish as the best African finisher during the 2023 FIBA World Cup held in Manila for a ticket to the Summer Games.

Omot averaged 16.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game during the Paris Games.