HERE are the top sports stories from Thursday.
Sports news January 5
Myles Powell, Hayden Blankley slapped fines
The PBA punished Bay Area stars Myles Powell and Hayden Blankley for their social media comments on officiating in Game Three of the Commissioner’s Cup Finals against Barangay Ginera.
Powell, was slapped a P100,000 fine, while Blankley will have to pay P75,000 after getting summoned to the Commissioner’s office in Libis, Quezon City on Thursday.
Powell, inactive due to an injury, took to Twitter to write the referees are “making a difference” in the finals as the prolific scorer noted the free-throw disparity in Ginebra’s 89-82 win in Game Three.
Blankley had urged for fairness after describing the game as “cooked.”
Both players have since apologized for their words.
Where to, Paul Zamar?
Looks like Paul Zamar’s return to Blackwater is not yet cast in stone.
After all, San Miguel traded his rights and the team’s 2025 second-round pick to NorthPort for Allyn Bulanadi, who came aboard just a day after getting traded from Converge for Jerrick Balanza.
Zamar had started practicing with former team Blackwater after his SMB contract expired at the end of 2022, but he is still under a 30-day grace period where his current club in the Batang Pier can still make an offer to retain his services.
How much do Gilas Pilipinas tickets cost?
Gilas Pilipinas is making its return to the Philippine Arena in February for the first time since the infamous Philippines-Australia brawl in July 2018.
Tickets for the sixth and final window of the 2023 Fiba World Cup Asian qualifiers will go on sale on Sunday, January 8, for the games Gilas will host against Lebanon on Feb. 24 and against Jordan on Feb. 27.
The most expensive seat costs P16,300 (VVIP), while VIP is at P9,800.
From there, prices drop significantly as patron gold is at P2,500, patron silver at P1,700, and patron bronze at P1,100. The free-seating sections cost P300 (lower box) and P100 (general admission).
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