Chris Ross was so crushed upon the passing of his beloved father that he contemplated walking away from the game for good.
The San Miguel star lost his dad late last year, and it took him a while to return to Manila as the thought of hanging up his sneakers — that would put an end to a career others could only dream of — crossed his mind.
“To say the least, it was the hardest time of my life — the absolute hardest time of my life. I thought about it,” said the San Antonio native.
“I really thought about calling Boss Al [Chua] and telling him I don’t have anything left in me.”
But he realized that it was something his father would not want him to do.
“But I know that’s not what my Dad would want.
“My dad has been a fighter, a warrior his whole life. He would want me to come out here and do what I love and make him proud. Once I got the strength to do that, that’s when I came back out here,” he added.
Surely, his decision to come back was all worth it. On Sunday night, Ross won himself another PBA championship after helping the Beermen overthrow TNT from its rule of the Philippine Cup through a 119-97 Game 7 win.
The 37-year-old finished with 12 points, all of which he got from beyond the arc. He made three of his triples during the fourth quarter, where his side erupted for 35 points on the way to reclaiming the Perpetual trophy after three years.
A remnant of the ‘Death Five,’ Ross also collected five rebounds, four assists, a steal, and a block in another solid display of his versatility to bring home his ninth PBA title overall, and sixth Philippine Cup crown.
Ross couldn’t help but turn emotional moments after clinching the gold, and one can’t put him at fault given what he had gotten through.
“My emotions got the best of me after that win because I knew he was on the court with me,” said the decorated playmaker.
“No other way to explain, I knew my Dad was out there with me, and I felt his presence.”
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The second game of each PBA gameday is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
