It was clearly a disappointment that Magnolia lost to Blackwater on Wednesday, the night of Marc Pingris’s 38th birthday.
Despite the tough loss, though — which marked the Hotshots’ second straight defeat — Pingris was still happy to reunite with someone he calls his brother: Elite import Marqus Blakely.
Blakely and Pingris have a special bond since they have enjoyed championships together, including the 2014 Governors’ Cup title that gave San Mig Coffee a rare Grand Slam feat.
“Alam mo naman si Marqus, family ‘yan,” said 15-year league veteran Pingris.
“This is my brother, you know.”
“That’s my guy. It’s beyond basketball with Ping,” said Blakely, who started his PBA career with Purefoods.
And the highlight of their reunion was their jersey exchange post-game, which they did on the court of the Ynares Center.
“Yeah. For remembrance. Ipapa-frame,” Pingris quipped
“I’m gonna put it in my movie room.”
For Blakely, the jersey exchange was odd as they’ve known each other for a while. Still, it was special for him as since happened on the special day of the 6-foot-4 forward.
“It’s his birthday so it’s something that, I think, means a lot to me and to him,” said Blakely. “That’s my guy from day one.
“Sucks that we’re put in certain situations that we got to play against each other. But that just makes our competitive spirit come out.”
