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MANILA, Philippines—Marc Pingris was gone from the game of basketball for nearly 16 months after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), and it was in this idle time that the energetic power forward nearly walk away from the game he dearly loved.
From playing nearly nonstop to being relegated as a cheerleader on the Magnolia bench, Pingris had to overcome his doubts, his fatigue, and his fears.
But amid the storm, he found a ray of light that ultimately gave him that glimmer of hope.
Pingris said it was his wife Danica that gave him the patience to endure the five-hour a-day workouts and that his hard work would ultimately see him return to the parquet floor.
The 6-foot-5 big man made a successful comeback to the PBA on Saturday and he helped the Hotshots hold off Phoenix, 99-96, in the Commissioner’s Cup.
“Danica and I prayed for one year and four months so we’d like to thank the Lord for this,” said Pingris in Filipino. “I’ve been working out for five hours every day and I’ve been doing that for a year and it does burn you out.”
“I was ready to give up and I was telling my wife that I don’t want this anymore and I like to thank her so much because she kept telling me to ‘just be patient, it happens that you’re going to get to this stage, and I’m always here to support you.’”
Pingris’ perseverance ultimately paid off as he was able to play for nearly eight minutes and grab three rebounds.
It may be for a brief moment, but Pingris was ecstatic for the time he spent on the floor especially that the victory saw the Hotshots improve to a 3-2 record after starting the conference at 0-2.
“When I was playing earlier, I was thinking that I would just like to go all out and scream my lungs out,” said Pingris. “I want to take the ball and throw it. It’s euphoric, I really missed playing.”