CHICAGO - The sight of a beaming Greg Slaughter alongside a similarly elated Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone at the SMC complex on Tuesday morning tickled the imagination.
Through an Instagram post last February 9, 2020, Slaughter bid Ginebra goodbye as he embarked on a journey of self-discovery, a basketball detour that made stops in the US, the Japan B.League and the MPBL.
READ Anything in the works over Greg Slaughter visit? Cone responds
It's been a long time, 2,025 days to be exact, but reunions, those wonderful moments where joyful memories are resurrected, never get old.
But for any PBA team, acquiring a decorated 7-foot, 258-pound center never goes out of style.
Despite the positive vibes, a return to the field is not imminent as Cone clarified that "nothing is in the works."
For Greg, however, a return to the PBA is something he welcomes.
TOGETHER AGAIN?
"Of course, when I was younger the most common question I'd be asked was, 'how tall are you?'. These days it's "will you come back to Ginebra? Any basketball-loving Filipino would love to play in the PBA," he told me via text message.
The Batang Pier, who acquired Slaughter for Christian Standhardinger in a March 2021 trade, owns Greg's PBA rights which means a return to Ginebra wil have NorthPort as the shipping point.
Still, Greg wouldn't assume that his desire to return to the PBA has the mutual interest of the league.
"That I cannot say but as we all know, it's the teams who make the offers. Whether or not I return to the PBA, nothing will change the happy moments we were able to create and accomplish together.
"I will always appreciate the opportunities San Miguel has given me, boss RSA and coach Alfranchis Chua. Most especially I will always cherish the memories and time spent in the PBA, even the haters!"
While clarifying that he is "currently not practicing or playing with any basketball team," Greg told me that he's been "working out and staying ready."
STILL DOMINANT.
He's 37 years old now and based on his most recent exploits in the MPBL, there is nothing to suggest that his game has tapered off from the once-dominant figure that made him the No. 1 overall pick of the 2013 Rookie Draft.
Slaughter won four championships at Ginebra, a thrill ride the Never Say Die tribe would love to recreate.
Five years is a long time but Greg knows coach Cone's system and his potential return will have the feel and comfort of well-worn shoes.
A sucker for reunions and happy endings, here's hoping Greg returns to Ginebra.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
