A TRASH talking incident between Rey Nambatac and Jhonard Clarito led to a technical foul in the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the PBA 49th Season Philippine Cup on Friday night.
Referees spotted Nambatac and Clarito exchanging words with Nambatac on the bench and Clarito on the floor as he gets ready for a Kelly Williams free throw during the 9:30-mark of the fourth quarter.
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The verbal exchange was also in the Visayan dialect.
“Sinigawan niya kasi ako na hindi daw ako mananakit. Siyempre, normal naman sa player na mag-pipisikalan,” said Clarito when SPIN.ph caught up with him to ask about the incident.
“Gumanti ako, sabi ko ‘Hindi na lang mag-basketball kung hindi mag-sasakitan, dapat mag-billiard na lang.’ Tinawagan kami ng technical ng referee. Dalawang beses ata kami nag-sigawan."
Nambatac, the PBA 49th Season Commissioner’s Cup Finals MVP, is already out for the rest of the season after he was not included in the TNT active roster for the Philippine Cup playoffs as he is dealing with a groin injury and hip flexor.
Clarito said the exchange of words was no big deal since exchanges such as between him and Nambatac is part of basketball. He also considers Nambatac as a ‘kuya’ being former teammates with Rain or Shine from 2022 to 2024 before Nambatac was traded to Blackwater.
“Sa akin naman, normal lang ‘yun tsaka siyempre kilala ko naman si Kuya Rey. Bisaya din siya, walang problema sa akin,” said the 29-year-old Clarito, who traces his roots in Davao del Sur, of the 31-year-old Nambatac, from Cagayan De Oro.
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