Abarrientos keeps pushing forward
RJ Abarrientos swears he is not resting on his laurels a he vows to help Barangay Ginebra in the PBA Governors’ Cup title bid.
Photograph by Joey Sanchez Mendoza
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RJ Abarrientos swears he is not resting on his laurels a he vows to help Barangay Ginebra in the PBA Governors’ Cup title bid.
Photograph by Joey Sanchez Mendoza
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Even after being named Rookie of the Year and Best Player of the Conference and winning a championship, Barangay Ginebra’s RJ Abarrientos still considers himself a student of the game in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
Abarrientos played his best game so far in the Season 50 Governors’ Cup after dropping 27 points in the Kings’ 84-75 rebound win over Meralco on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The 2025 RoY, however, admitted to his inconsistency in the past three games as Ginebra struggled in form.
“To be honest, I’m still learning individually here in the PBA,” the Commissioner’s Cup BPC said.
“Yeah, we won the (Commissioner’s Cup) championship last conference, but for me it’s another day and another job at the office for our team,” he added.
Entering the game against the depleted Bolts, Abarrientos was shooting only 34 percent from the field and a low 17 percent from three-point range.
He bounced back with an efficient 10-of-17 shooting from the field, including 3-of-5 from the trifecta, while dishing out three assists, three rebounds and a steal in over 40 minutes of action.
Ginebra has evened its win-loss record to 2-2 in Group B heading into its game against Magnolia today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum to close its first round of the double-round-robin eliminations.
The Kings have been running on shaky legs in the season-ending conference with veteran guard Scottie Thompson and resident import Justin Brownlee out due to injuries.
Ginebra is adjusting with import Riley Grigsby while also walking with a huge target on its back in its bid to complete a season sweep of the import-laden tournaments.
“We have to put behind everything that we did and achieved as a team in the past. We need to face this reality that all the teams’ eyes are on us. So, the pressure is on our side. But we need to play and face it as a team,” Abarrientos said.
“So, for me, I just need to step up,” he added.
“As I said, I’m still learning every conference. And I have a lot more to prove.”
