“Kung sa ice tubig nga, nagpapatayan sa barangay court, ngayon pa, eh milyon milyon ang bonus.”
-- Marc Pingris on the PBA finals

I loved this quote from Pingris because every Pinoy guy who has ever played basketball outdoors, in the playgrounds, in barangay courts, or in makeshift rings in the middle of the street could relate to what he said. All of us still remember those summer afternoon games with ice tubig as the wager.

I loved the quote because what Pingris is really saying is that, just like the intensity of those games he played back then weren’t really all about the ice tubig wager, the intensity of the games he’ll be playing today wouldn’t really be all about the millions in bonus.

I loved that memories of ice tubig games are still fresh in the minds of players like Pingris. And when you take away the lights of the Araneta and the glamour of the PBA finals, it’s the same game. Just on a bigger stage, just on a larger scale. But it’s essentially the same.

Except for the ice tubig.

[H/T: Francis TJ Ochoa for reporting the quote ]