It was always colorful when they faced off.
Remember when Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal sat down and discussed—well, reconciled—the feud that eventually broke up the early 2000s Los Angeles Lakers dynasty?
Mac Cardona and Ronald Tubid had that too recently.
Now the Terrafirma Dyip team manager, Tubid appeared in Cardona’s latest vlog and candidly spoke about their heated rivalry, which started during their UAAP days.
Whenever Cardona and Tubid faced each other on the court, they were always at each other’s throats.
"'Yung depensa mo sa'kin talagang gigil na gigil. Talagang all-out na all-out," said Cardona.
Fans enjoyed everything about the friction, which also included a spitting incident.
“Nung time namin sa UAAP, isa pang ginawa niya (Tubid) dati, dinuraan ako sa mukha (habang) nag-i-inbound ako,” the flamboyant former La Salle Green Archer recalled while Tubid chuckled. “Hindi ko nga namalayan, pre. Inamoy ko pa.”
Tubid, the former UE Red Warriors star, struggled to recover from the laughter before giving a simple explanation.
“Instinct ‘yun,” Tubid said. “Para makabawi. Ayoko manakit e.”
"Pero you helped my game kasi winelcome niyo ko. Sabi ko, 'Parang mga ka-uri ko 'tong mga 'to, mga laki sa kalye rin.' Na-build ko rin 'yung confidence ko," added Cardona.
The bad blood spilled over to the PBA. In a video uploaded by the PBA Motoclub, which Cardona is now a part of, it was revealed Jayjay Helterbrand and Mark Caguioa added fuel to that fire by urging Tubid to get on Cardona's nerves.
“Inuutusan namin si Ronald, ‘Asarin mo ‘yan. Kailangan mawala si Mac.’ Kami nagbabayad ng fine ni Ronald,” Helterbrand said.
Tubid, who was ironically nicknamed The Saint in the PBA, confirmed the story, saying the Fast and the Furious simply could not guard Captain Hook.
ALSO READ: Former PBA star Mac Cardona opens up on depression, shares how he's now a 'changed man'
Cardona then recalled another incident when he kicked Tubid in a play. It turns out, it was the latter who was the culprit.
“Wala ‘yun, kasi inipit ko ‘yung paa mo,” Tubid said. “Best actor din ako. kailangan ‘yun to sell a call. Ganun talaga sa PBA.”
Despite the spitting and kicking incidents, though, the two clarified that they've remained good friends outside the court.
“To tell you honestly, si Macmac, magkaibigan kami niyan. Kaya kahit anong mangyari sa loob ng court, sa loob lang ‘yan,” Tubid said.
(PM)