Barangay Ginebra took a break on Friday, ahead of the PBA’s move to suspend team practices and other basketball-related activities.
Halfway around the world, however, its former big man, Greg Slaughter, was putting in the work.
Slaughter posted on his Instagram account three images showing him and Chris Ellis, another former Gin King, working on their shooting in an undisclosed court in the United States.
The caption to the big man’s entry read two dragon emojis, “grind,” and a hashtag: #DoubleDragon.
Slaughter announced a sudden sabbatical from the PBA on Feb. 8, sending the crowd darlings in disarray and leaving the basketball world in a fog of speculation.
Ellis, meanwhile, had been Awol for two years, following his trade to Blackwater in 2017. Recently, he was spotted in Thailand, playing for Lao club Luang Prabang in the Thai Basketball Super League.
Both players played only for Ginebra throughout their careers.
Ellis, a former national team player, won a PBA title with the Gin Kings in 2016, a time when Slaughter was shelved by a torn ACL.
Joining the former Ginebra pair was former Batang Gilas guard Dalph Panopio, who is chasing an NBA dream via the DME Academy in Florida.
Slaughter stormed the headlines in the preseason when he announced he is taking a hiatus from basketball, dealing a big blow to Ginebra’s bid for the Philippine Cup crown.
Sources told the Inquirer Slaughter left the team after finding out he was on the trading block and after he failed to get the contract he was eyeing.
Ginebra was reportedly sealing a swap with NorthPort for big man Christian Standhardinger.