Basketball officials in the Philippines delivered a low blow to an American player who dared criticize the basketball skills of Manny Pacquiao, the country?s legendary boxer/politician/wannabe hoopster.
Daniel Orton, a 6-foot-10 former NBA player who played at Kentucky, was fired and fined for questioning the legitimacy of Pacquiao?s basketball quest.
?Professional boxer, yeah, okay? professional basketball player, no. It?s a joke,? Orton said (via AFP).
He isn?t the first to point out that the champion pugilist, who will fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 2, isn?t a hoops star. His comment came after the 5-foot-6 Pacquiao, a player-coach for Kia Carnival, scored one point in a game. Orton was playing for Purefoods Hotshots when he was deemed to have crossed the line.
?Everyone is angry at him?,? Rene Pardo, the team?s top administrator, said on the ABS-CBN news website (via AFP). ?It is like he went to the United States and insulted the name of Martin Luther King.?
Orton also was fined the equivalent of $5,650.
?This office disapproves of and frowns upon the cavalier manner in which Mr Orton issued his comments and the unwarranted antics and liberties he has taken with the league and a fellow player,? PBA commissioner Chito Salud said in a statement.
On Monday, Orton offered a classy farewell.
?I thank God for my time in the Philippines and thank Purefoods for everything,? he tweeted. ?I wish the team the best of luck.?
In fairness to Orton, a quick YouTube search reveals that he may have been right about Pacquiao.
