Do-it-all Thompson snatches 500th steal

Barangay Ginebra guard Scottie Thompson continues to reap the rewards of his hard work.

Less than two weeks since his formal enshrinement into the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) 50 Greatest Players, the Kings ace achieved another milestone this season after snatching his 500th career steal.

The 2021 Most Valuable Player debuted in the Philippine Cup with a bang last Wednesday as he powered Ginebra to a 101-80 rout of Terrafirma at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Thompson’s lone steal 48 seconds into the second half highlighted his near triple-double night.

The hard-nosed defender intercepted a pass from Dyip guard Aljun Melecio before dishing it out to Japeth Aguilar which extended Ginebra’s advantage to 20 points.

“It’s a great feeling to have this kind of achievement,” the 31-year-old Thompson said.

Thompson’s steal milestone came on the heels of him reaching 2,000 defensive rebounds and 2,000 assists earlier this season.

For the Ginebra star, hitting another landmark record is a testament to his dedication in contributing his defensive prowess and other intangibles to the team.

“It’s a testament to the hard work that we do as players, for us to get these kinds of achievements. It’s really a blessing,” Thompson said.

“Since I got here to the team, I take pride in my defense. But overall more than the steals, it’s those things not written on the stats that mean a lot to us especially in this team, as long as we play better defense as a team.”

The former University of Perpetual Help System Dalta star is the 35th player in league history to reach the feat, ninth among active players and fifth King to do so.

Thompson admitted that he was also surprised he got into the 500-steal club.

“I was surprised. It’s a mortal sin in our team to gamble on steals. It just happened. I’m just at the right place to take away that ball,” he said.

Thompson also capped his incredible outing with 11 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and one block.