When he received his professional license from the Games and Amusements Board last Thursday, Kojack Meligrito could not help but cry.
Meligrito had just fulfilled his mom’s dream for him.
“Hindi ko man nakuha dati, ngayon nakuha ko. Naiiyak ako kasi sobrang nakarating na ako dito.”
The 5-foot-8 point guard out of Letran entered the 2010 PBA Draft. But he was not part of the 19 players that were picked.
It was a tough blow for him.
In a story by Rick Olivares of the Business Mirror, Meligrito shared that he could not even watch PBA games for almost six years.
“Pangarap kasi talaga ng mommy ko na mag-pro ako,” he continued.
“Nagpunta siya nang ibang bansa, so kailangan kong i-fulfill yung pangarap ng nanay ko.”
On Sunday – after years of toiling in numerous ‘panalay’ leagues and amateur tournaments – Meligrito finally played his first pro game for the Rizal Xentro Mall.
And it came on his 36th birthday.
“Sabi nga ng mga teammate ko, ‘Kuya, para sa iyo ito kasi birthday mo’.”
Adrian Celeda led the way for the Golden Coolers. Meanwhile, Jordan Rios also provided clutch buckets, lifting their side to a 73-66 win over GenSan.
For his part, Meligrito got two points.
And those two points were the sweetest he ever knocked down – his first-ever points as a pro.
