Ljay Gonzales

{{Short description|Filipino basketball player}} {{Redirect|Louell|other people with similar names|Louella}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}} {{Use Philippine English|date=September 2025}} {{Infobox basketball biography | name = Ljay Gonzales | image = | caption = | position = [[Point guard]] | height_ft = 5 | height_in = 11 | weight_lb = | number = 13 | team = NLEX Road Warriors | league = [[Philippine Basketball Association|PBA]] | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1998|12|19}} | birth_place = [[San Mateo, Isabela]], Philippines | nationality = Filipino | high_school = [[Far Eastern University Diliman|FEU Diliman]] ([[Quezon City]]) | college = [[FEU Tamaraws basketball|FEU]] | draft_year_pba = 2025 | draft_round_pba = 1 | draft_pick_pba = 5 | draft_team_pba = [[NLEX Road Warriors]] | career_start = 2023 | years1 = 2023–2025 | team1 = [[Quezon Huskers|Quezon Huskers/Titans]] | years2 = 2025–present | team2 = [[NLEX Road Warriors]] | highlights = * [[All-MPBL Team|All-MPBL First Team]] ([[2025 MPBL season|2025]]) * [[All-MPBL Team|All-MPBL Second Team]] ([[2024 MPBL season|2024]]) * [[MPBL Rookie of the Year award|MPBL Rookie of the Year]] ([[2024 MPBL season|2024]]) * 2× [[MPBL All-Star Game|MPBL All-Star]] ([[2024 MPBL All-Star Game|2024]], [[2025 MPBL All-Star Game|2025]]) * PSL champion ([[2023–24 Pilipinas Super League season|2024]]) | medaltemplates = }}

'''Louell Jay Gonzales''' (born December 19, 1998) is a Filipino professional [[basketball]] player for the [[NLEX Road Warriors]] of the [[Philippine Basketball Association]] (PBA).

He played his high school and collegiate career with the [[FEU Tamaraws basketball|FEU Tamaraws]], where he would stay until 2023. The following year, he made his professional debut with the [[Quezon Huskers|Quezon Huskers franchise]] in both the [[Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League]] (MPBL) and [[Pilipinas Super League]] (PSL), where he would lead the team to three finals appearances across both leagues, including a championship in the PSL. He also won the [[MPBL Rookie of the Year award]], made two all-star appearances, and earned an [[All-MPBL Team|All-MPBL Second Team]] selection.

In September 2025, Ljay was selected fifth overall by the [[NLEX Road Warriors]] in the [[PBA season 50 draft]].

== High school and college career == In both high school and in college, Ljay played for the [[Far Eastern University]] (FEU) [[FEU Tamaraws basketball|Tamaraws]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Terrado |first1=Reuben |title=Gonzales picks up speed to finally catch up with Abarrientos, Torres in PBA |url=https://www.spin.ph/basketball/pba/gonzales-finally-catches-up-with-abarrientos-torres-in-pba-a795-20250906 |website=SPIN.ph |access-date=2025-09-12 |date=2025-09-06}}</ref> In 2017, in the juniors' division, he led [[Far Eastern University Diliman]] (FEU–D) to the [[UAAP Season 79 basketball tournaments#Juniors' division|UAAP Season 79 juniors' basketball]] title, earning finals MVP honors.<ref name="declared"></ref> The following year, in [[UAAP Season 80 basketball tournaments|Season 80]], he was selected to the Mythical Five.<ref>{{cite news |last=Riego |first=Norman Lee Benjamin |date=February 12, 2018|title=CJ Cansino is UST's first UAAP Jrs. MVP since Kevin Ferrer|url=https://sports.abs-cbn.com/uaap/news/2018/02/12/cj-cansino-ust-s-first-uaap-jrs-mvp-since-kevin-ferrer-37582|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180212201618/https://sports.abs-cbn.com/uaap/news/2018/02/12/cj-cansino-ust-s-first-uaap-jrs-mvp-since-kevin-ferrer-37582|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 12, 2018|work=ABS-CBN Sports|access-date=February 12, 2018}}</ref>

On March 5, 2018, Gonzales announced his commitment to remain in FEU for the seniors' division.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Terrado |first1=Reuben |title=Baby Tams guard L-Jay Gonzales says he is staying at FEU, already training with Tamaraws |url=https://www.spin.ph/basketball/uaap-juniors/l-jay-gonzales-commits-to-stay-with-feu-tamaraws-uaap-juniors |website=SPIN.ph |access-date=2025-09-12 |date=2018-03-05}}</ref> He would play for Far Eastern through the entirety of his college career.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Isaga |first1=JR |title=L-Jay Gonzales leaves future in air as UAAP career with FEU ends |url=https://www.rappler.com/sports/uaap/l-jay-gonzales-leaves-future-air-feu-career-ends/ |website=Rappler |access-date=2025-09-12 |date=2023-11-18}}</ref>

