Ginebra is praying that Jeremiah Gray did not suffer anything too serious after he went down with a scary injury during their final PBA On Tour game on Sunday night.
The young winger had to be stretchered out of the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig as his right knee gave up while he tried to finish the break with 22.5 seconds left in the third canto, leaving the entire venue in shock as he anguished in pain.
His team still managed to get the job done by beating NLEX, but the incident cast a dark cloud on the victory and raised concerns about his status moving forward.
“We’re really praying that it’s not that serious, that he can recover soon,” said lead deputy Richard Del Rosario shortly after the 91-85 win.
“He has a bright career ahead of him. We’re all pulling and praying for Miah.”
Del Rosario could only empathize with Gray as the latest setback came at a time when the 26-year-old was getting closer to fully recovering from the left ACL injury he suffered back in November 2021 when he was still with TNT in the PBA 3×3.
He got hurt in the same place where he tore his ACL.
“Yun na nga e. Kasi he’s been strengthening his knee, he’s been working hard to get back and… wala e,” said Del Rosario. “Talagang it was a freak accident.”
Gray was actually playing well against the Road Warriors. He already had a full stat line of eight points, seven rebounds, five assists, a steal, and two blocks in 32 minutes as a starter until disaster struck.
“He was playing well. He got that steal, breakaway layup, and all of a sudden ganun,” lamented Del Rosario. “The anguish was not just because of the pain; it was really just the frustration over what happened to him. We were all affected.”
Now, the rest of the Kings, said the veteran mentor, are set to visit Gray in The Medical City, all of them hoping for some good news.
“We just hope for the best,” said Del Rosario. “With all the medical technology, hopefully, we can have him back on the court soon enough. Importante lang he gets better, he gets well, he gets his knee checked.”