YES, Chris McCullough was supposed to play again for San Miguel Beer.
Not in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, but in the East Asia Super League (EASL) Champions Week.
Unfortunately, the 27-year-old former NBA player is not yet healthy enough to suit up for the Beermen in the March 1-5 tournament in Japan.
READ: McCullough rues being left out as Gilas option
Team manager Gee Abanilla reached out to McCullough and his representative in an effort to tap him as one of two imports the Beermen will be bringing with them to the five-day regional meet.
But the McCullough camp admitted the import is not yet 100 percent ready to play as he recovers from an ACL injury.
“Hindi niya pa kaya sa March 1-5 for the EASL,” said Abanilla. “He’s still unsure if he will be healthy by then coming from an ACL injury.”
McCullough went down with the knee injury while playing for the New Taipei Kings in the P. League+ in Taipei.
The import is best remembered for steering San Miguel to the 2019 Commissioner’s Cup championship, beating fellow NBA player Terrence Jones and the TNT Tropang Giga in six games of the finals.
McCullough was a late replacement for former Best Import Charles Rhodes.
So impressive was McCullough in his SMB stint that the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) considered him as a possible naturalized player for Gilas Pilipinas.