Matthew Wright’s six-year run in the Philippine Basketball Association came to a momentary close on Saturday evening.
He looks to leave for the States later in the evening, as he and fiance Gabriela Rose make the final preparations for their wedding on the 24th.
By the time he is wed, Phoenix will have learned its fate in the Philippine Cup. If they don’t make the playoffs, then the waiting game begins on whether Wright will return to the Fuel Masters for the Commissioner’s Cup.
Wright, whom Phoenix drafted during the 2016 PBA Gilas draft, will see his contract with the Fuel Masters expire on August 31.
If he does not renew, the 31-year-old Filipino-Canadian sniper will become a restricted free agent in the PBA, with Phoenix still holding his rights. But in the international field, it will be fair game.
Wright, though, said that he is not closing his doors on possibly renewing with Phoenix. But he also disclosed that he also has interest from B.League teams.
(C) PBA Images
“I don’t want to say ‘final.’ It’s such a final word and I don’t want to close the door on anything,” he told reporters after Phoenix’s 89-66 win over Converge as recorded by Delfin Dioquino of Rappler Sports.
“Could it be? Maybe. Do I have other options? I do. Am I entertaining them? Yes I am.”
But if this was his last game in the country’s top-tier basketball league, Wright shared that he had the time of his life.
His first three seasons in the league saw him and the Fuel Masters only make the semis once.
Then in 2020, Wright showed that he can lead a team.
During the bubble conference in Pampanga, Wright, along with the likes of Calvin Abueva and Justin Chua, came close to reaching the finals.
In the deciding Game Five of the semis against TNT, the Fuel Masters collapsed late, bowing 81-91 in the biggest heartbreak the franchise ever experienced.
What came next for Phoenix was a dizzying array of transactions that saw them lose the likes of Abueva, Chua, Vic Manuel, and Chris Banchero in a span of just a year.
Finding a suitable sidekick for Wright post-Abueva was a struggle for Phoenix, since it found it hard to pick up Ws in the next three conferences.
Still, Wright stressed that he relished every single moment he had in the league as if this was the end.
“But one thing is for sure, I love the PBA man and it’s a great league.
“I have a lot of memories here. It was a really good run. I met a lot of great people, great coaches, media guys, and met a lot of good referees,” he quipped.
“It was a great journey. If this is my last game, this is my last game. But if not, I always want to come back here. At the end of the day, I do look at the mirror and I do see a Filipino. The national team and all those things are a huge part of me. It’s very hard for me to say that I’m leaving. It’s very difficult for me to think about that,” he closed.
Wright is being represented by Octagon Sports & Entertainment Network, the same agency that represents the likes of Kiefer and Thirdy Ravena, Bobby Ray Parks Jr., and Dwight Ramos.
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The second game of each PBA gameday is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
