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MANILA, Philippines – Although Danny Ildefonso is no longer the player he once was, he makes sure that each minute he plays for Meralco counts.
The 38-year-old played 19 minutes against Purefoods last Sunday, a far cry from his heyday, but still managed to hit a clutch shot in the final minute to push the Bolts ahead 83-79. Meralco eventually closed out Purefoods, 83-81.
“Makatulong lang sa team, para ipakitang sulit yung bayad nila sa akin. ‘Yun lang talaga ang goal ko: ‘yung may maiwanan akong maganda dito sa Meralco,” he said in the PBA website.
The two-time MVP said he is thankful that he was still able to hold his own against the likes of Marc Pingris.
“Nagpapasalamat ako kay God. Answered prayer din sa akin kasi ‘yun ang gusto ko, na kahit paano, makatulong ako at quality minutes ‘yung binigay sa akin ni coach Norman [Black],” he said.
Ildefonso already has a stellar career as a PBA player. Aside from winning the MVP award twice, he is an eight-time PBA champion with San Miguel, a five-time Best Player of the Conference, and included among the 40 Greatest Players of the league.
This is why he is pushing through with his planned retirement at the end of the PBA season.
“Yun ang pinagpe-pray ko, maging maganda lang ‘yung performance ko para maganda ‘yung retirement sa July at magawa ko ‘yung ine-expect ng coaches ko sa akin,” he said.
Photo: PBA/KC Cruz
This story was republished with permission from ABS-CBNnews.com.
