Jakarta. Former National Basketball Association (NBA) player who previously played for the Dallas Mavericks in the 2021/2022 season, JaQuori McLaughlin, has been recruited by the Jakarta Pelita Jaya basketball club for the 2024 Basketball Champions League (BCL) Asia.

According to Pelita Jaya club president, Andiko Ardi Purnomo, the addition of the former NBA player is believed to strengthen the squad's depth to compete both in the international arena and in the local Indonesian Basketball League (IBL).

"We are maximizing the five slots allowed for foreign players in one team," Andiko told reporters in Jakarta on Wednesday.

McLaughlin plays as a point guard and is also skilled as a shooting guard. McLaughlin began his professional career with the Dallas Mavericks in the 2021-2022 season. He played in four games during his tenure there.

"It's a new challenge for me to play here and I'll strive to perform well," said the 26-year-old basketball player standing at 1.93 meters.

In 2022, the Dallas Mavericks released him, and he continued his career in the NBA G League for one year with the Santa Cruz Warriors, the affiliate team of the Golden State Warriors. In 2023, the 26-year-old player moved to New Zealand and joined the Otago Nuggets.

Besides McLaughlin, Pelita Jaya has also acquired one foreign player of Filipino-American descent, Justin Donta Brownlee, who can play as a small forward or power forward.

Brownlee, a naturalized Filipino player, has had extensive experience playing for the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel club in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

Pelita Jaya Jakarta and Prawira Harum Bandung will represent Indonesia in the 2024 BCL Asia competition, starting from the qualifying rounds in two cities, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and Jakarta, Indonesia.

The first qualifying round will take place in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from April 3-7, followed by the second qualifying round in Jakarta, Indonesia, from April 23-26.

In this tournament, Prawira Harum Bandung and Pelita Jaya Jakarta were chosen as Indonesia's representatives for being the champion and runner-up of the 2023 IBL.

In the first qualifying round in Mongolia, each team will play three games. The top-ranked teams from Groups A and B will advance to the second qualifying round in Jakarta.

Meanwhile, the second and third-ranked teams in each group will cross over to compete for a spot in the second qualifying round in Jakarta. Thus, four teams will vie in Jakarta to secure a place in the 2024 BCL Asia.

Add as a preferred source on Google +