PHOTO by August Dela Cruz
Rico Maierhofer, the Barako Bull center who blocked an attempt by Gabby Espinas of San Miguel Beer with his shoe in the third quarter of their PBA Governors’ Cup game on Wednesday night, has become an instant Internet celebrity.
The video has gone viral on the Web, and fans inside Smart Araneta Coliseum had a big comic relief.
But the PBA does not see this as funny. The Office of the Commissioner has summoned Maierhofer at 1 p.m. today to give his side on the unlikely defensive ploy. He could ultimately be fined.
Fellow players have also joined the fun, with Rob Reyes of Talk ‘N Text posting a photo on his Instagram and Twitter accounts @therealrob22 of the shoe that he will wear in the Tropang Texters’ next game.
The jolly Reyes put a tennis racket on top of a pair of Nikes and captioned it “my shoe for Friday’s game,” while asking his followers to give it a name.
Referees found nothing wrong with Maierhofer’s action and allowed the play to continue.
The Fiba, the world governing body for the sport, has a rule defining violations for what Maierhofer did. It falls under the “equipment” category that states that players cannot use any thing that could extend his reach during the game.