ANGELES CITY - Mark Caguioa made history in his first game in the PBA bubble.
The former league MVP is now officially in his 18th season with the Barangay Ginebra franchise, making him the player with the longesf tenure in a single team.
By playing for 6 minutes and 35 seconds in Ginebra's game against Meralco, Caguioa broke the previous record of 17 seasons spent with the same team jointly held by Alvin Patrimonio (Purefoods) and Harvey Carey (TnT).
"He's such a joy to be around," said coach Tim Cone, paying tribute to his most veteran player.
"His teammates love him. He doesn't demand anything. With his past history and who he is, he could really demand. But he doesnt," added the Ginebra coach. "He's such a really good guy. So it's great to see him. It's great to have him on the team. He has a real strong leadership presence on our team."
Cone said he wasn't aware of the feat achieved by Ginebra's third overall pick in the 2001 rookie draft until after the Kings' 105-91 victory over theBolts Sunday night for a share of the Philippine Cup lead.
Caguioa entered the game midway through the final quarter and finished with two points and two rebounds.
In his 18 seasons in the league, the 40-year-old Caguioa amassed a total of 10,073 points, No. 15 in the league's all-time scoring list.
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