MANAMA, Bahrain – LA Tenorio is now mulling a comeback after Magnolia lost two of its starting guards to injuries in its eventual loss to Rain or Shine on Monday.
The 41-year-old will discuss matters with his staff and the Hotshots’ top brass about their next move as Jerom Lastimosa and Paul Lee are both in sick bay after going down one after the other during the PBA’s first-ever game here.
“We’ll see,” he told Tiebreaker Times at the Hilton Bahrain, the morning after their 101-92 defeat.
“I’m not saying yes, but I’m not saying no also.”
Tenorio was officially listed as the Hotshots’ playing head coach before Season 50, and many have been waiting to see him suit up for the franchise he tormented multiple times in the past, most especially during his time with Ginebra.
In fact, he had considered playing for his new team for the first time here in Bahrain, but ultimately decided not to, as he didn’t want to rush himself.
The last time he played in the PBA was in Game 6 of the Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals against eventual champions San Miguel last July 6.
But the eight-time league champion may have to return sooner, since they’re also bidding for a top-four finish entering the Philippine Cup quarterfinals.
(C) PBA Images
They fell to 6-4 following Monday’s defeat, struggling to keep up, especially in the endgame, largely due to the tandem’s premature exit.
Lastimosa went down at the 5:35 mark of the first quarter due to a sprained left ankle.
Lee, on the other hand, hurt his hamstring just before the second canto ended, leaving Tenorio with a depleted backcourt the rest of the night.
This has also left the brain trust worried, entering their meeting against the TNT Tropang 5G in the final gameday of the eliminations this Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, as it could make or break their top four aspirations.
“‘Yung kay Jerom, I think Grade 2 sprained ankle as per the PT namin … ‘Yung kay Paul naman is a strained hamstring. Hindi ko rin alam kung ano ‘yung magiging sitwasyon for this next game,” Tenorio admitted.
“But the good thing about this is nandito kami, magkakasama kami so mas matututukan ng mga PT and be ready for our next game–actually, we need them to be OK next game. But we can’t force it naman kung hindi kaya.”
The opportunity to play for Magnolia may have just presented itself for Tenorio, given the predicament they’re in, but he remains non-committal — for now.
“Usap-usapan na ‘yun simula pa lang ng conference, but we’ll see,” said the four-time Finals MVP, who’s also the Gilas Youth coach.
“We’ll talk to the coaching staff and the management about what the plan will be for this next game.”
#WATCH: COULD LA BE BACK ON THE COURT? 🏀
Magnolia’s head coach LA Tenorio shares his thoughts amid the Hotshots’ injury woes#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/BB8a1jXQZ8
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times#PBA50 pic.twitter.com/8sDACuoVGQ
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) December 16, 2025
