MANILA, Philippines – It was supposed to be a normal Wednesday night for Kelly Williams.

The TNT KaTropa were looking to end their two-game skid against the streaking Blackwater Elite and as usual, Williams was a pivotal piece in doing so. 

But January 17 was not an ordinary day for the former league MVP as he had to take an Angkas motorcycle to get to the Araneta Coliseum after getting stuck in traffic in Taguig due to the fire that hit the residential area along C5 road. 

“Coming from the South, I got to Taguig in about two and a half hours and I heard there was a fire on C5 and I was like, ‘Oh my God, what am I going to do?’ My driver said ‘check Angkas, an Uber for motorcycles,’” said Williams while laughing about his unusual situation. 

“Quickly got out of the car in the middle of the C5, the middle of traffic, found this guy under the overpass, he was surprised to see me. I got my helmet on, jumped on the bicycle and we got here for about 40 minutes.” 

During the ride, the 35-year-old shared that ordinary commuters were surprised to see him riding a motorcycle and admitted that while it was a first for him in his 12-year PBA career, it was still a “good experience for me.” 

“You get to see Manila in a different light,” said Williams. 

While the thought of riding a motorcycle through the gridlocked streets of Metro Manila frightened him, especially after his driver was “swerving pretty well,” Williams said that he cared more about how his coaches would react if he did not get to the game at all.

“I considered running, I considered jogging. Whatever you got to do, crawl, walk or run. It was a good experience though. Thank you to the cyclist, I think his name is Richard or something like that, he’s a lifesaver.” 

Williams arrived at around 7:15 pm with the first quarter nearing to an end. However, he was only fielded in the second half, when the KaTropa were trailing 36-43.

Williams’ arrival proved to be a crucial moment for TNT as it erased a 10-point Blackwater lead in the third quarter en route to a 92-83 win. The Filipino-American put up 6 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals and had a plus-minus of plus-8 in just less than 18 minutes of action. 

“You got to come out there with extra effort after coming in late like that. But it’s always my intention to come out and do whatever I have to do.” 

Williams shared that arriving late for a PBA game is one of his worst nightmares, and against the Elite, it came true. That’s probably why he did not mind giving more than what he was supposed to pay for the Angkas driver.

“I tipped him very handsomely. It was about a hundred but I’m sure I paid with whatever was in my pocket because I was very grateful.”

The experience, he said, was a fun one for him but Williams is sure to mind what coaches cautioned him afterwards

“I told coach I won’t do it again. Let’s pray that it doesn’t happen again.” – Rappler.com