It has been a shaky start for the Meralco Bolts in the East Asia Super League (EASL), as they have dropped their first two assignments.
Their latest defeat was dealt by the New Taipei Kings, led by former NBA star Jeremy Lin, last Wednesday, 97-92, in Taiwan.
Still, Meralco put up a tough fight, displaying grit and relentlessness in the final frame, which the team could pick up a lot of positives from heading into the next game.
A relatively strong Filipino crowd in Taiwan also boosted the Bolts' energy. One face, however, was perhaps the most familiar to them.
After the game, Chris Newsome and Chris Banchero had a brief reunion with former PBA star Jay Washington, who was on hand to watch the game at the New Taipei Xinzhuang Gymnasium.
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The 42-year-old Washington last played in the PBA in the 2021-2022 season for the Blackwater Bossing before packing his bags and plying his trade in the Japan B.League. He is currently with the Yokohama Excellence, which is playing in the third division.
Newsome and Banchero are quite familiar with Washington, who carved out a stellar PBA career. He won four titles, two Best Player of the Conference plums, and four Mythical Team nods.
It's always nice to see current and former PBA players sharing a moment, especially abroad. While Jay Wash surely misses playing in the PBA, he probably misses the brotherhood and camaraderie even more.
The Bolts will next face the Ryukyu Golden Kings on December 13 in Macau. They will see more familiar faces there, with Ryukyu featuring former Meralco import Allen Durham and Gilas Pilipinas forward Carl Tamayo.
The Bolts already lost to the Golden Kings last November 15, 89-61.