TIM Cone clinching his 1,000 PBA career wins is a testament to his staying power and success as the most accomplished coach in PBA history.
The 64-year-old coach achieved the milestone in Barangay Ginebra’s 98-84 rout of Blackwater on Friday night in the Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, becoming the first coach to reach the milestone.
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“It’s really an honor to say that I did that. But it just goes to show how old I’m getting,” he said when asked about the historic feat.
Turning serious though, Cone said he’s been in the league for a long time now that the possibility of realizing such record has always been there.
Next to Meralco’s Norman Black, Cone is the second most senior among current coaches in the league in terms of years as coach.
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“I’ve been around for a long time. You have to be around a long time to get that kind of record,” said the Barangay Ginebra coach.
“It’s a longevity record really,” he added. “If you don’t win a few championships along the way, you probably don’t get a chance to last that long.”
Cone owns the most number of championships by a coach in the league with 24 in stops at Alaska, the Purefoods franchise, and now with Barangay Ginebra.
He began his career with Alaska in 1989 where he bagged a total of 13 titles, including a grand slam back in 1996.
Cone eventually became the first coach in history to own two grand slam titles after winning another one with San Mig Coffee in 2014.
He has won five each with Purefoods and Barangay Ginebra since transferring to the San Miguel Corp. (SMC) organization in 2012.
With the record number safely tucked under his belt, Cone said a new countdown begins
“It’s a great honor,” he said. “We’ll enjoy this for a few moments and then we’ll move on.”
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