Former Philippine Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Arwind Santos will finally get his wish of having his jersey number retired by San Miguel Beer.
The nine-time PBA champion’s No.29 jersey will be officially retired by the Beermen on May 1 when San Miguel Beer battles Blackwater at the Philsports Arena.
San Miguel Beer team manager Gee Abanilla confirmed to Pinoystep.com that the jersey ceremony rites will push through.
Santos played for three teams in the PBA, the last ball club he played for was NorthPort before he was released last season.
Aside from San Miguel and NorthPort, Santos also saw action for Air 21 where he launched his career and became a Defensive Player of the Year in 2008 while leading the squad to its only finals appearance in league history during the 2008 Fiesta Conference when the Express lost to Barangay Ginebra in a grueling seven-game series.
A three-time Defensive Player of the Year, member of the PBA’s All-Defensive Team eight times and a 12-time league All-Star, Santos became a staple when he joined the Beermen and quickly transformed the team into a dynasty.
Santos was part of San Miguel’s Death Five when the team won eight championships in four years under the tutelage of head coach Leo Austria.
When Santos left the PBA last year, he joined Pampanga, a team being bankrolled by huis chief benefactor, Governor Dennis “Delta” Pineda and immediately the Giant Lanterns won a championship in the MPBL.
But having his jersey number retired has been a dream for Santos and it’s only a matter of time before turning it into a reality.
