Players who could have made it to the PBA

These players could have made it into the pro ranks but for one reason or another never did. They have talent, skills and the game but somehow the opportunity simply wasn't there for them to show their wares on the PBA hardcourt. Who are these players? Check it out below:

BJ Manalo – he had a lot of promise as the star guard of Ateneo’s junior team, and De la Salle’s senior team. BJ was a playmaker with great size and shooting ability but before his career could even take-off, he suffered what was basketball’s worst injury – a tear in the anterior cruciate ligament. His injury took long to heal but after making a speedy recovery, he immediately applied for the draft in 2005 showing no signs of a troubled knee. He was drafted by Purefoods in the second round and was almost a shoo-in in the team roster but when Purefoods made a deal for Jean Marc Pingris and Egay Billones from Air21, he was left out in cold, and never resurfaced again in the PBA scene.

Raymond Townsend – of course you know Raymond Townsend! You don’t? well, he was a former NBA player in the 80s and had Filipino lineage. At age 40 and already out of NBA job, he resurfaced in the PBA stands and acted as if he was Michael Jordan. He wanted to play in the Philippines to share his knowledge to his mother’s homeland. Alas, despite his sterling NBA career, he did not find any takers. Teams shunned away from a 40-year old guard with a heavy price tag.

Stephen Antonio – Will Antonio’s older brother was drafted 11th overall in the 1998 PBA Draft by Alaska but failed to land a rookie contract. He made his debut in Philippine soil with the Batangas Blades and made good impression there but after a year, he was nowhere to be found. He was a lot bigger than Will and more talented, and could have had a better career than Will in the PBA.