King hopes to carve long career as San Miguel resident import

If George King (left) has his way, he will be playing with, and not against, June Mar Fajardo and the Beermen for a long time. —PBA IMAGES

George King appears to be the import who could finally bring stability to San Miguel Beer’s revolving door of reinforcements after the way he performed in his maiden PBA stint last season.

King hopes to be that player. But he also knows he will have to earn it.

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“I hope to be able to find a home here,” King told the Inquirer after the Beermen edged the Magnolia Hotshots, 94-92, in a tuneup game on Tuesday at the San Miguel Corporation Sports Complex.

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The well-traveled King, whose career includes five NBA appearances with the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks, made an immediate impact during his first PBA stint after Blackwater tapped him to replace the ineffective Ricky Ledo.

Blackwater, however, opted not to bring him back this season, opening the door for San Miguel—a move that began with one of the Beermen reaching out.

“Chris Ross,” King said. “I’ve known Chris for over a decade now, probably 15 years. He reached out to me and asked if I was available. And I was. A couple of weeks later, San Miguel offered me a contract. So it was a no-brainer. I signed it.”

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King’s offensive firepower, highlighted by a 64-point explosion against Rain or Shine while playing for Blackwater, is viewed as one of the reasons San Miguel believes it may finally have found a long-term import.

‘Similar role’

The Beermen have cycled through several reinforcements over the past two seasons, including the recent Commissioner’s Cup, when they fielded two imports before eventually bringing back Bennie Boatwright, who is in line for Philippine naturalization.

Should Boatwright complete the naturalization process and become eligible for Gilas Pilipinas, he could become San Miguel’s regular import in the Commissioner’s Cup, where there is no height limit.

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King hopes to carve out a similar role in the Governors’ Cup and establish himself the way other longtime imports have with their respective franchises.

“I really enjoyed my time with Blackwater, playing in the PBA and living in Manila,” he said. “Now here’s another opportunity, and I feel the same way. If you look at my résumé, I’ve bounced around a lot of places. I don’t regret that at all. I’ve seen the world, and I’m thankful.

“[But] it would be nice to have a home. That’s all up to me. I need to make sure that I’m jelling with the team, performing, helping us win and being someone people enjoy having around.

“Hopefully, if all those things happen, I’ll stick around with the San Miguel Beermen. Like you see with (Justin) Brownlee at Ginebra. Like you see with Rondae (Hollis-Jefferson) at TNT. I hope to do the same here. Why not with this club, where you have an opportunity to compete for a championship every year?

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“For me, it doesn’t get much better than that. There’s a road ahead before I can achieve those things, and I’m looking forward to taking it,” he said.