CHICAGO - Troy Rike loved being a professional basketball player, more so that he was doing it in the Philippines where his mother, a scion of the Versoza clan of Quezon City, hails from.
But the 6-foot-7, 225-lb center-forward also understood that an athlete's shelf life is so short, often cresting at age 37, assuming he avoids injuries and damaging effects of wear and tear.
READ Rike was in the middle of fracas all right, but as peacemaker
There are other post-hoops goals to be achieved, including buying a house, raising a family and building a nest egg for the golden years. Money was required for all of that.
Unfortunately, Troy wasn't getting paid enough to stick around, which is why, I imagine, despite still having six months left on his two-year deal with NorthPort, the 11th overall pick of the 2020 Rookie Draft left the PBA in 2022.
In a telephone interview, he politely declined to cite specific figures, but multiple sources told me that his deal with the Batang Pier was for a measly P125,000 a month after taxes.
The incredibly low salary somewhat provides an inkling as to why Dave Ildefonso was unable to strike a deal with the same NorthPort team that picked him fifth overall in last September's draft.
BUT THAT'S A STORY FOR ANOTHER DAY.
These days, as he navigates his life's journey in San Francisco, Troy owns his own content creation business, a lucrative field that rakes in thousands of dollars a month right out there at the doorstep of Silicon Valley.
Clearly, Rike has put his business degree at prestigious Wake Forest to good use.
Now 29, he looks back at his abbreviated PBA career with gratitude for the opportunity and happiness for the experience.
"It was fun while it lasted, filled with so many good memories," he told me, adding that he has many friends in the league such as Barangay Ginebra forward Jamie Malonzo who he talks to regularly.
Troy departed the PBA but not basketball altogether.
"I still play every day, at pick-up games or in rec leagues," he revealed. And pretty soon he's going to be helping out at practice with the New York Liberty and the Golden State Valkyries of the WNBA.
LOVE AND BASKETBALL.
Still single, Troy isn't exactly eager to mingle. The towering Fil-Am who had offers to be an actor and model while in the Philippines has been dating Lily Hurtubise for the last three years.
A drop-dead gorgeous blonde, Lily isn't just a looker. She happens to be a Golden State Warriors cheerleader with the brains to complement the beauty, thanks to a degree in communications at UC Santa Barbara.
In his second game in the PBA, Troy sizzled with 20 points and eight rebounds while ripping the nets with six made threes.
Who knows, he could have been a star had he stayed, and perhaps, getting traded to the rich teams where he can chase that pot of gold.
But Troy Rike has no regrets.
He is a successful entrepreneur now, raking in the kind of money that allows an existence that is unburdened by financial worry.
Most importantly, he's found love, joy and satisfaction.
Life is beautiful.
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