Renaldo Balkman’s tour in the Philippines has been going so nicely.
After winning a title with San Miguel Alab Pilipinas in the ASEAN Basketball League last May, the Puerto Rican has just earned a shot of bagging a PBA crown with the San Miguel Beermen.
This means a lot for the defending champions, considering what they had went through early in the mid-season conference: they started 0-3 before Balkman and SMB got its’ act together.
“Man, like what I told you when I first started, one game at a time, and now we here. We in the Finals, man. We played great tonight,” beamed Balkman, who had 23 points and 16 rebounds.
“This is what basketball is made of. I came out here with one goal, and it’s to make it. And we made it to the Finals, and now we gotta win it. We here.”
Balkman helping the Beermen reach the Finals is a truly great chapter of his redemption tour from that unforgettable incident he got into five years ago that led to his banishment from the league.
Everybody has moved on from it though, and their focus is set in the present. So for Balkman, he sees this second Finals trip of his in just a span of months as nothing but a huge blessing.
“It’s a blessing for me — I just won one, and to try to come back and win another one right now. That’s my goal, and like I told you all before, I’m doing it for some people back at home,” said the 34-year-old.
“Sitting out for a whole year last year, this has been a great year for me,” the 12-year veteran journeyman added, reflecting.
“I’m glad to be back in the Finals. I’m glad to be here.”
