Manny Pacquiao Selected 11th Overall Pick By Kia Motors In The Philippine Basketball Association Draft
Manny Pacquiao, the first and only eight division world boxing champion added to his ever growing list of resume the distinction of professional basketball player when KIA Motors, an expansion team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), selected him with the 11th pick the PBA Draft on Sunday.
According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, he also became the oldest rookie to be ever drafted in the league and now joins the KIA Sorentos where he owns a minority stock in the team. He also had a deal in place to coach the team thus the selection did not come a surprise to many considering it was widely reported that Pacquiao would be soon named player-coach of the squad.
Pacman's selection drew the loudest cheers from the crowd who expected his personal appearance during the event at the Robinson's Atrium in Ermita, Manila to their dismay. The prolific boxer did not make the ceremonies due to a previous press commitment and promotion of his upcoming fight against Chris Algieri on Nov. 23, 2014 in Macau.
However, not everyone on Team Pacquiao is jubilant of his decision to throw his hat into basketball. Bob Arum, the head honcho of Top Rank Boxing said that he cannot serve both the boxing and basketball masters.
"He can't do both (boxing and basketball)." Arum told Manila Bulletin, a local daily in the Philippines. "We'll talk to Manny if it is possible that he spend six weeks in Los Angeles," Arum added.
The 35-year-old Pacquiao's latest foray into basketball is the latest in a long list of involvements in different aspects of his life. Pacquiao is now serving his second term as congressman of the district of Sarangani, his home province and he has also recorded a music album, appeared in a number of movies and has hosted a television show. His head trainer, Freddie Roach, believes his ward can handle all the assortment of activities he has chosen. By this time, he has already gotten used to the drive of Pacquiao to conquer varied horizons.
"He's a congressman, he's always stayed busy, he used to do concerts after his fights. He gets bored very quickly, I don't think it's a problem," Roach, a six-time Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) Trainer of the Year proclaimed.