He was listed as the oldest (35) and shortest (5 feet, 6 inches) among entries in the PBA Rookie Draft.
There were earlier fears Manny Pacquiao would altogether skip the official draft proceedings.
Pacquiao was, indeed, a no-show in Sunday’s draft.
But, despite the hassles, there was no doubt the spillover crowd at the Atrium of Robinsons Ermita came hoping to see and adore the Filipino boxing superhero.
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Pacquiao had flown to Macau for the press tour kickoff of his WBO welterweight title defense against American Chris Algieri.
At around the time Pacquiao was heading for Macau, Globalport scored when it picked the Filipino-American Stanley Pringle, virtually unknown hereabouts but is said to have powered the Indonesia Warriors to the title in the Asean Basketball League two years ago.
The sensational first pick in the 2014 Rookie Draft got its share of applause.
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But a loud, twinkling cheer rose from the SRO crowd after KIA Motors promptly picked Pacquiao in its first turn to select.
A top KIA representative said Pacquiao, earlier appointed as Team Kia coach, has always been their main choice even before the formal selection rites.
Of course, there was apprehension when word got around on Friday that Pacquiao won’t be able to make it to the draft.
“Manny came to the PBA office earlier to ask permission from commissioner Salud,” explained a deskman from the PBA Media Bureau.
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Before this, the PBA also bent backward to accommodate Pacquiao, who failed to make it on the last day of submission of biometrics and other essentials.
At least, Pacquiao can be expected to be around when the next PBA conference, the 40th, fires off on Oct. 19.
Trainer Freddie Roach, saying Pacquiao is involved in basketball mainly as a side-hobby, agreed to the eight-division world titlist’s basketball stint, but only if he stays out of the playing court four full weeks before his Nov. 23 world title defense.
Roach said they can’t afford to expose Pacquiao to unnecessary injury, mainly in the calf and fingers.
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Meanwhile, out in the streets, boxing fans were both excited and amused.
He shoots, flailing and flying like Tarzan frantically descending from a vine swing, noted a dusky holiday biker around the Aglipay Church in Mandaluyong City yesterday morning.
Pacman should’ve just stuck to coaching, said the biker’s companion.
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Maybe nobody has told him, but there’s the popular view Pacquiao, with his limited basketball know-how and experience, may not fit properly or handsomely into the PBA playing theater.
But who can stop the Pacquiao Roadshow now?
At least, Pacquiao has ably squeezed through the tough demands of attending to his boxing and basketball concerns at the same time.
This alone should mean a turnaway attendance when Pacquiao, shortest and oldest of the lot, comes out to dazzle, stun, score, pass, fumble, slip, rock, roll, whatever, in his pro basketball debut.
In fact, after Juan Manuel Marquez did it in December 2012, nobody out there could possibly stop Pacquiao from what he has set out to do—except the unsinkable Pacman himself.