FILE – Ginebra guard LA Tenorio during Game 3 of the PBA quarterfinals series vs Meralco. PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines—LA Tenorio’s streak of consecutive games played—a record that may take a long time to be matched—came to an anticlimactic end at 744 on Wednesday.
Tenorio was not around when Barangay Ginebra faced Meralco in the PBA Governors’ Cup at Smart Araneta Coliseum after aggravating a sports hernia in practice.
The veteran guard had been playing limited minutes since suffering an injury in the Commissioner’s Cup Finals, which kept his record streak going until his surprise absence against Meralco.
It was the first time Tenorio had missed a game in his PBA career which began in 2006 as a first round pick of San Miguel Beer. Tenorio also played for Alaska before being dealt to Ginebra in 2012.
He had broken the previous mark of 596 held by four-time Most Valuable Player Alvin Patrimonio in 2019.
Not even the COVID-19 pandemic and an appendectomy operation in 2020 prevented Tenorio from further stretching his streak that could be unmatched for at least the foreseeable future.
Magnolia’s Mark Barroca now holds the record for the longest active streak with 538 straight appearances.
Barroca will be hard-pressed to catch Tenorio, especially with the 2023-24 season shortened to two conferences.