Manny Pacquiao beats the buzzer in MPBL all-star exhibition
Manny Pacquiao still has the love for the sport of basketball to the highest degree, and he proved it in Batangas City when it hosted the All-Star Game of his Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League last Sunday.
The chief executive of the league he founded certainly retains that skill and passion for hoops, as is shown in the exhibition game between coaches and team owners which was the day’s curtain-raiser for the main event.
[RELATED: Watch How Manny turned into Steph Curry.]
PacMan had inspired a huge fightback for the South’s team of executives, coming from 29 points down to force a 107-107 deadlock with their Northern counterparts.
He had a stat line of 30 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal, but the biggest play happened towards the tail-end of the contest.
With 8.6 seconds left and the North team leading 106-104, Nueva Ecija coach Jerson Cabiltes had a chance to ice the game from the line. But the multi-titled mentor only scored just one of his two free throws.
PBA legend Marlou Aquino grabbed the defensive rebound, and gave it to Pacquiao who ran the length of the floor to hit a three-pointer off the glass as time expired hence the draw between the two teams.
As a result, PacMan shared the game’s MVP award with Makati team owner Paolo Orbeta, who scored 39 points in the contest.