Feuding PBA govs take time out to watch Clippers-76ers tiff

Blake Griffin of the LA Clippers grabs a loose ball in front of Dario Saric #9 and Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the first half at Staples Center on November 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. Harry How/Getty Images/AFP

LOS ANGELES—While there have been no meetings to speak of in what was supposed to be the PBA board of governors’ annual planning session here, team representatives will participate in one activity that has been their unifying factor all these years.

On Monday (Tuesday morning in Manila), they will watch a National Basketball Association game pitting the Los Angeles Clippers against the visiting Philadelphia 76ers at Staples Center, marking possibly the only time in this trip that members of two disagreeing factions get to be seated beside each other since arriving in this Southern California city on Friday.

Alaska arranged and sponsored the board’s NBA experience, with the Aces represented here by team manager Dickie Bachmann.

Also here are San Miguel Beer’s Robert Non, Star’s Rene Pardo, Barangay Ginebra’s Alfrancis Chua, GlobalPort’s Erick Arejola, KIA’s Bobby Rosales, Blackwater’s Silliman Sy and Meralco’s Ryan Gregorio.

Former chairs Pato Gregorio of TNT KaTropa and Mamerto Mondragon of Rain or Shine and Phoenix Petroleum’s Raymond Zorilla begged off from joining the trip at the last minute, with the status of incoming chair Ramoncito Fernandez of NLEX still unknown.
The wives and other members of the families of the governors as well as those coming from the Commissioner’s Office that came over will be treated to watching the popular “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”

The five-day planning session has turned into a veritable vacation and sightseeing tour for the members of the league’s think tank, with the Dec. 17 opening penciled as early as two months ago in danger of being moved if the issue regarding commissioner Chito Narvasa’s tenure is not resolved.

The board has been split into two groups of seven and five teams, with the bigger group opposing the retention of Narvasa and the other throwing its full support behind its embattled commissioner.

Nothing has transpired in this trip, even after a last-ditch effort by both sides to resolve the impasse on Thursday fizzled out.

“This is certainly bad for the PBA and we are sorry that the fans have to see this and read all about it,” one concerned board member said, requesting not to be identified.