The said development has been announced by Ibaraki Robots on their Twitter account. “We are pleased to announce that Ibaraki Robots has reached an agreement with Javier Gomez de Riano in the B. LEAGUE 2021-22 season.”

While the sharpshooter Gilas youngster shared his excitement to start his basketball career with Ibaraki Robots through Twitter, he also showed gratitude for the opportunity given to him.

“I’d like to thank coach Richard [Glesmann] and Robots management for giving me this opportunity of the lifetime. At the same time I can’t wait to play for you guys and meet the amazing community out there,” he said.

Regardless, the 6-foot-5 guard said that it is still a tough decision for him since trade-offs need to be made. 

“It was very tough for me to forgo my final playing year because I’ve always wanted to give back a championship for UP. I really tried to stay but in life, there are some opportunities that are for the betterment of yourself. Also, as you get older, I now also have to think of my family and also my future,” Javi said in a report by Tiebreakertimes.

“My biggest regret is not staying in top shape, because I think all throughout my career, I wasn’t in my peak form in terms of diet, I guess. I just realized late in my career that it was really important to take care of your health and watch what you eat. I started focusing on diet during the start of quarantine, and basketball has just been great when I realized the importance of it,” he added.

Javi average 8.13 points and 4.11 rebounds during his stay with the fighting maroons while he bolstered an average of 10.7 points, 3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists during the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers 2021 in Angeles City, Pampanga. 

But even though both GDL brothers will play for Japan B. League, there will be no chance of them facing and competing against each other as Javi will play for Ibaraki Robots in Division 1, and Juan will play for Earth Friend Tokyo Z in Division 2.