MANILA – Retirement plans will have to wait as veteran guard Mark Caguioa has decided to play another year with the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings in the 2020 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season.
In an announcement made during Ginerbra’s victory party on Jan. 20, the 40-year-old stalwart said that he was convinced by San Miguel Corporation athletic director Alfrancis Chua to “play one last year.”
“Coach Al pulled me aside and sinabi niya na he (Chua) is going to give me one more year. I want to thank coach Al for giving me one more year,” said the eight-time PBA champion.
“My body is not hurting, I feel like I can still go for 10 years or something like that. But I’m just saying that, but I still feel good,” added the one-time PBA MVP awardee. “I can play as long as I can.”
A third-overall pick during the 2001 PBA Draft, Caguioa became the face of the franchise throughout his career after Robert Jaworski, the legend embodied the “Never Say Die” slogan that the team became known for, retired from basketball.
“I’m 40 years old, you know what I mean? I’ve been there, I’ve done that, and there’s no way I would wanna play more minutes or play more time than the other guys,” Caguioa said.
“(At this stage) in my career, you don’t even care about your playing time,” he added. “You’re just in for the ride, and it’s been a ride, especially with these guys.”/PN
