MANILA – Rain or Shine Elasto Painters guard Chris Tiu is pushing for his plan to retire from professional basketball by the end of the season.
The former Gilas Pilipinas guard said he has already informed Painters team owners Raymund Yu and Terry Que about his intent to retire at the end of the current conference.
Tiu currently makes an impressive showing in the 2018 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
“I told (Painters team owners) I have a lot of commitments and a lot of new projects and ventures that require my time and concentration,” the former Ateneo Blue Eagles guard said in an online interview.
“But it is hard to say until when I will play. I think up until the third conference, especially since the team has been making great progress,” added the 32-year-old guard.
Tiu got a second wind in his PBA career with Painters under head coach Carlos Garcia after the departure of Paul Lee, Jericho Cruz and Jeffrei Chan in various trades.
“I have to say that I’m pleased with the way my team has been playing,” said Tiu. “And personally I’m happy with my performance. Of course there’s always room for improvement, and I want to keep getting better.
“Coach Caloy really shows that he trusts me. He’s been using me especially in endgames when it mattered most, and that means a lot to a player.
“That’s also a major deciding factor for a player if you’re getting good quality minutes. And it’s clear if your contributions are clear to the team, which is an encouraging factor to make a player to stay on.”
Tiu hopes to end his PBA career with a second championship.
Painters is currently seeded No. 1 and has a twice-to-beat incentive over GlobalPort Batang Pier in the quarterfinals./PN
