MANILA – Terrafirma Dyip were caught by surprise with the sudden decision of veteran center Christian Standhardinger to retire from professional basketball.
According to Dyip team governor Bobby Rosales, it was disappointing that the Filipino-German center opted to call it quits despite still having a live contract with them until the end of the year.
“It caught us by surprise, but we had to respect his decision,” Rosales told Tiebreaker Times. “Of course, it’s very unfortunate because his teammates were expecting him to continue playing with them.”
“How could you force someone who doesn’t want to play anymore? It’s tough on everyone, especially his teammates,” he added. “I even appealed to him to finish the contract, but I couldn’t reason with him.”
“That’s just how the cookie crumbles, as they say,” the Dyip official further said. “People don’t realize and see the challenges we face as a team.”
Rosales also stated that, since Standhardinger has a live contract with the Dyip, they have referred the matter to the PBA Commissioner’s Office for possible action.
“He informed us that he wanted to retire, but we also reminded him that he still has a live contract,” Rosales said. “For this purpose, we informed the Commissioner’s Office. I leave it to the Office of the Commissioner to determine the appropriate measures.”
The 35-year-old Standhardinger started his PBA career in 2018 with the San Miguel Beermen, where he won two PBA titles, before he was traded to the NorthPort Batang Pier a year later.
The Batang Pier then shipped Standhardinger to the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings in 2021 and was part of the team’s two PBA championship campaigns.
Standhardinger then found his way to the Terrafirma Dyip via trade earlier this year and suited up for the squad for six games before being sidelined with a knee injury.
Prior to his PBA career, Standhardinger played professionally for German teams Mitteldeutscher BC, Ehingen Urspring, and SC Rasta Vechta before he suited up as an import for the Hong Kong Eastern.
Standhardinger also served as naturalized player for the Gilas Pilipinas several times, including in their gold medal runs during the 2017, 2019, and 2023 Southeast Asian Games./PN
