Manny Pacquiao makes pro basketball debut in Philippines
- Share via
Boxing champion Manny Pacquiao made his professional basketball debut on Sunday in the Philippine Basketball Assn., and the best thing that can be said is that the player-coach led his team to a victory.
He did so primarily by staying off the court in Kia Sorento’s 80-66 victory over Blackwater Elite.
At 5 feet 6, Pacquiao isn’t exactly built for basketball, which is the No. 1 sport in the Philippines followed closely by boxing.
Pacquiao started and played less than seven minutes, failing to score while committing two turnovers.
He will now take a break from basketball to concentrate on boxing.
Pacquiao (56-5-2) will defend his World Boxing Organziation welterweight title against Chris Algieri (20-0) on Nov. 22 in Macau.
More to Read
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.