A few weeks ago, I got an email from a curious source: Smart Gilas import Jamal Sampson. He took issue with an item I posted about his performance in China, where I quoted a ShamSports report calling him “a pretty awful offensive player.” Sampson said that during the season in question, when he averaged a paltry 10 points and 10 rebounds, he was playing with a hamstring injury. He also pointed out that in a previous season in China, he dominated the CBA, leading the Liaoning team to the finals, while averaging upwards of 20 points and 20 rebounds. One report on Eurobasket even called him “arguably the most expensive and impressive import in CBA history.”

Contrary to reports, Sampson said that he is still under contract with Smart Gilas, even as he is working to get a release, with a bigger offer in China waiting for him. In a series of emails to Fire Quinito, Sampson wrote about the problems he has encountered with Smart Gilas.

As always, this blog is open to any response from the SBP and Smart Gilas regarding this matter.


On his current situation:

“Under my contract, I got the month of February off, so I’m back home, but still under contract with [the SBP]. They won’t let me out of my contract, but I keep reading they wanna get rid of me. The team tried their hardest to convince me to stay and work it out, and try to make a deal work last week before I left. I’m still owed money from December, we are in February now, and I haven’t gotten it all.”

On the Middle East trip:

“While we were in Qatar, before we even went to Dubai, I asked to be released, and they told me they would, right after the Dubai trip, but that hasn’t happened.

“December’s payment that was owed to me was late. Under my contract, they owed me a payment by January 1st, no later, well before we left for Qatar and Dubai. If it wasn’t paid, my contract states that I didn’t have to play or practice. I wasn’t obligated to play in Qatar or Dubai.

“I tried to play through the injury because I like the guys on the team. They expected me to go out and risk my knee, while I haven’t even been paid from the first month. It’s February right now, and I’m still owed money I should have got in December from the first month I was on the team.”

On his contractual problems with the SBP:

“The team didn’t meet numerous contractual things. I had a bigger deal in China, but the team wanted to keep me so they kept upping their offer to meet, that’s why the process of me signing took so long. Unfortunately, from the beginning all those things put in the contract to get me to stay weren’t met, late and missed payments, and other things promised in the contract couldn’t be delivered.”

On issues with the SBP organization:

“You have a lot of people doing jobs that they are unqualified to be doing. The whole program is unorganized, and other people in the organization feel the same as me, and have told me it was gonna be like this from the beginning, but won’t speak up now ‘cause they don’t want to lose their job.

“For example, look at the assistant coaching staff, show me qualifications to be coaching a national team. What serious level coaching experience do they have? How is someone in their life under 5 feet who never played in the post in their life gonna be a big man coach and show me stuff? Someone under 5 feet can be a great coach, don’t get me wrong, but to be a big man coach and have never played in the post or even played high level ball? C’mon now.

“I asked to be released because I could see how unorganized and unprofessional it was. When you start off the first month not being paid right, that’s a tell-all. Stuff with my condo weren’t handled right. I slept on the floor in Manila for 5 days with no bed, that’s how unorganized things are.”

On SBP executive director Noli Eala’s motivation:

“I was told by numerous sources that on a team retreat Noli said to the team, he started this program only to get back at the PBA for what they did to him. That right there says enough. This whole thing wasn’t even started for the right reasons.”

On Coach Rajko Toroman:

“The players are treated like kids by Coach Toroman. Just like [former import] CJ [Giles] was blamed for taking the team out on a wild night. The players are from the age of 19 to 25, they are grown men, no one made them do anything. Toroman just goes by what the SBP tells him, he doesn’t know what happens behind the scenes, with payments and other contractual obligations not being met.”

UPDATE: A very interesting response from commenter Gilas Insider, who I know for a fact is a Gilas insider: “i don't like to say bad stuff bout Jamal cause he's my friend. It still is disappointing that he didn't play but of course when it comes to all these salary stuff, that's behind the scenes and we dont know much. BUt what i do know is that, it's not just him who doesn't get paid on time. Sometimes the other guys also don't get their salaries on time, and believe me, they need that salary more than he does, but that doesn't really keep them from playing.”