Harvey Carey during his retirement ceremony. –PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines–Harvey Carey’s jersey was formally retired by TNT before some of his former teammates during halftime of the team’s PBA On Tour game against Meralco.
Carey was presented with a pair of his No. 4 jerseys—one from his rookie season in 2003 and the other during his final year in 2020—as part of a simple ceremony that also looked like a gathering of TNT greats.
“Truly blessed to have played almost two decades in the PBA,” Carey, who wore a barong tagalog, said as part of his lengthy speech. “None of it would have been possible without the trust of management, coaches and boss MVP [Manny V. Pangilinan].
“I’m grateful that they took a chance on an unknown kid back in 2003, and allowed me to have the privilege of playing my entire career with a classy franchise,” added the blue-collar forward, who won seven championships during a 17-year career.
Harvey Carey during his retirement ceremony. –PBA IMAGES
Among the ex-TNT players who showed up were Asi Taulava, Donbel Belano, Jay Washington, Barangay Ginebra’s Jared Dillinger and Blackwater’s Troy Rosario.
Current Tropang Giga players Jayson Castro, Kelly Williams and RR Pogoy also showed up despite not seeing action in the exhibition series while assistant coaches Bong Ravena and Ranidel de Ocampo also played with Carey.
Meralco assistant Patrick Fran also took part in the ceremony, so was NLEX coach Frankie Lim, whose team was scheduled to face San Miguel Beer in the second game. Fran also played with Carey while Lim was a former team manager of TNT.
TNT coach Chot Reyes, currently in Estonia for Gilas Pilipinas’ training for the Fiba World Cup, and Jimmy Alapag, whose No. 3 jersey was retired in 2015, recorded video messages in honor of Carey.