Tamayo, Changwon LG Sakers rule Korean Basketball League

Proving a natural-born winner since high school, the Filipino import added another feather in his cap as the Changwon LG Sakers ruled the 2025 Korean Basketball League (KBL) with a 4-3 series win over the Seoul SK Knights over the weekend at the Jamsil Students’ Gymnasium in Seoul.

Mr. Tamayo registered a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds laced by two assists and two steals in Changwon’s thrilling 62-58 win over the top-ranked Seoul in Game 7.

Changwon, a second seed in the eliminations, nearly wasted a mammoth 3-0 lead by losing the last three games only to steady the ship when it mattered the most behind the efforts of Finals MVP Kim Jae-hyeon.

Mr. Hyeon had 12 points and three steals in Game 7, including four game-sealing free throws in the clutch. Heo Il-young and Yang Jun-seok contributed 14 and 11 points, respectively, while Egyptian import Assem Marei collared five points, 14 rebounds, eight assists, two steals and a block.

But the bigger feat belonged to the Gilas Pilipinas stalwart, who has also won titles in the UAAP juniors with National U-Nazareth School and UAAP men’s with the University of the Philippines before turning pro in Japan then Korea.

Mr. Tamayo also won the Japan B. League in 2023 with the Ryukyu Golden Kings and now in the KBL, making him the first Filipino champion in two different overseas countries.

A Cebu hotshot, Mr. Tamayo was also part of the 2025 KBL Mythical Team with teammate Marei alongside Seoul’s Jameel Warney, Kim Sun-hyung and An Young-jun for a double milestone this season.

He tallied 15.1 points on 31%clip from downtown, 5.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists as Changwon finished 34-20 slate for the No. 2 seed.

His fellow Maroon Juan Gomez De Liaño was part of their finals rival Seoul but hardly played in the best-of-seven titular showdown. — John Bryan Ulanday