Nagging injury nearly forced Jared Dillinger into retirement

Jared Dillinger. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Jared Dillinger’s final two years with Meralco, a team where he spent six seasons, was so turbulent that he considered retirement.

During the tail end of his stint with the Bolts, Dillinger spent most of his time on the bench due to a nagging quad injury.

“I was injured so much and it was so frustrating not only to me but to the team, to management, everyone,” said Dillinger in a story on the PBA website. “It was tough that it did go to my head about retiring because I just couldn’t figure out how to get better.”

Dillinger eventually became an unrestricted free agent, allowing Barangay Ginebra to sign him up in May 2019.

The Gin Kings acquired Dillinger knowing that the 6-foot-4 Fil-American was still injured and it took nearly six months before he played his first game with the team.

Still recovering, Dillinger became a rotation player and Tim Cone’s decision to insert the athletic wing into his lineup helped the Gin Kings win the the 2019 Governors’ Cup.

“It was kind of tough for me, like a lot. But every player kind of goes through it,” said the 36-year-old Dillinger. “When you get injured, you just have a lot of time to yourself thinking about it. It just wears on you.”

At the end of the day, Dillinger said he made the right choice to keep playing that also led to him winning a sixth PBA championship.

“I’m sure glad I didn’t quit now. It’s awesome.”