From the perspective of wins and losses, the Macau Black Knights’ campaign in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup was one to forget. But overall, star guard Jenning Leung has only fond memories of his stint in Asia’s first pay-for-play league.
“PBA has been an amazing experience besides the team struggles,” Leung told reporters after Macau notched its third win of the conference on Wednesday against the Phoenix Fuel Masters.
Leung starred in the win, tallying 32 points on six treys and adding 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. For the conference, the Laguna-raised sniper averaged 19.4 points—tied with Damian Chong Qui for team-high honors—on top of 4.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 2.4 steals.
Jenning Leung Feels the Hoops Love
More broadly, Leung felt just how passionate Filipinos are about basketball, and it is a feeling he says he and his teammates will cherish.
“The Philippines is a basketball country, so getting the opportunity to play here and feel that passion is really special and something I think all of us will cherish,” he said.
Leung should know. He grew up in Laguna and played street ball. It’s probably why he looked so comfortable playing in the PBA. Now, his teammates know it too—Filipinos are crazy in love with basketball.
A Lasting Lesson for Jenning Leung
With Macau’s PBA campaign over, Leung will continue his hoops odyssey, likely in other leagues. And as he does, he’ll be taking an important lesson he learned in the Philippines: keep fighting until the final buzzer.
“No matter if you’re up or down, this is always a ballgame. You got to play 48 minutes and you can be up 20 and at the end you may not win the game and vice versa,” Leung responded when asked if he learned any lessons in his PBA stint.
Jenning Leung be taking that lesson to his next league for sure—along with some cherished memories of playing in basketball-crazy Philippines.
