THEY were batchmates, teammates, brothers, and more importantly, friends.
Two-time MVP James Yap paid tribute to Marc Pingris a day after the veteran forward officially retired from the PBA, an announcement ‘Big Game James’ admitted took him by surprise.
“Sabay tayo nagsimula in 2004 kaya nagulat ako na mag-retire ka na,” said the Rain or Shine gunner in a post on his Instagram account showing a photo of him and Pingris during their stay together with the Purefoods franchise.
“Madami-dami din tayong pinagdaanan na gyera sa loob ng court, magkasama tayo sa hirap at saya.”
After playing together at Welcoat in the defunct Philippine Basketball League (PBL), Yap and Pingris entered the pro league as part of the 2004 Rookie Class, and ended up being picked at Nos. 2 and 3 respectively, by Purefoods and FedEx.
But it wasn’t until a year later when they were reunited after the Hotdogs acquired Pingris in a trade and began a partnership that delivered multiple championships to the franchise, including a grand slam in 2014.
They won their first ever PBA championship during the 2006 Philippine Cup where Pingris was adjudged Finals MVP. By the end of the season, Yap ran away with the season MVP award.
Eventually, the two parted ways when Purefoods dealt Yap to Rain or Shine for Paul Lee prior to the 2016-17 season, but not after winning six more titles together.
“Gusto ko na take tong opportunity na to na pasalamatan ka @jeanmarc15 sa lahat ng ginawa mo para sa akin. You were one of the best teammates I’ve ever had,” said Yap, 39.
“Our brotherhood and friendship started with basketball, pero alam ko that we go beyond that, na kahit di na tayo pareho naglalaro, di magbabago ang samahan natin.”
“Congrats sa retirement tol. See you around.”
Incidentally, Yap is the only remaining active player from the 2004 rookie batch following the retirement of Pingris.
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