After a surprise Philippine Cup playoff run with Terrafirma, Javi Gomez de Liaño bids goodbye to the Dyip.
Terrafirma Dyip just lost one key piece for the next PBA season in the form of Javi Gomez de Liaño.
In a surprising turn of events, de Liaño bids TerraFirma goodbye after just two seasons with the squad, saying his farewell on his official Instagram page Friday, June 7.
The former University of the Philippines standout took the chance to extend his gratitude to the Terrafirma Dyip, who made their second PBA playoff appearance in eight years in the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup and pushed the mighty San Miguel Beermen to the distance in the quarterfinals.
[ALSO READ: PBA: Isaac Go, Terrafirma shock San Miguel, notch first playoff win in franchise history]
“Thank you for the 2 amazing years that have passed! I am truly grateful for the opportunity of being able to play in the PBA, most especially making it to the playoffs with this franchise," Gomez de Liaño wrote.
"The team accepted me with open arms from the day I got traded and have helped me develop into not only a better player, but more importantly, a better individual,” he added.
The 25-year-old forward, who mostly came off the bench for Dyip, had another strong conference, averaging 16.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game in the All-Filipino. He also shot 39.7 percent from three on 1.6 makes per game.
In the Commissioner's Cup, Javi put up 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.0 steals per game.
“To the fans, thank you for showing up to our games and cheering us on! To my teammates, thank you for being real ones on and off the court. Our bond will definitely go a long way!” he continued, while also showing love to their staff.
"To Coach John [Cardel], assistant coaches, S&C staff, and management, thank you for the constant support and motivation. Your confidence in my game has pushed me to always be my best. These two years were definitely a big boost to my career. Without the trust, I wouldn’t be here and I will always be grateful for that."
Drafted no. 8 overall by Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the 2022 rookie draft, Gomez de Liaño was immediately shipped to Terrafirma in exchange for Jeremiah Gray, where he flourished as a reliable scorer alongside Juami Tiongson and Stephen Holt.
[ALSO READ: Javi Gomez de Liaño gets frank remark from Johnedel Cardel after solid showing for Terrafirma]
Prior to his PBA stint, he played in the Japan B.League with the Ibaraki Robots.