Greg Slaughter is just finishing some of his and his family’s paperwork before flying out to Fukuoka and joining the Rizing Zephyr for the upcoming 2022-23 B.League Season.
But before the 34-year-old big man leaves the country, Slaughter shared that he did not want to leave the country or the Philippine Basketball Association. However, circumstances led him to go to a foreign land.
“Honestly speaking, it really felt like they closed the door on me,” Slaughter said on Radyo5’s Power & Play with PSC Commissioner Noli Eala. “It wasn’t something that I was really trying to leave my home – the Philippines.
“At the time, I was just expecting my first baby to be coming, she was born on February 2, and my contract expired at the end of January. So, honestly, at that time I was kinda looking for stability, but I was trying to be very open and communicative with them. But I was kinda only met with silence,” he continued.
“And, honestly, I wasn’t really sure who was calling the shots for Northport.”
Back in February of 2021, Slaughter returned from a sabbatical, signing a one-year deal with Ginebra.
Just a few weeks after re-upping with Ginebra, he was shipped to Northport in exchange for Christian Standhardinger.
Though he said that he did not expect to get traded, the 7-foot big man said that he played his heart out for the Batang Pier.
Photo by PBA Images
“When I came to Northport, I was professional about it, I wanted to bring my best and I think I showed that in the bubble. I really wanted to bring this team over the hump. They have a reputation of not being a winner but I wanted to change that,” continued Slaughter, who averaged 17.62 points, 10.75 rebounds, and 2.25 blocks per game during the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup.
“But during my time there, I kinda discovered some things… That winning might not have been the priority of the team.”
Despite being out of the league for the past eight months, Slaughter shared that his love for the game never wavered.
He has religiously worked out with famed trainer Gary Boyson, developing new skill sets that he will showcase in Fukuoka.
“I feel really young ‘cause I’m still developing things, my game’s elevating, really new aspects in my game, and it’s just really fun. And, on top of that, I welcomed my little baby daughter in, and I wanna still keep continue playing, and show her what her daddy does,” gushed Slaughter, who signed a two-year deal with Fukuoka.
“I think you’ll definitely be seeing a lot of things you haven’t seen from me in the PBA in the B. League.”
Despite the experience he had in the PBA, Slaughter, a former Best Player of the Conference, is not holding any grudges against anyone in the league, only looking at the good times he had.
Moreover, his desire to play for Gilas remains burning.
“I was here in the Philippines before basketball, so I’ll still be here after basketball. If I ended my career here in the Philippines, I would be happy with that because this is my home, this is where my daughter was born, and this is where I met my wife. I’ll always be here. I’ve been in Cebu long before I even realized that basketball would be an opportunity here in the Philippines. And even after I’m done playing, I’ll still be here in the Philippines,” he professed.
“So, hopefully, I would love to still continue with the national team. I’d just love to give back to Philippine basketball ‘cause it’s been so good to me.”
