Marqus Blakely is out here collecting jerseys from his former teammates in the Grand Slam-winning San Mig Coffee.
Exactly a week since picking up the Magnolia Hotshots jersey of Marc Pingris, the veteran PBA reinforcement got another one. This time, it was the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters uniform of two-time league MVP James Yap.
The exchange happened moments after Blackwater’s match with RoS on Wednesday which the Elite lost, 82-99.
“That Grand Slam, we built a lot of chemistry and a lot of camaraderie between both of us. Me and Ping, me and James, we all have different relationships but we’re all brothers when it all comes down [to it],” he said.
“That’s just how we are, whether we’re on different teams or not. It’s still something that we respect.”
For Blakely, he will cherish all the jerseys he’s received in the trades, especially when all is said and done.
“We can’t play this game forever. Having those type of memories, swapping jerseys, things like that. When you do retire knowing what that means to you, I think it’s a huge, huge part of why we do it,” the 31-year-old forward said.
For now, though, he plans to add more to his collection. And next up is the jersey of Joe Devance.
Blakely will soon have a chance to get the jersey of the 6-foot-7 forward, who was also part of that special Mixers squad. On Saturday, Blakely and the Elite will play Devance’s Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
“Probably gonna do it again with Joe,” he said.
“That’s just how we are, whether we’re on different teams or not. It’s still something that we respect.”
