Greg Slaughter admitted he feels saddened with the fact that his time with Ginebra has ended. Still, the 7-foot slotman said that he will always cherish all the great memories he had with the PBA’s most popular franchise.
On Friday, Ginebra traded the 32-year-old to NorthPort in exchange for counterpart Christian Standhardinger, in a blockbuster one-for-one swap. That marked the end of his six-year stay with the Gin Kings, which was full of success.
“It has been a tremendous six years with Barangay Ginebra,” Slaughter wrote on his Instagram account moments after the league announced the deal.
“Although I am saddened to know that my journey with them has officially come to an end, from the first pick in the draft to all-star and multiple championships, I will always look back fondly at the time I spent there.”
The Cebuano cager was the Barangay’s first overall pick in 2013. He immediately showed that he can be one of its cornerstones when he bagged the coveted Rookie of the Year award at season’s end.
He then cracked the Mythical Second Team just in his rookie year. The next season, he made it to the Mythical First Team together with now-six-time MVP June Mar Fajardo, Paul Lee, Jayson Castro, and Arwind Santos.
Slaughter won a total of four championships with Ginebra, including their conquest of the 2017 Governors’ Cup. That was also his best conference in the pros so far, as he was bestowed with BPC honors.
The former Gilas Pilipinas pioneer also had five All-Star appearances during his time with the franchise. And with all that, Slaughter has nothing but immense gratitude to everyone he had worked with in the Barangay.
“I want to thank boss RSA [Ramon S. Ang], boss Alfrancis [Chua], my teammates, my coaches, and all the fans who have been supporting the team all these years,” the Ateneo de Manila product wrote.
Ginebra head coach Tim Cone, on the other hand, issued a statement earlier and thanked Slaughter for all his contributions.
“I believe Greg will go to Northport and put up much bigger numbers than he had at Ginebra and elevate that team.
“We certainly wish Greg all the best and thank him for the championships he brought to Ginebra,” he said.
Now, Slaughter said that he feels excited to write the new chapter of his career with the Batang Pier. He also assured that he still has much more to offer.
“I am truly excited for this new adventure and for the next chapter in my story to begin,” wrote Slaughter, who skipped the Philippine Cup last season as he took a break from basketball following the expiration of his old contract.
“I still have my best basketball ahead of me. I have so much left to give the game and just as blessed as ever to play the game I love in front of all the fans who have been with me through it all, no matter what jersey I wear.
“Sa lahat ng patuloy at walang sawang sumusoporta sa akin, taos puso akong nagpapasalamat. Pinapangako ko sa inyo na hindi ko kayo bibiguin,” he closed.
