BLACKWATER rolled the royal carpet on new import George King Friday night.
Despite enduring a long trip from the United States given the sudden call-up, the 30-year-old King was a bundle of energy for Blackwater, scoring from the outside, including two baskets from the four-point arc, rebounding and hustling down on defense to help the Bossing score a king-sized 95-88 upset against the Barangay Ginebra Kings on Friday night.
The sweet-shooting King went on to register 33 points, 19 rebounds and four assists in an impressive PBA debut against Ginebra, a team that has dominated the Governors' Cup four times in the last six seasons.
"When he called me (Blackwater coach Jeff Cariaso), I was ready to go, [because I was just] sitting around, and I was obviously healthy. I heard good things about the Philippines and the PBA," King told sportswriters after the game.
"So when the opportunity came, I was ready to ride. It was really simple. I jumped at it."
Interestingly, King, the Phoenix Suns' 59th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, wasn't even supposed to be playing for the Bossing when the team decided to give Ricky Ledo the pink slip after two unproductive stints.
Former NLEX and San Miguel import Cameron Clark was supposed to be planing in, but a change of heart, citing "personal reasons" left Blackwater hanging, forcing the team to play all-Filipino last Sunday, resulting in a 128-108 loss to San Miguel. The loss at that time dropped the Bossing to 0-3.
But Cariaso called the sudden change a "blessing in disguise."
"I just don't want to dwell on that too much," Cariaso said, referring to Clark's sudden change of heart. "Things happen for a reason and sometimes, things don't work out [for] other people, but become a blessing for someone else."
King got plenty of help in Blackwater's first win for the season, with Christian David, Troy Rosario and rookie sensation Sedrick Barefield joining hands in contributing against Ginebra.
Barefield, who missed his first two tries from four-point zone, eventually knocked down from the 27-foot line late in the game, sealing the win in the process, while imitating Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry's "night-night" gesture.
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