Manny Pacquiao's foray into professional basketball is not a cause of concern for his trainer, Hall of Famer Freddie Roach.
When asked about Pacquiao being drafted in the professional league Philippine Basketball Association, Roach told AFP via Interaksyon.com: "He's always busy. I don't think it's a problem."
Indeed, Pacquiao is one of the busiest athletes around. Aside from being an eight-division boxing champion, Pacquiao is a member of the Philippine Congress as representative of the southern province of Saranggani. He is also a part-time television star, businessman, product endorser, and now will be coaching and playing for the KIA Motors team in the PBA.
On Sunday, Pacquiao was drafted by KIA Motors in the first round of the PBA annual draft. This would pave the way for plans to have Pacquiao serve as playing coach of the expansion ball club.
But Roach clarified that Pacquiao has ruled out playing in the PBA at least before he steps into the ring with Chris Algieri, whom he will be meeting in Macau on November. Roach said this would ensure that Pacquiao, 35, won't sustain any serious injuries.
"We came to an agreement that four weeks before a fight he will stop playing because of injuries. We negotiated that deal a long time ago."
Pacquiao is known as an ardent basketball fan. He himself has said many times before that he first wanted to become a pro basketball player until he found himself in the squared ring. Despite his lack of experience in pro basketball, he does have some experience in bankrolling a team as he used to own a basketball team that participated in semi-commercial leagues in the Philippines.
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