Larry Fonacier was among the many PBA players who paid tribute to Ranidel De Ocampo following the decorated forward’s announcement of his retirement on Monday evening.
Fonacier did it via Instagram, and he accompanied his message with a video of a 2017 commercial that became one of the most memorable ads involving PBA cagers.
It was a TVC for Talk N Text where De Ocampo was asking teammates Fonacier, Jayson Castro, and even Talk N Text owner Manny V. Pangilinan for a nickname.
And thus, catchy nicknames such as “Ranidelightful” and “Hodor” became associated with him since.
Fonacier and De Ocampo have a special bond between them, having won five championships together with Talk N Text highlighted by three consecutive Philippine Cup titles from 2011-13.
They were also part of the Gilas Pilipinas team that finished with a silver medal in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship, which enabled the Philippines to return to the FIBA World Cup after 40 long years.
“Thank you R.D.O. Hands down the best stretch four I’ve ever played with.
“What a privilege it was to learn from you everyday, and to see you win the greatest games for our team. Most of the time without even showing any emotion,” the 37-year-old sniper’s post read.
De Ocampo has decided to call it quits after 15 seasons. He has six titles, two Finals Most Valuable Player awards, a Best Player of the Conference plum, and three Mythical First Team citations.
