Phillips joins Japan B. League exodus after signing with Kyoto

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Mike Phillips is officially headed to Japan after agreeing to a deal with the Kyoto Hannaryz basketball club, the team announced July 21, 2026.

With the recent signing, “Motor Mike” will not play the remainder of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League season after exercising an opt-out clause in his contract with the San Juan Knights to debut in the 2026–27 Japan B. League season.

After an impressive campaign with the Gilas Pilipinas men’s national basketball team during the third window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers, Phillips’ international stock immediately skyrocketed, with Kyoto emerging as one of his possible destinations.

In back-to-back road games against New Zealand and Australia, Phillips averaged 4.0 points and 8.5 rebounds and was even deployed as a starter despite playing in his first World Cup qualifying window with Gilas.

Several overseas teams previously expressed interest in acquiring Phillips because of his rebounding, defensive tenacity, and imposing presence in the paint.

Before joining San Juan, Phillips had a decorated UAAP career, spending five years at De La Salle University and helping steer the Green Archers to two collegiate championships.

However, his exit from the MPBL was not smooth, as the Knights publicly expressed the team’s frustration over Phillips’ sudden departure.

Several days ago, San Juan management, headed by team manager Jun Usman, revealed that Phillips did not speak with them personally about his overseas plans.

Usman and the rest of the franchise called his decision “unfair” and “unprofessional,” but Phillips’ camp reiterated that their actions were valid because of the opt-out and player-release clauses in his contract.

San Juan is currently on a roll, boasting a 15-1 record, and is considered the favorite to dethrone the star-studded Abra Solid North Weavers.

The teams faced each other in the regular season on May 2, 2026, with San Juan securing a momentum-boosting 66-58 win over Abra that snapped the defending champion’s 38-game regular-season winning streak.

Without Phillips, San Juan is trying to fill the significant void he left and is looking for a midseason acquisition to bolster its chances of winning this year’s MPBL title.

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