WATCH: Pacquiao scores 1 point, grabs a rebound in PBA debut

MANILA, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao may not want to quit his day job.

The Pacman received a strong reaction in his Philippine Basketball Association debut even if he didn’t produce a stat line for the ages.

Pacquiao, wearing jersey number 17 for the expansion team Kia Sorentos, scored 1 point, grabbed one rebound and turned the ball over twice in ten minutes during his team’s 88-77 preseason loss to the Blackwater Elite on Saturday, October 4 in Binan, Laguna, Philippines.

The eight-division boxing champion Pacquiao, who is also the team’s coach, a sitting congressman in the Sarangani province in addition to a multitude of roles in the entertainment industry, checked into the game early in the second quarter and grabbed a rebound shortly after.

He brought the ball down court but quickly had his dribble interrupted and passed off. Later in the quarter another attempt to create offense off the dribble resulted in a turnover as he had his pocket picked by Blackwater’s Chris Timberlake.

Pacquiao would miss a transition three pointer before being fouled on an ensuing possession. He missed the first free throw but hit the second. The ball would be in Pacquiao’s hands on the next time down the court when the shot clock hit 24, after which Pacquiao checked himself out.

Pacquiao, who at 35 is the oldest rookie in PBA history, is currently in training for the first defense of his newly reacquired WBO welterweight title against unbeaten New Yorker Chris Algieri on November 23 in Macau.

Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach, who argued successfully to get Pacquiao’s training camp to take place in his hometown of General Santos City rather than in the distractions of Manila, is set to arrive this week to begin hard training.

Pacquiao says he has already spoken with Roach about his PBA venture and says he will only play “maybe just two to three minutes” per game while in training. 

“My focus is on my training for the November fight,” he told AFP.

Pacquiao’s boxing promoter Bob Arum had previous told Rappler that Pacquiao wouldn’t be playing during training. “He’s not going to get injured and he’s not going to fool around with it during the time he’s going to train for his fight and so forth,” he said.

Pacquiao’s Kia team will get a chance at revenge when they face Blackwater once more in the PBA season opener on October 19 in Bulacan. – Rappler.com