Kris Rosales is glad he returned to the PBA after initially mulling over retirement. Now the San Miguel guard is a PBA champion.
Kris Rosales was overcome with emotions after he raised his first PBA championship, revelling in a dream-come-true moment with his family.
“Man, this is my first one. It's been, I think, like 10 years. 10 years. Four or five teams. So this one means a lot to me,” Rosales said shortly after San Miguel survived TNT in six games to capture the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup crown.
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While it’s an amazing achievement for the now-veteran guard, this crowning moment almost didn’t happen.
When the world was slowly easing into the new normal after COVID-19, Rosales was already mulling over retirement from professional basketball.
Though he hadn’t won a championship in the PBA at the time, he was content with his new life coaching kids and spending more time with his family.
But something was just amiss.
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That’s why when then NLEX coach Yeng Guiao called him up to help fill the void left by the Japan B.LEAGUE-bound Kiefer Ravena, he pounced on another chance to play in the PBA.
“Oh man, I was adjusting to real life, I had a job, I was coaching kids, but something in me told me to keep going because I didn't want to regret it,” he said.
“And I had one more run at, you know, getting a chip, and I got one today, so it made it all worth it.”
Some four years after his PBA comeback, Rosales finally got his championship with San Miguel. He was picked up as a free agent by the Beermen last year after separate stints with NLEX and NorthPort.
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“Man, they say patience is a virtue, and, you know, I stayed patient, I put my head down at work, and I got an opportunity to be a part of history, so, so I'm happy,” he said.