HE'S a cant-miss sight in TNT practice, towering over the other players including import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson with his 6-foot-8 game, that sooner or later fans were bound to ask that question.
What's Ken Holmqvist doing in TNT practice?
Holmqvist, of course, has a curious history in Philippine basketball from the time he came in from Norway to play for Far Eastern University in the UAAP to his emergence as Barangay Ginebra's surprise first-round pick in 2021.
READ Ginebra draft pick Ken Holmqvist re-emerges at Blackwater as practice player
The closest the 12th pick overall of the 2021 PBA draft got to playing for Ginebra was in the defunct PBA 3x3 league. He failed to stick at Ginebra but pursued the three-a-side path by playing for Manila Chooks in the Fiba 3x3 Manila Masters.
Holmqvist re-emerged a year later at Blackwater where he briefly became a practice player and tried out for a spot under former coach Ariel Vanguardia in 2023.
Nothing was heard from him again until word came around of sightings of the gentle giant since late last year in TNT practices, where he joined, among others, former FEU Tamaraws teammate RR Pogoy.
So how did he get there?
Curious, we asked for a lowdown from TNT coach Chot Reyes, who bared that Holmqvist asked Reyes' son and deputy, Josh, if he can work out with the Tropang Giga. The two, Chot added, agreed on a tryout, no-commitment set-up.
"He is a practice player now," Chot added.
Reyes won't hazard a guess when asked what the future holds for Holmqvist at TNT, but Tropang Giga team manager Jojo Lastimosa said they're still in the process of working the big man back into shape.
"We are trying to get him in good shape; a lot of strengthening and cardio work," said the former Purefoods and Alaska star. "If he gets into shape, then we will decide if we can give him a contract."
So there.
Will the enigmatic 29-year old big man once described by Ginebra coach as 'a little Jokic' and a 'quintessential European big man' finally get his big break in the PBA?
Only time can tell.
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