It didn’t take long for ex-Pacer Shayne Whittington to decide what he was going to do next. The forward/center has agreed to join Obradoiro CAB in Santiago De Compostela, Spain, the club announced.
“Really excited to announce that I’ll be starting a new chapter in my life in Santiago De Compostela, Spain with Obradoiro CAB,” Whittington posted on Instagram. “Great league and a great opportunity for me and my family!”
This comes just over a week after he was released by the Pacers, days before his contract — worth $980,431 — would have become guaranteed for the 2016-17 season. Over his two seasons under contract with the Pacers, Whittington appeared in 27 games and earned approximately $1.3 million.
[Whittington has high school jersey retired]
Whittington spent most of last season with the Mad Ants.
What exactly is he getting into? I asked Pete Philo, the President of TPG Sports Group and a longtime overseas scout in the NBA, who knows the overseas game well.
“It’s the best domestic league in Europe,” Philo explained. “EuroLeague is the best overall league. Obradorio is not in ‘EuroLeague.’ He’s playing in the ACB-Spanish League. Great coaches and players. It’s a very high level. He will get challenged and better be ready because that league is legit.”
Many Euro clubs are hurting financially, Philo noted, adding that Obradoiro CAB is in the lower half of the league.
Club Director José Luis Mateo in a statement (via Google translation): “We are pleased that Shayne has chosen to Rio Natura Monbus Obradoiro as the first station in its jump to Europe and to complete, so our inside game. With Whittington we incorporate a versatile player, because records in the pole used to lavish on his university has joined in these two years of professionalism an interesting foreign launch. Among all try to minimize the period of adaptation to help us to be better.”
Whittington plans to head to Spain at the end of August. Until then, he is working out with Rob Blackwell of St. Vincent Sports Performance.
Whittington spent the majority of last season up in Fort Wayne with the Mad Ants. Then in July, he played on the Pacers’ Summer League entry and averaged 7.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in five games.
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