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PBA great Danny Ildefonso suits up for Converge. – PBA PICTURES
MANILA, Philippines –Danny Ildefonso admitted he needed a lot of practice after coming out of retirement to play sparring minutes in Converge’s 132-129 overtime loss to Meralco on Friday.
Ildefonso only played all four minutes in the first quarter of the PBA Governor’s Cup game at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, but it was obvious that the 46-year-old was still far from game form.
“You can see that my body still has a delayed reaction,” Ildefonso said when asked about his first play since being put three minutes into the contest—allowing Cliff Hodge to score a layup with a boot error.
“I said I just want to try because I’m not going to lose anything and I’m not going to lose my hope because I’m only here for a few weeks just to help the team,” added the FiberXers assistant coach in Filipino.
WATCH: Danny Ildefonso enters the game for Converge as he makes his official PBA return this afternoon against Meralco. | @jonasterradoINQ pic.twitter.com/YBHiNpm709
– INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) March 3, 2023
The two-time Most Valuable Player did not say exactly what made him come back despite being retired since 2015 and has focused on his role as part of Aldin Ayo’s coaching staff at Converge.
They hope to improve as the conference goes on, although Converge is currently on the outside looking in to the race for a second advantage to beat.
Converge lost its second straight game to tie with fifth-place Meralco 6-4 against Barangay Ginebra on Sunday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
“It’s different in training and playing on the pitch. That’s it. We’ll see in the next two or three weeks if I can be good,” he said.
The decision, Ildefonso said, had the full support of his family, especially his son Shaun, who is currently a rookie in Rain or Shine. The two sides, however, will not face each other in this conference as the two teams have met before in the eliminations.
“Shaun said it would be good if we faced each other. He joked that he would show some of his moves,” said the elder Ildefonso.
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