MANILA, Philippines – PBA commissioner Chito Narvasa fended for boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao as he drew criticisms from the Dubai sports media for his no-show in a press conference during the PBA’s visit in the UAE capital.
Along the way, Narvasa gave his frank view on Pacquiao’s stint as a PBA player.
“In terms of basketball excellence you know he’s not really a basketball player,” said Narvasa in an article on the Gulf News.
In giving his take on the matter further, Narvasa said: “Well, to me as a commissioner, there are pros and cons. First of all he brings a lot of variety, Manny is a sports icon in himself and whether he goes into the PBA or not he will draw crowds, but the whole concentration of the PBA has to be basketball excellence.”
“That’s where I put myself in. I have to look at the interests of the PBA in excelling in basketball. If him coming into the team helps Mahindra do that then of course we have to show him support and if it does not then I think it could also be detrimental in the long term.”
Narvasa feels Pacquiao and Mahindra are doing well on that department.
“I think they’ve managed to regulate his playing time and there’s definitely a lot of interest when he plays,” said Narvasa.
“Marketing-wise there’s no question, it’s brilliant. Whoever thought of that is brilliant. He draws crowds and it’s tremendous, but in terms of basketball excellence you know he’s not really a basketball player. He’s a boxer,” Narvasa added.