After eight long years, Diamon Simpson has made his way back to the PBA.
Simpson was called up by the Aces over a week ago, following the sudden departure of Antonio Campbell. The 21-year-old had to fly back to the US as he got included in the Orlando Magic’s NBA Summer League team.
Simpson arrived in the country last Friday. He made his debut a week later as the Aces took on the Phoenix Fuel Masters, and the 30-year-old vetersn journeyman played as if he wasn’t gone for so long.
The lanky 6-foot-7 forward pumped 18 points, 19 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks to help the Milkmen trample the Fuel Masters, 114-91, to clinch a twice-to-beat advantage for the 2018 Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals.
“It’s good to be back,” beamed Simpson moments after the match at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City. “The PBA is one of my favorite places especially with the Aces — it’s like a family organization so I’m glad to be back.”
In the amount of time he has spent so far with the Aces, Simpson is already pleased with what he has been seeing with his new teammates, that the team has more talent than the unit he had that won the 2010 Fiesta Conference crown.
“This team is really talented. I would say that our team is better than when we won it a few years ago. Talent wise, there’s a lot of players like tonight I didn’t have to work as hard because a lot of players are good so that’s a plus,” he shared.
The last time Simpson was with the Aces resulted to a championship. Asked if that’s his focus in his return, Simpson said that he and Alaska should have their sights more on playing the best they could, especially in the playoffs.
“If we win that’s a plus but I think we should focus on playing hard, playing as hard as we can,” he said. “There’s some pretty good teams here and we are in second place, which is easier that when I was here the last time so we’ll see.”
