Bol Bol ends PBA stint with torn Achilles injury

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The TNT Tropang 5G’s quest for a PBA title suddenly crumbled after their super import, Bol Bol, was ruled out for the rest of the Commissioner’s Cup due to a partial Achilles tear.

The former NBA talent suffered the unfortunate injury at the 2:51 mark of the first quarter during a drive attempt against the double team of Javee Mocon and Meralco reinforcement Marvin Jones.

In the official replay footage of the play, Bol appeared to tear his Achilles tendon before going through Mocon’s chest. He immediately rolled to the floor and held onto his left foot while grimacing in pain.

Bol spent nearly two minutes on the floor before getting stretchered out, officially wrapping up his dominant PBA Commissioner’s Cup campaign as a leading candidate for the Best Import of the Conference award.

It was TNT team manager Jojo Lastimosa who announced that Bol partially tore his left Achilles tendon. He already underwent magnetic resonance imaging and is set for surgery in New York under the medical guidance of renowned Dr. Martin O’Malley of Manhattan.

“He’s done,” Lastimosa said.

“He’s ruled out for the conference. Sinalat ko yung Achilles niya and walang tension. So lubog siya. It’s not a total tear, but nonetheless, it’s an Achilles problem.”

Without Bol in the next three quarters, the Tropang 5G failed to contain Meralco’s artillery, conceding an 87-76 loss to the Bolts that knotted the semifinal series at 1-all.

Bol was already bound for another monster game after tallying a near double-double of 10 points, six rebounds, and a block in just seven minutes of playing time.

After 17 total games as TNT’s import, Bol averaged 35.8 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. He is favored to win the Best Import of the Conference award due to the consistent dominance he displayed while leading the Tropang 5G to the Final Four as the No. 8 seed.