SCOTTIE Thompson is humbled to be part of the PBA 50 Greatest Players selection for its coming 50th anniversary.
Along with San Miguel big man June Mar Fajardo, Thompson is one of only two active players to be included in the list and the youngest out of the 10 new additions selected by a 10-man panel.
The season MVP award he won in 2021 made the Barangay Ginebra guard an automatic selection, but Thompson was the first to admit that there are a number of players who played before him that deserved the award.
INSIDE STORY: How the PBA's 10 new Greatest Players were chosen
“I think sobrang daming deserving at sobrang blessed na napasama ako doon sa spot na yun. We all know not everyone ay nabibigyan ng chance na ganoon,” said Thompson on Thursday when he signed a renewal of his contract as ArenaPlus endorser and the addition of Justin Brownlee and RJ Abarrientos as brand ambassadors.
The selection panel agreed during the first of its series of meetings to adopt the same criteria made by the previous committees, which was to seed MVP winners to the Greatest Players’ list.
It’s exactly the standard by which Fajardo – the record holder for the most number of MVPs won with eight - and Thompson were automatically included in the latest batch of players given the honor,
Never mind that there are several netizens questioning the inclusion of the still active 31-year-old Thompson.
'Totally shocked'
“Totally shocked,” said the former NCAA MVP out of University of Perpetual Help. “Truly blessed lang na mabigyan ng ganoong opportunity sa buhay.
“I’m still young sa career ko. I have to keep working hard pa. Alam ko marami pang darating na opportunity sa buhay ko, not just sa basketball, but in life.”
With Fajardo and Thompson in the 10 new inductees are Bong Hawkins, Jeffrey Cariaso, Danny Seigle, Nelson Asaytono, and 70s and 80s batch Abe King, Yoyoy Villamin, Manny Victorino, and the late Arnie Tuadles.
Thompson said it’s an honor to be mentioned in the same breath as these great players, which he believes, is also the result of his hard work and determination to become worthy of them.
“For me, it’s a testament of my hard work. Kahit papaano, alam ko naman kung gaano ko pinaghirapan yung ginagawa ko sa buhay, sa court, off the court,” he said.
“Maraming deserving, pero yun, truly blessed na nakasama doon. It’s all kay God na nangyari to.”
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