Draft FAQ

TEBA League Player Draft Rules

1. Draft Date

The TEBA League Player Draft is held annually on the first Tuesday in July.

2. Combined Player Draft

All eligible players are selected through one combined draft. There is no separate draft for imports, expats, Thai players, or other player classifications.

Every eligible player enters the same draft pool and may be selected based on the team’s needs, available roster space, and applicable roster limits.

3. Team Draft Picks

Each team receives four total draft picks across two rounds:

– First Round: Two picks per team
– Second Round: Two picks per team

Each team therefore makes four selections during the draft unless a pick has been transferred, forfeited, or otherwise modified through an approved league transaction.

4. Draft Eligibility

To become eligible for the draft, a player must:

– Be at least 18 years old.
– Attend an approved TEBA team tryout.
– Be nominated by a team as one of its top five prospects.
– Complete all required player registration, eligibility, and verification requirements.
– Submit any required identification, nationality, residency, visa, or supporting documents before the applicable deadline.

Being nominated as an honorable mention does not make a player eligible for the draft.

5. Top-Five Prospect Nominations

Each team may nominate its top five prospects from its approved tryout process.

Only players officially nominated within the top five may enter the TEBA draft pool. A player who attended a tryout but was not included in the team’s top five nominations is not draft eligible through that tryout.

6. Draft Nominees and Free Agency

Once a player is officially nominated for the draft, that player must proceed through the draft process.

A nominated player may not withdraw from the draft to enter free agency instead. Players who are not drafted may become eligible for the applicable post-draft signing process, subject to league rules.

Free agency begins one day after the draft.

7. Returning Players

A returning player generally may not be drafted by the same team for which the player previously played.

A former team must re-sign that player through the free-agency process unless the player:

1. Attends another team’s approved tryout;
2. Is nominated as one of that team’s top five prospects; and
3. Is drafted by that other team.

This rule prevents teams from using the draft to retain their own returning players instead of using the designated re-signing process.

8. Gap-Year Players

A player who takes a gap year or sits out a season must attend another approved tryout and qualify for the draft again.

Previous draft eligibility or a prior nomination does not automatically carry forward into a future season.

9. Import Players

Import players are drafted together with every other eligible player. Imports do not have separate rounds, separate picks, or a separate draft order.

A team may use any of its four selections on an eligible import, provided the team remains compliant with the league’s roster rules.

Each team may carry a maximum of four import players on its roster.

Drafting a player does not allow a team to exceed the import roster limit. Teams are responsible for confirming their available import roster positions before making a selection.

10. Expat Classification

A foreign player may qualify as an expat rather than an import only after meeting the league’s residency and documentation requirements.

The player must:

– Have lived in Thailand for at least 12 months; and
– Submit an eligible visa or residency document before the season.

Qualifying documentation may include an approved work, student, or Destination Thailand Visa, subject to league verification.

A foreign player who does not provide verified residency and visa documentation will count as an import.

11. Nationality and Classification Verification

The league may review a player’s nationality, residency, visa status, and supporting documents before confirming the player’s classification.

A player’s classification may be corrected if submitted information is incomplete, inaccurate, expired, or cannot be verified.

Teams may not avoid the import limit by incorrectly listing an import player as an expat or another player classification.

12. Draft Selection and Roster Compliance

Drafting a player gives the selecting team the right to complete the approved signing process with that player.

The selection does not waive any league requirement concerning:

– Import limits
– Player age
– Residency verification
– Visa documentation
– Contract completion
– Registration
– Eligibility
– League dues or team standing
– Roster size
– Other applicable league requirements

A team must remain compliant before the drafted player may be approved for competition.

13. Playing-Lineup Rules

Draft status and roster classification do not change the league’s in-game lineup requirements.

During a game:

– Five players from each team may be on the court.
– At least one Thai player must be on the court for each team at all times.
– No more than two American players from the same team may be on the court at the same time.
– There is no separate expat floor limit as long as the Thai-player requirement and American-player limit are satisfied.

14. Drafted Player Rights

A player may not sign with another TEBA team after being drafted unless the selecting team waives, releases, trades, or otherwise relinquishes the player’s rights through an approved league transaction.

All trades, waivers, releases, and roster transactions must be submitted and approved through the league’s official transaction process.

15. League Authority

The TEBA League has final authority over:

– Player eligibility
– Draft classifications
– Import and expat status
– Draft order
– Pick validity
– Roster compliance
– Documentation disputes
– Draft-day corrections
– Unusual or unaddressed circumstances

The league may reject or reverse a selection when a player is found to be ineligible or when the selection violates an established league rule.