REY Nambatac is going to call Aaron Black and check on the condition of the Meralco guard who was hospitalized following a collision with his Rain or Shine counterpart in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup game on Saturday.
“Tatawagan ko siya later and kakamustahin,” said Nambatac following the game at the Philsports Arena which the Elasto Painters won, 113-96.
See: Aaron Black rushed to hospital after accidental Nambatac elbow
The two collided in the third quarter when Black was hit on the face by Nambatac’s elbow as he tried to pursue the driving Rain or Shine guard.
Black went down following the hit as Nambatac drove and dished off to import Steve Taylor Jr. who converted the basket while getting fouled by Raymond Almazan.
Play was momentarily stopped as Black laid on the floor for a few minutes.
He was later carried by teammate Bong Quinto to the Meralco bench as Black was obviously shook by the incident.
Nambatac said it wasn’t intentional on his part.
“Parang pag swing ko kasi sakto namang nasabay yung momentum niya kaya tinamaan ko siya sa mukha. Pero hindi ko naman sadya yun,” said the 28-year-old product of Letran.
Meralco sued for timeout, and when play resumed Nambatac looked for Black at the Bolts bench.
By that time, medical staff was already tending to Black at the sidelines of the arena.
The young Meralco guard was later brought to the nearby Cardinal Santos hospital.
Taylor went on and converted the bonus free throw as Rain or Shine stretched their lead to 73-63 at the 7:23 mark of the third period.
Nambatac finished with 10 points, six rebounds, and nine assists in helping the Elasto Painters improve to the .500 mark with their 3-3 record.