BARANGAY Ginebra coach Tim Cone said Mark Caguioa has retired from the PBA after 21 years in the league.
Cone said Caguioa wanted to retire quietly without any fanfare which is why the former PBA MVP has not announced anything about his future.
“Mark has quietly, from what I understand, decided to retire,” said Cone during the PBA Media Day on Thursday at the Novotel.
“He didn’t want any fanfare. He didn’t want any retirement ceremony. We asked him,” Cone said.
Cone said that Caguioa is no longer attending the team’s practices in the build-up for the PBA Season 47 Philippine Cup.
“To be sure, you need to talk to management, Alfrancis Chua or Reyboy Rodriguez to get the real story on Mark,” said Cone.
Drafted third overall in the 2001 draft, Caguioa had a storied career where he won nine championships with Barangay Ginebra, the only team he played for in the PBA. He also won the MVP in 2012.
Caguioa became the face of Barangay Ginebra with his superb play that enabled him to win the Rookie of the Year in 2001 and be called as ‘The Spark’ in the PBA circles.
Along with Jayjay Helterbrand, Caguioa led Ginebra to the 2004 Fiesta Conference, the franchise’s first since 1997 when Gordon’s Gin won the Commissioner’s Cup crown.
The height of his career came in 2012 when he captured the MVP after suffering from injuries prior to that season.
At the twilight of his career, Caguioa played limited minutes for Ginebra and became one of the team’s leaders. He eventually reached the 10,000-point mark in 2018, becoming the 16th player in history to reach the milestone.
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