RANIDEL de Ocampo was already leaning towards retirement when his contract with Meralco expired last season.
So firm was that decision that he even notified Bolts officials of his impending retirement, only wishing that he'd be the one to announce it on his own terms.
However, the itch to play, like any other player in the twilight of their careers, never left him that the 38-year-old could have easily signed with another team, at least for this conference.
The consummate professional that De Ocampo is, though, he first wanted to see if his body would allow him to be a contributor and not just another guy waiting for that next paycheck.
"Gusto ko munang malaman kung kaya pa ng katawan ko. Syempre ayoko naman na pipirma ako sa isang team tapos hindi nila ako mapapakinabangan," he said in a short chat last month.
De Ocampo only played 19 games for the Bolts in another injury-plagued season for him last year.
Sources confirmed that at least two teams inquired about the possibility of securing the services of De Ocampo, a one-time Best Player of the Conference awardee and a three-time Mythical First Team member.
TNT was one of those teams.
Had it pushed through, De Ocampo would have been reunited with the franchise where he spent nine years of his career from 2008 to 2017 and won six championships and two Finals MVP awards.
The role would have been very different from the job he had three years back as he'll now be looked at as a sage, playing behind starter Troy Rosario and fellow veteran Kelly Williams.
The other team? Believe it or not, it's San Miguel.
Reeling from the season-ending injury of June Mar Fajardo, the Beermen were in dire need of help upfront.
Had those talks prospered, De Ocampo would have taken the place of recently retired older brother Yancy in the SMB lineup and reunited with Arwind Santos, his old running partner during their Air21 days.
Those plans never really got off the ground.
Guess we'll never know how RdO would have fared with these two teams after he hung up his sneakers for good on Monday, ending a decorated 15-year career which saw him cement his stake as one of the best stretch-fours the country has ever seen.
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