Prince Caperal had nothing but gratitude to Barangay Ginebra as he highlighted his career turnaround with the team by winning the Most Improved Player honors.

Caperal claimed the award on Sunday, January 17, after edging out Phoenix center Justin Chua in a close battle between two big men who showed vast improvements in their games.

“I remember I was at a low point of my career before Ginebra got me. The rest is history,” Caperal told Rappler in Filipino.

“I won championships and then I was awarded as Most Improved.”

Drafted in the second round in 2014, the 6-foot-7 Caperal bounced around the league, playing for GlobalPort, Phoenix, and Mahindra/Kia.

Caperal remembered being relegated to the reserved list and enduring conferences at the bottom of the standings during his time with Mahindra/Kia.

But Caperal finally struck gold in the PBA after being traded to Ginebra, which he has now helped win 3 championships.

Their recent Philippine Cup title run saw Caperal take a bigger role for the team as his playing time increased due to the hiatus of Greg Slaughter.

After norming just 1.2 points and 1.5 rebounds last season, Caperal averaged 7.8 points and 3.9 rebounds. He also shot 42% from three-point range.

“I’m happy that I played well. I would say that I played well because I helped the team. My hard work in the offseason paid off,” Caperal said.

“I’m thankful for the trust of boss Al [Chua] and coach Tim [Cone] because they got me from my former team. I repaid their trust by really working hard.” – Rappler.com