In a rare sight, Arwind Santos did not suit up in NorthPort’s PBA Commissioner’s Cup meeting against the league-leading Magnolia on Sunday night.
The former Most Valuable Player actually arrived at the SMART Araneta Coliseum just moments before tipoff, clad in street clothes. He then joined the Batang Pier on the bench, only to witness his side absorb a 109-91 defeat.
“Pahinga lang,” was the short response of the 40-year-old when asked before entering the court, without elaborating further.
Sought for comment, NorthPort team manager Bonnie Tan said that the star forward had to sit out following a minor procedure on his knee.
“Maintenance lang,” said the amiable executive who is also the head coach of Letran, adding that Santos did not suffer any injury whatsoever and only needed to rest for a few days.
It was just unfortunate that his rest period coincided with their match against the Hotshots, who remained atop the team standings with a clean 5-0 slate.
The 15-year veteran played for 61 straight games until sitting out against Magnolia. He last missed games back in November 2019 when he was suspended by San Miguel for a practice brawl versus Dez Wells.
NorthPort surely could have used the services of the nine-time PBA champion, who was averaging 10.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and a block per outing before missing Sunday’s assignment.
The Batang Pier, who were coming off a come-from-behind win over Blackwater just last Wednesday, dropped to 3-3 following the loss.
