By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Marc Pingris is back.
After announcing his retirement from the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) six months ago, Ping, popularly known as the “Pinoy Sakuragi”, will be making his return to the hardwood.
However, the nine-time PBA champion will not return in the country’s top professional league but will debut in the upcoming 2021 Chooks-to-Go Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Invitational Cup.
Pingris will be joining the Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards in the tournament that will take place from December 11-23, 2021.
It was Rice Vanguards’ head tactician Charles Tiu who confirmed the development and added that Pingris is ready to join the team anytime.
“It’s an honor to have him on our team. We are all very excited to have Pingris on board with us,” Tiu told Tiebreaker Times in an interview.
Pingris, a member of the PBA’s top 40 Greatest Players, was one of the most hard-working players to ever set foot on the hardwood and will always be remembered for his relentless hustle and energy.
He formed one of the deadliest big threes to ever play in the league together with James Yap and Peter June Simon during their glory days with the San Miguel Coffee Mixers team coached by Tim Cone.
“He’s going to be the leader of our team. He still looks pretty good and is as competitive as ever. I think he will help us on the floor and also off it with his voice,” added coach Tiu.
