“PINOY Sakuragi 15, signing off.”
And with that hashtag, Marc Pingris finally put a capstone on his long-running PBA career. He announced his retirement with a video and a lengthy statement on Instagram.
On his IG account, fellow PBA players wished him the best of luck, with many calling him the 16-year veteran "Kuya Ping" as they left comments on his emotional thread.
San Miguel's Terrence Romeo wrote, “Maraming salamat kuya Marc sa lahat ng nagawa mo sa basketball. Isa ka sa mga iniidolo ko on and off the court napaka humble at napakabait mo at laging nandyan yung puso sa game!salamat sa mga payo mo sakin kuya Goodluck sa next chapter ng life mo. God bless you and your family always!!”
NorthPort’s Babes Bolick chimed in, saying, “Thank you kuya ping!!!! Goodluck sa retirement,” and added a heart emoji.
Doug Kramer, long retired from the PBA, said, “Congrats ping! Awesome career! Ph legend status. God bless you bro!”
Writing from the Elastopainters practice bubble in Batangas, Gabe Norwood said, “Thank you for everything you’ve done, Ping! Gave 100% every time you stepped out on the court. Truly inspiring getting to know you and your journey to the PBA. More blessings to you, roommate!”
Norwood also posted this on his IG Stories.
Tropang Giga's Troy Rosario posted this, calling Pingris "Lakay."
Spin.ph's Facebook fans also wished him the best of luck, and reminisced about the great moments in Pingris' career. Here's a screencap of the comments:
Check out these other reactions on Twitter.
Fans express their thanks
Former Kume speaks
The Pinoy Sakuragi’s dedicated fans are heartbroken
Wag ganyan
The memories flood in
Sino’ng sunod?
What could have been
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