Manny Pacquiao makes pro basketball debut in Philippines
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.