The Scoring Apostle bids PBA goodbye

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

 

That familiar one-handed push shot from the foul line after a gather dribble will be badly missed.

In a lengthy Instagram post, Peter June Simon, known in the PBA as “The Scoring Apostle,” confirmed his retirement saying he will not join the Magnolia Hotshots in the Clark bubble.

“Hindi ko inakalang posible pala para sa isang payat at maliit na bata mula sa Makilala, North Cotabato na makarating sa PBA. Hindi ko rin inakala na pagkatapos hindi mapansin nung 2001 PBA Rookie Draft na posible pa pala mag-iwan ng sarili kong marka sa liga,” wrote Simon in his IG post.

Full of doubts upon entering the league, the 6-foot, 1-inch guard put on the hard work and introduced himself as one of the most lethal scorers to grace the hardcourt.

Forming a formidable “big three” which started at the San Miguel Coffee (now Magnolia Hotshots) era together with James Yap and Marc Pingris, the entire PBA knew how Simon could be a big problem in the defensive end.

Gabe Norwood, tagged to be the greatest PBA defender by the analysts and co-players, even said that Simon was the hardest PBA player he guarded in his career.

“He knows how to pick his spots. He knows when to attack, when to settle for his famous one-handler, or when to shoot. He’s probably the hardest that I ever guarded,” Norwood said in an interview.

“Binigay ko yung 17 years ng buhay ko sa PBA, sa Magnolia Hotshots, at sa lahat ng fans but now it’s time to focus on my family. My wife is pregnant and gusto ko magkasama kami as we start a family,” added Simon.

Simon made the decision after the team relegated him in the free-agent list and was doubtful to make it to Clark.

Simon will go down as one of the PBA’s two-guards with eight All-Star appearances, a Sixth Man of the Year awardee, and an eight-time champion with the Purefoods franchise.