Pacquiao is likely to take the post of L.A. Rivilla as point guard in today’s (Wednesday) game between his Mahindra team and Alaska Aces. Revilla is reported to have been injured in last Monday’s team practice and wont be able to play today.
Mahindra Enforcer is the league-leading team in the current PBA season along with TNT Ka Tropa team with three straight wins each.
Pacquiao scored his first point as a professional basketball player in the PBA in February last year to lead his team to its second victory in the 40th season of the league.
Pacquiao, who is also listed as Mahindra’s playing coach, has retired from boxing following his unanimous decision win against Timothy Bradley last April 9.
Pacquiao’s entry in the PBA has been criticized by boxing as well as basketball fans who believe the fighting then congressman shouldn’t have played in the professional league.
Public perception indicate that Pacquiao may have used his power and influence to gain entry to the country’s only professional basketball league. Fans say he should concentrate more on his thriving boxing career where he excels.
In one of his PBA games against Purefoods last year, former NBA player Daniel Orton, who played for the Orlando Magic from 2010 to 2012, said Pacquiao is “a professional basketball joke” after his new team Purefoods Hotshlyots lost to Pacquiao’s team Kia Carnivals in February last year.:
Pacquiao, who was recently designated as the chairman of the committee on sports in the senate, is set to meet with his boxing promoter Bob Arum on April 9 to discuss the details of his reported fight against either Jessie Vargas or Terence Crawford on Nov. 5 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
