Filipino fight icon Manny Pacquiao is raring to take on a new challenge in the sporting world, eyeing a stint with expansion team Kia in the PBA.
The WBO world welterweight champion has declared that he will be playing coach for the incoming PBA club, and he’s looking forward to proving his worth.
“Siguro nabigyan ng break at naipakita ang talent natin sa pag-ba-basketball at pag-ko-coach,” said Pacquiao.
While he has not had any high-level experience in playing and coaching basketball, Pacquiao pointed to his stint in owning and playing for his semi-pro team — the MP GenSan Warriors — as qualification for joining the PBA.
“Sanay naman kasi matagal naman akong naghawak ng team,” said Pacquiao, who also serves as representative of Sarangani province.
The Warriors saw action in the defunct Liga Pilipinas and has been making the rounds playing in various invitational and commercial tournaments around the country.
Kia management did not confirm plans to include Pacquiao as part of the new team’s coaching staff, but admitted they were talking to the fighter about a deal.
“We are both elated and excited at the possibility of our nation’s most popular and revered sports icon, Cong. Manny Pacquiao, becoming a part of Team Kia,” said Ginia Domingo, president and chief executive officer of Columbian Autocar Corporation, the Korean car maker’s exclusive distributor in the Philippines.
“We will continue our discussions in the next few weeks and will announce our plans as soon as they are firmed up.”
But the PBA reiterated that Pacquiao, like any other player, would still need to join the league’s rookie draft to be included in a team’s lineup.
If Kia wants to tap Pacquiao as a player, the team would need to use one of its draft picks on him. Kia, along with fellow expansion teams NLEX and Blackwater, have been granted the 11th to 16th picks in the upcoming draft, with the other to be determined by lottery.
source
The WBO world welterweight champion has declared that he will be playing coach for the incoming PBA club, and he’s looking forward to proving his worth.
“Siguro nabigyan ng break at naipakita ang talent natin sa pag-ba-basketball at pag-ko-coach,” said Pacquiao.
While he has not had any high-level experience in playing and coaching basketball, Pacquiao pointed to his stint in owning and playing for his semi-pro team — the MP GenSan Warriors — as qualification for joining the PBA.
“Sanay naman kasi matagal naman akong naghawak ng team,” said Pacquiao, who also serves as representative of Sarangani province.
The Warriors saw action in the defunct Liga Pilipinas and has been making the rounds playing in various invitational and commercial tournaments around the country.
Kia management did not confirm plans to include Pacquiao as part of the new team’s coaching staff, but admitted they were talking to the fighter about a deal.
“We are both elated and excited at the possibility of our nation’s most popular and revered sports icon, Cong. Manny Pacquiao, becoming a part of Team Kia,” said Ginia Domingo, president and chief executive officer of Columbian Autocar Corporation, the Korean car maker’s exclusive distributor in the Philippines.
“We will continue our discussions in the next few weeks and will announce our plans as soon as they are firmed up.”
But the PBA reiterated that Pacquiao, like any other player, would still need to join the league’s rookie draft to be included in a team’s lineup.
If Kia wants to tap Pacquiao as a player, the team would need to use one of its draft picks on him. Kia, along with fellow expansion teams NLEX and Blackwater, have been granted the 11th to 16th picks in the upcoming draft, with the other to be determined by lottery.
source
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