MANILA – After his previous PBA stint was cut short by an infamous choking incident, Renaldo Balkman vows to make amends for San Miguel Beermen now that they are in the 2018 Commissioner’s Cup Finals.
The Puerto Rican import said he is determined to complete his unfinished business for Beermen when they take on Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings in the titular showdown starting Friday.
“Man, like what I told you when I first started, one game at a time – and now we here. We in the Finals, man,” said Balkman, who steered Beermen’s resurgence this conference when he replaced the ineffective Troy Gillenwater.
“This is what basketball is made of. I came out here with one goal, and it’s to make it. And we made it to the Finals, and now we gotta win it. We here,” added the former NBA player.
Balkman, 34, is glad to have another chance to win a title after teaming up with Kings reinforcement Justin Brownlee in leading San Miguel Alab Pilipinas to the ASEAN Basketball League title in May.
“[After] sitting out for a whole year last year, this has been a great year for me,” he added. “I’m glad to be back in the Finals. I’m glad to be here and playing Justin in the championship.”
Balkman was banned from the PBA five years ago after choking teammate Arwind Santos in a game against Alaska Aces. But the ban had been lifted with the blessing of former PBA commissioner Chito Salud.
“It’s a blessing for me – I just won one, and to try to come back and win another one right now. That’s my goal, and like I told you all before, I’m doing it for some people back at home,” he said.
“People say, ‘Oh, he might be too old,’ but I still got it. I got a lot left in my tank,” he added. “As you all can see out there on the court, I give my all every time. Age is nothing but a number. Believe that. And I’m trying to get a couple more this year.”/PN
