MANILA, Philippines – NorthPort star forward Arvin Tolentino is heading to greener pastures away from the PBA, signing with the Korean Basketball League’s (KBL) Seoul SK Knights for the 2025-2026 season on Friday, May 30, the team announced.
Given the limit for Asian Quota imports, Seoul in turn released overseas journeyman Juan Gomez de Liaño to make way for Tolentino, who recently came off a breakout 2024-2025 PBA Commissioner’s Cup run that netted him his first career Best Player of the Conference (BPC) awards.
This signing also comes mere days after NorthPort traded away another piece of its bright future in Will Navarro to Magnolia for a package centered around aging star Calvin Abueva, who has yet to appear in a game for the Batang Pier.
With Tolentino’s departure, NorthPort now stares at a huge void in its forward rotation after also shipping young high-flyer Zavier Lucero to Magnolia for Jio Jalalon and Abu Tratter in July 2024.
Tolentino himself was a product of the Batang Pier’s consistent crusade to snag veteran bodies, as they traded away athletic wing Jamie Malonzo to Ginebra in September 2022 to acquire the sweet-shooting forward’s services.
In what would be his final, BPC-laced campaign for NorthPort, Tolentino averaged an impressive line of 23.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.1 blocks. – Rappler.com