Minus giants June Mar Fajardo of San Miguel Beer and Greg Slaughter of Barangay Ginebra, team officials and coaches deem the coming PBA Philippine Cup as a wide-open race.
They call it an open season.
For two grizzled warriors in Sonny Thoss of Alaska Milk and Peter June Simon of Magnolia, it is a season to remember, marking the end of their pro career.
Thoss and Simon are calling it quits after the all-Filipino tourney in their 16th year in country's premier cage league. The Alaska slotman is 38 while the Magnolia gunner is turning 40 in June.
In the course of the tourney, both the Alaska team and the Magnolia squad are retiring the jerseys of the two eminent players.
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Simon starts his farewell tour in the San Miguel-Magnolia featured match in the season inaugurals Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. He will be feted by Magnolia with a jersey retirement ceremony in the Hotshots-Ginebra Kings tiff on May 10.
Thoss, meanwhile, kicks off his farewell conference versus Columbian Dyip on March 13. The Alaska management is also to arrange a jersey retirement rites for the 6-foot-7 center most likely in their last game in the tourney.
"We just asked him to play for one last conference, and we'll give him a fitting retirement ceremony," said Alaska top official Dickie Bachmann.
Thoss, the fifth pick in the 2004 Rookie Draft, is arguably the best center the Aces have had, with the James Cook U product spending all his PBA years with the Aces, helping the team to three championships.
He's the Finals MVP in their title run in the 2013 Commissioner's Cup and has had two citations as member of the Mythical First Team and four memberships in the Mythical Second Selection. He's also a 12-time All-Star player and has served numerous times as member of the national team.
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Simon, meanwhile, has been a Purefoods/Magnolia player all through his PBA life, helping the team win eight titles.
The Makilala, Cotabato native is an eight-time All-Star, winning the All-Star MVP award in 2008 and the three-point shootout title in 2019. (SB)
