It’s all business for Chris McCullough in his return trip to the Philippines—this time for the TNT Tropang 5G.
The 31-year-old former Brooklyn Net made this much clear in a tweet, emphasizing that he’s here to give his best to his new team.
“Just nothing to talk about. I’m here to do my best for TNT,” McCullough said.
The tweet itself was McCullough doubling down on his initial refusal to talk to reporters about potentially being naturalized for Gilas Pilipinas duties—a ship that has clearly sailed a long time ago.
And now, the one-time PBA champion isn’t about to rehash something that never amounted to anything in his return to the PBA. Instead, he is choosing to keep his focus solely on the task at hand—to tow TNT to the PBA Commissioner’s Cup finish line.
How We Got Here
After leading the San Miguel Beermen to the 2019 PBA Commissioner’s Cup title and seemingly developing a liking for the Philippines, it seemed like McCullough would become San Miguel’s resident import. At the very least, he looked like someone other PBA teams would bring over for the league’s midseason tourney.
Neither happened, but not because McCullough didn’t want it. Instead, the pandemic wiped out a couple of Commissioner’s Cups, while the ex-Beerman suffered an ACL injury in 2022 just as the PBA began to bring back the tournament. But the one constant in those years of uncertainty and turbulence was McCullough’s desire to play again in the PBA, which he expressed mostly in tweets on X.
Now, that PBA door has opened once more—albeit due to an unfortunate injury. With Bol Bol rupturing his left Achilles in the middle of TNT’s semis showdown with the Meralco Bolts, the Tropa had to scramble for a replacement—and McCullough happened to be available. With Rondae Hollis-Jefferson paving the way, the 6-foot-10 former PBA champion finally made it back to Asia’s first pay-for-play league.
McCullough to Be Thrown Right into the Fire
Incidentally, McCullough will be returning just as the stakes are at their highest. TNT is just two wins away from making it back to the PBA Finals and six victories away from defending that Commissioner’s Cup crown RHJ helped them win. The sweet-shooting forward will be tasked with helping the Tropa accomplish that mission. Six wins—that’s all it takes.
Better believe he’s ready for it. And there’s nothing to talk about other than that.
Chris McCullough makes his PBA return official later tonight in Game 4 of TNT’s semis clash with Meralco. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m.
