This season's batch of imports for the 2023-24 PBA Commissioner's Cup might be the most diverse in league history.
There are players who hail from six different countries across four continents -- and those numbers go up to seven and five if you consider one of them a Jordanian and not an American.
Three are returnees -- although one of them hasn't officially played a PBA game yet -- with a fourth expected but yet to be confirmed.
Let's get to know them.
THE RETURNEES
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (TNT Tropang Giga)
'RHJ' came in as a replacement for Jalen Hudson in last season's Governors' Cup and went on to lead the Tropang Giga to the title.
After that stint, he signed on as a naturalized player for Jordan in time to see action in the FIBA World Cup -- averaging 23.6 points and 7.8 rebounds in five winless games.
Hollis-Jefferson just came from the Asian Games and joined the Tropang Giga in their EASL game in Chiba. He is no doubt in top shape, and this time around he won't have to deal with the fasting issues he had during the Governors' Cup, which coincided with holy Muslim month of Ramadan.
Thomas Robinson (NLEX Road Warriors)
Technically, Robinson is a returnee even though he has yet to play a single minute in the PBA.
He flew in late last year to suit up for San Miguel Beermen in the 2022-23 Commissioner's Cup, but suffered back spasms and flew back to America for treatment and was eventually replaced by Diamond Stone.
Robinson was the fifth overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft and played five seasons in the league and has played extensively in Europe, although he's been inactive for over a year.
Tom Vodanovich (Converge FiberXers)
Vodanovich was a very late replacement for Jamaal Franklin in the Governors' Cup, playing in just one quarterfinal game as the FiberXers were ousted by the San Miguel Beermen.
He made a good impression in his lone PBA appearance, pouring in 39 points and grabbing ten boards.
Afterwards, Converge coach Aldin Ayo said he had been eying Vodanovich as their original import, but he was still tied to his contract with the New Zealand Breakers. Now Ayo has the opportunity to coach his first choice for a whole conference.
Tony Bishop (Barangay Ginebra)
In a strange twist, Barangay Ginebra's replacement for the provisionally-suspended Justin Brownlee -- who will soon learn his fate for a failed doping test at the Asian Games -- is an old foe from the 2021-22 Governors' Cup Finals.
Bishop was Meralco Bolts' import in that conference, where they lost to the Kings in six games. After his PBA stint, Bishop went on to play in Puerto Rico and Taiwan.
He's also a veteran of the Danish, Polish, and Lithuanian league in the European circuit, and has also played in Japan's third division of the B. League.
THE NEW FACES
Tyler Bey (Magnolia Hotshots)
Bey, 25, played three years for the University of Colorado Buffaloes, averaging 11.2 points and 8.1 rebounds in 99 NCAA games.
Officially listed at 6-foot-7, Bey was picked 36th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers but was later traded to the Dallas Mavericks.
He played just 18 games for the Mavericks in the 2020-21 season, averaging only a point a game, and spent more time in the NBA G-League with the Long Island Nets and Rio Grande Valley Vipers. He most recently played for Ironi Ness Ziona in the Israeli league.
Suleiman Braimoh (Meralco Bolts)
Braimoh came in to replace original choice Feron Hunt, who was let go after the Bolts' stint in the Dubai International Basketball Classic in September.
A native of Nigeria, the 34-year-old played four seasons at Rice University in the US NCAA and has had stints in the D-League, New Zealand, Japan, Qatar, Germany, Israel and France.
He's never played in the NBA, but his vast international experience shows he can easily adapt wherever he's playing.
Thomas De Thaey (Terrafirma Dyip)
De Thaey, 32, is set to become the first Belgian-born player to suit up in the PBA.
He played two seasons for the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the ACC before taking his talents to Europe, where he has seen action in Belgium, Spain, Portugal, France, and Romania.
De Thaey's highest scoring season the Euroleague came in 2017-18, when he averaged 18.4 points for BC Timisoara in the Romanian Division A league.
Venky Jois (NorthPort Batang Pier)
Jois is another globetrotter who's seen action in Estonia, Croatia, Germany, Serbia, Australia, Slovenia and the G-League.
The Melbourne native played four years at Eastern Washington, where he averaged 14.8 points in 122 games and was First Team All-Big Sky Conference for two seasons.
While there have been imports who eventually became Australian citizens such as Lanard Copeland and Derrick Rucker, Jois is the first Australian-born import in league history.
Chris Ortiz (Blackwater Bossing)
Like Hollis-Jefferson, the 6-8 Ortiz most recently played in the FIBA World Cup, averaging 7.2 PPG and 2.4 RPG for Puerto Rico.
Prior to the World Cup, he saw action for Osos de Manati in the Puerto Rican league. Ortiz played four years for the Kent State Golden Flashes in the Mid-Atlantic Conference of the US NCAA, averaging 5.2 PPG and 3.9 RPG in 122 games.
He's also played in Finland, Cyprus and Denmark. Ortiz would become the fourth Puerto Rican to suit up in the PBA, after Renaldo Balkman, PJ Ramos and John Holland.
Tyler Stone (San Miguel Beermen)
Stone, 32, played one season for the Missouri Tigers and three for the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks in the US NCAA.
He was named to the All-Ohio Valley Conference second team twice and first team once before embarking on a career abroad.
Stone has seen action in Turkey, Greece, Japan, Israel, Russia, Italy, Puerto Rico, France, and Romania in an international career that started in 2014.
DaJuan Summers (Rain or Shine Elasto Painters)
At 35, Summers is the oldest among all imports, and one of four with NBA experience.
After 'RHJ', he has the most NBA experience at 83 games over four seasons with the Detroit Pistons, who drafted him in the second round in 2009, New Orleans Hornets and LA Clippers.
He's also played in Italy, Ukraine, Puerto Rico, Japan, Iran, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia. He played his college ball at Georgetown, playing three seasons for the Hoyas before declaring for the NBA draft.
Johnathan Williams (Phoenix Super LPG)
Blackwater Bossing coach Jeff Cariaso told ESPN that they were also looking at Williams before coming to terms with Ortiz, and it's not difficult to see why.
Williams, 28, was highly touted as a high school senior, and was rated a four-star recruit by ESPN in 2013. He played college ball at Missouri and Gonzaga but went undrafted in 2018 before signing a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.
He played a total of 30 games in the NBA with the Lakers and Washington Wizards, averaging 6.3 PPG. He's also had 51 games worth of experience in the G-League and also played in Israel, Turkey, Germany, Italy and Japan.