Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
LA Tenorio is no young star in the PBA.
At 33-years-old, the Finals MVP of the PBA Governors’ Cup should be the one getting tributes from younger teammates.
And yet it was Tenorio who dedicated his personal hardware to 41-year-old teammate Jayjay Helterbrand.
“I want to dedicate this championship also to Jayjay,” said Tenorio in Filipino Friday at Philippine Arena after Ginebra wrapped up the series in Game 7, 101-96, against Meralco. “We talked and he’s still unsure of his plans after this.”
“So I told him that we’ll get this one, Mark [Caguioa] will still be back next year.”
And Tenorio finished with 26 points and four assists on his dedication game while nursing a hurting right elbow.
Tenorio said his elbow had bothered him for five years since his last year with Alaska in 2012 and it took sheer will for him to power through the pain in the packed Philippine Arena.
“It was pure adrenaline, although I take painkillers and it’s the adrenaline that allows me to play through it,” said Tenorio who wore a sleeve on his right arm.
Tenorio said the pain comes and goes but a bone spur had developed in his right elbow that the three-time champion knew he had to take medical help.