Phoenix forward Calvin Abueva. PHOTO BY TRISTAN TAMAYO/INQUIRER.NET
For more than a year now, Calvin Abueva’s suspension has weighed heavily on his tattooed shoulders.
And it is a burden he knows can be lifted along with the suspension slapped on him by the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). That’s why “The Beast” is doing everything in his power to get in the good graces of PBA chief Willie Marcial.
Drug tests? Check. Sessions with psychologists? Four more sessions to go.
“I’m very eager to return,” Abueva said in Filipino on the 2OT podcast last Saturday. The mercurial forward also promised to be the best version of himself not just with his play, but also at the way he checks his emotions on the court.
“The support of my team and the fans have always been there. And I want to work harder because I want to give my family a better life. That is always my goal.”
Abueva disclosed that he needs four more sessions with a psychologist before Marcial evaluates his case once again.
The statement confirms the information from Inquirer sources last year on the requirements of Abueva before he is reinstated by the league.
The former Rookie of the Year, whose contract expires by the end of the season, has not played since last June when he committed a dangerous foul on TNT Ka Tropa import Terrence Jones just days after an incident with the girlfriend of then Blackwater rookie Ray Parks.
Abueva has publicly apologized to the PBA board for his actions as well as the league’s fans. He’s also been required to conduct community service, which the Phoenix forward said he welcomed.
“I doubled my effort in the community service because that was a great opportunity for me to also help,” said Abueva, who has already cleared a drug test.
Abueva said his sessions with a psychologist helped him immensely with his outlook in life.
“I already had two sessions just before the [COVID-19] pandemic and it helped me get comfortable,” Abueva said. “It improved my family life and improved my relationships with people. I just need four more sessions.”
Abueva wasn’t really away from the game during his suspension. He would take invitations from patrons, playing in cities and towns in Luzon.
He’s also grateful to fellow PBA players for their support in his restaurant business in San Juan.
“I’m putting in my 100 percent to return to the PBA,” said Abueva, who has five children. “I want to prove that Calvin Abueva doesn’t quit even with the problems he’s faced. I’m more driven now than I was before.”
“I expect to be back and prove to myself and the fans that I’m a better player and I’m a better person,” Abueva said. “I learned my lesson. I know I really have to think twice before I do anything on the court.”