MANILA, Philippines – Now that his PBA Iron Man streak has ended, LA Tenorio can focus on his recovery from a groin injury.

Barangay Ginebra head coach Tim Cone said Tenorio is likely to miss the rest of the season-ending Governors’ Cup as he is set to go under the knife.

“We heard from the trainers, approximately four to six weeks,” Cone said when asked how long Tenorio will be sidelined. “So he’ll probably be out for the rest of the conference. He’s going to need to undergo surgery.”

Tenorio missed a game for the first time in his PBA career as he sat out the Gin Kings’ 112-107 win over Meralco on Wednesday, March 1.

His absence snapped a league record for most consecutive games played at 744.

“All good things come to an end. He’s one of those guys who only doesn’t miss games, he doesn’t miss practices. He doesn’t miss practice his whole career. It’s amazing that he’s been able to get this far,” Cone said.

“This is a record that’s going to be a while, a long time for someone to break. Because, you know, this is actually the first game he’s missed in his entire career. And he’s already 38 years old. Imagine that.”

Cone, though, said the PBA has not seen the last of Tenorio.

“It’s an end of an era. But it’s not the end of LA. He’s going to be back. He’s going to come back to play,” Cone added.

“We’re looking forward to keeping a spot for him. I’m sure he’ll just start another streak, knowing LA.” – Rappler.com