TNT forward Kelly Williams smiles while sharing his “comical” experience riding a motorcycle to beat traffic and get to the game on time. Mark Giongco/INQUIRER.net
There’s a first time for everything.
Even for someone as punctual as TNT forward Kelly Williams, who has never been late coming into a game throughout his 12-year career, his time was up.
As if traffic along C-5 Road in Taguig City wasn’t already horrible as it is, what made things worse on Wednesday night was a fire that razed a residential area around the time when Williams was on his way to Araneta Coliseum in Cubao coming from his home in Alabang for a 7 p.m. game against Blackwater.
READ: Pogoy lifts TNT past Blackwater
“Coming from the South, I got to Taguig in about two and a half hours and I heard there was a fire on C5 and I was like, “Oh my god what am I going to do?” Williams told reporters after TNT beat Blackwater.
Fortunately for Williams, his driver offered an idea that may not be ideal for the 6-foot-6 PBA star but was too hard to pass up.
“My driver said check Angkas, an Uber for motorcycles. Okay. Quickly got out of the car in the middle of the C5, the middle of traffic, found this guy under the overpass, he was surprised to see me. I got my helmet on, jumped on the bicycle and we got here for about 40 minutes,” said the chiseled Williams smiling.
“Every stoplight, the other motorcycles pull up, double take, “Oh, what are you doing here?” “Hi guys!” It was fun, it was actually pretty fun but never again, make sure you plan ahead guys if you possibly get stuck in traffic. But it was a good experience for me. You get to see Manila in a different light. It was fun.”
The 35-year-old Williams said he was getting desperate at that time and had even thought about crazy ways just to get to the game on time.
“Anything. I considered running, I considered jogging. Whatever you got to do, crawl, walk or run. It was a good experience though, thank you to the cyclist. I think his name is Richard or something like that, he’s a lifesaver,” said Williams, who arrived at the Big Dome midway through the first quarter.
Williams has had a colorful career, having won the PBA title six times and an MVP award plus several All-Star selections, but there was nothing like surviving the ride of his life.
“It’s just a comical situation, I’ve never done that in my entire career or been late like that for a game. But you know, 1 in 12 or 13 years isn’t bad, I’ll take it. It’s a good experience, fun,” he said.
He atoned for his tardiness with a solid performance, finishing with six points, six rebounds and four blocks.
“You got to come out there with extra effort after coming in late like that. But it’s always my intention to come out and do whatever I have to do. Luckily I was in a good position to get some blocks and it worked out that way.”