== Professional career ==

=== 2024–2025: Quezon Huskers franchise === Following his collegiate career, Gonzales signed with the [[Quezon Huskers|Quezon Huskers franchise]] in November 23, 2023, reuniting him with former FEU assistant coach [[Eric Gonzales]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Garcia |first=John Mark |date=2023-11-25 |title=LJay Gonzales begins new chapter in MPBL with FEU-laden Quezon Huskers |url=https://www.spin.ph/basketball/ljay-gonzales-signs-with-feu-laden-mpbl-side-quezon-huskers-a5172-20231125 |access-date=2024-12-18 |website=Spin.ph |language=en}}</ref> During the [[2024 MPBL season]], Ljay averaged 9.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game while leading Quezon to the best record in the [[South Division (MPBL)|South Division]] and later on their [[2024 MPBL finals|first MPBL finals appearance]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Terrado |first1=Jonas |title=L-Jay Gonzales raring to join other FEU stars in PBA |url=https://sports.inquirer.net/638631/l-jay-gonzales-raring-to-join-other-feu-stars-in-pba |website=INQUIRER.net |access-date=2025-09-12 |date=2025-09-06}}</ref> For his efforts, Ljay became an all-star starter, won the [[MPBL Rookie of the Year award]], and was selected to the [[All-MPBL Team|All-MPBL Second Team]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=MPBL All-Stars tonight |url=https://www.philstar.com/sports/2024/09/08/2383650/mpbl-all-stars-tonight |access-date=2024-09-08 |website=Philstar.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-12-07 |title=Justine Baltazar becomes first-ever back-to-back MPBL MVP |url=https://tiebreakertimes.com.ph/tbt/justine-baltazar-becomes-first-ever-back-to-back-mpbl-mvp/322666 |access-date=2024-12-07 |website=Tiebreaker Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

On August 15, 2025, Ljay declared for the [[PBA season 50 draft]] as one of the earliest applicants in the draft class.<ref name="declared">{{cite web |last1=Terrado |first1=Reuben |title=Former FEU guard Ljay Gonzales among first to apply for PBA draft |url=https://www.spin.ph/basketball/pba/former-feu-guard-ljay-gonzales-applies-for-pba-rookie-draft-a795-20250815 |website=SPIN.ph |access-date=2025-09-12 |date=2025-08-15}}</ref> He would go on to be selected fifth overall by the [[NLEX Road Warriors]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Caacbay |first1=Kennedy |title=PBA: LJay Gonzales excited to learn from 'Kuya' Robert Bolick in NLEX |url=https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2025/9/8/pba-ljay-gonzales-excited-to-learn-from-kuya-robert-bolick-in-nlex-0900 |website=ABS-CBN |access-date=2025-09-12 |date=2025-09-08}}</ref>

=== 2025–present: NLEX Road Warriors ===

On December 23, 2025, Gonzales signed a rookie contract with NLEX.<ref>{{cite news |first=Gerry |last=Ramos |date=December 24, 2025 |title=NLEX gets backcourt boost entering QFs by signing LJay Gonzales |url=https://www.spin.ph/basketball/pba/nlex-gets-backcourt-boost-entering-qfs-by-signing-ljay-gonzales-a793-20251224 |website=Spin.ph |access-date=December 24, 2025 }}</ref>

== Career statistics ==

=== MPBL === {{MPBL player statistics legend}}

==== Season-by-season averages ==== {{MPBL player statistics start}} |- | align=left | [[2024 MPBL season|2024]] | align=left | [[2024 Quezon Huskers season|Quezon]] | 35 || 25 || 20.3 || .381 || .221 || '''.681''' || 5.1 || 3.8 || 1.3 || .3 || 9.8 |- | align=left | [[2025 MPBL season|2025]] | align=left | [[2025 Quezon Huskers season|Quezon]] | '''37''' || '''34''' || '''21.4''' || '''.462''' || '''.297''' || .674 || '''6.0''' || '''4.7''' || '''1.6''' || '''.4''' || '''11.3''' {{end}}

== References ==

== External links == * [https://mpbl.web.geniussports.com/competitions/?WHurl=%2Fcompetition%2Fall%2Fperson%2F2229209 Ljay Gonzales' MPBL profile on Genius Sports] * [https://psl.web.geniussports.com/competitions/?WHurl=%2Fcompetition%2F37518%2Fperson%2F2220820%2Fstatistics%3F Ljay Gonzales' PSL profile on Genius Sports]

{{NLEX Road Warriors current roster}} {{navboxes|list= {{MPBL Rookies of the Year}} {{2025 PBA draft}} }}

[[Category:Living people]] [[Category:21st-century Filipino sportsmen]] [[Category:Basketball players from Isabela (province)]] [[Category:FEU Tamaraws basketball players]] [[Category:Filipino men's basketball players]] [[Category:NLEX Road Warriors draft picks]] [[Category:Point guards]] [[Category:Quezon Huskers players]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzales, Ljay}} [[Category:1998 births]] [[Category:NLEX Road Warriors players]]