MANILA, Philippines: PBA Season 46 Most Valuable Player Scottie Thompson will be out indefinitely due to a back injury that has been nagging the do-it-all Barangay Ginebra guard since last February.

Ginebra coach Tim Cone confirmed Thompson's condition, noting that the former Perpetual Help Altas star has been bothered by it since the Gilas Pilipinas squad had its training camp at the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna.

"This was an issue that's been bothering him in the Fiba Asia (Cup) 2025 Qualifiers. It happened a lot while we're in Inspire camp. He's having an issue in his back. He's been sitting out most of the practices," Cone told media men, moments after Ginebra gutted out a 113-107 win over Rain or Shine Friday night in a winning debut in the PBA Philippine Cup.

Cone said there's no clear timeline when the energetic Ginebra guard could be back in active duty.

"It's a huge challenge. I hope we can get him back at this point. But it's one of those points where you can't put a timeline into it," explained the league's all-time winningest PBA coach.

Cone added that Thompson "fought his way" through the FIBA Asia Cup games against Hong Kong and Taiwan. But now, they have to pay dearly for it as Ginebra loses Thompson to the back injury.

"He fought his way through the games. We tried to limit his minutes, but it got worse. Now we're paying for that as he's missing games for Ginebra," he said.

"So that's kind of a sacrifice we made as a group, for the national team.

We don't know the timeline, and it's one of those issues you just can't tell because the back issue is really a serious issue for a basketball player."

Ginebra returns to action on Sunday as it faces Phoenix at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

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