BASKETBALL/Brandon Gilbeck to become Taiwan's 3rd naturalized basketball player

Taipei, July 1 (CNA) Taiwan's men's national basketball team may be about to upgrade its depth in the paint after signing Brandon Gilbeck of the P.LEAGUE+ (PLG) Formosa Dreamers to a naturalized player's contract.

The 27-year-old big man from the United States landed in Taoyuan early Monday and was welcomed by Chang Cheng-chung (張承中), deputy secretary general of the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association, the governing body of the sport in Taiwan.

The two signed the deal, which still has to be reviewed and approved by the Sports Administration and the Ministry of the Interior to take effect.

However, Chang told CNA he is confident that "the proceedings will go smoothly."

If approved, Gilbeck will become the third naturalized basketball player in Taiwan, following the New Taipei Kings' Quincy Davis, now 41, and William Artino, who parted ways with the Hsinchu Toplus Lioneers in late January and returned to the United States when his contract expired.

Gilbeck has established a name in Taiwan for his ability to protect the rim. Since he joined the Dreamers in 2021, the American 7-footer has won the shot-blocking title three seasons in a row. He is also a two-time PLG Defensive Player of the Year and has been named to the PLG All-Defensive Team twice.

Gilbeck expressed an interest in playing for Taiwan when asked, saying he likes the people and environment of the country.

In a social media post in the morning, the association thanked Dreamers general manager Jonathan Han (韓駿鎧) and the franchise's co-founder Chen Li-tsung (陳立宗) for their help.

Gilbeck will suit up for Taiwan's A Team at the upcoming William Jones Cup, where he will play with top national talents like Chen Ying-chun (陳盈駿), Liu Cheng (劉錚), and Benson Lin (林庭謙) in a warm-up for 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers games in November.

Taiwan was defeated by New Zealand 89-69 in its first game in February with no naturalized players on the roster.

At the Jones Cup, Gilbeck will face off against two of his Dreamers teammates, Julian Boyd, who plays for Taiwan's Team B, and Chris McCullough, who plays for the Philippines.

Both Boyd and McCullough are highly likely to become Taiwan's naturalized players, according to the franchise.