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Knowing this is his last time playing in the Philippines, prolific Meralco import Allan Durham admits he hoped to “go out and try to win the championship” in the PBA before retiring from basketball completely next year
MANILA, Philippines – As he retires from the PBA as one of its most prolific import players, Alan Durham looks back fondly on his decade-long stint.
A three-time Best Import Award winner with the Meralco Bolts, Durham confirmed to Rappler that he has ended his time in the PBA as he plans to retire from basketball completely next year.
“Going into this year’s PBA Governors’ Cup, I knew it was my last time playing here in the Philippines,” Durham told Rappler. “So obviously I wanted to go out there and try to win the championship.”
“On the court we definitely fell short, but we had some key injuries at crucial times and that hurt us, but that’s part of the game,” he added.
“But to be honest, I really came back because I wanted to race with my brothers again and make more memories because nothing lasts forever. So that was really important to me. Meralco was not only my team, they are family!”
Once a sleepy franchise at the back of the MVP block, Durham took the team to new heights, leading the Bolts to their first three PBA Finals appearances, only to fall short each time to rival Justin Brownlee and Barangay Ginebra.
The two would cross paths once more this year before Durham’s PBA career ended at the hands of Brownlee and Ginebra with a 3-0 victory in the quarterfinals of that conference.
Durham played his last game for the Bolts in the East Asian Super League (EASL) last October 16, scoring 14 points in a 77-74 loss against his former team Ryukyu in Okinawa, Japan.
Before Durham returns home to Michigan in the United States on Thursday, October 31, the franchise hosted a thank-you party for him at the company’s headquarters in Pasig on Tuesday, October 29.
Durham was considered the league’s best reinforcement three times in the 2016, 2017 and 2020 editions of the Governors’ Cup.
The 36-year-old shared that playing in Game 7 of the 2017 Governors’ Cup Finals was his most memorable moment in the league, where a then-record crowd of 54,086 packed the massive Philippine Arena and ended up seeing Justin Brownlee and Ginebra to lift a trophy.
Facing each for nearly a decade, Brownlee recently spoke softly of his rival on the court, even saying the 36-year-old Durham is bound to win a PBA championship.
“I can’t say I feel bad because we are competitors and that comes with the game. I would say his effort was definitely not a wasted effort,” Brownlee said after Ginebra’s Game 3 win on Sept. 30 of last year.
“If he keeps doing what he’s doing, I think at some point he’s going to break through and have success in this league and maybe win a championship.”
Well traveled
Despite failing in the PBA, Durham was considered an internationally decorated player, winning awards at various stops around the world.
Prior to his return to the PBA, he was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2023 Japan B.League Finals after leading the Ryukyu Golden Kings to the championship.
In France, Durham was named Defensive Player of the Year, a member of the first team and a member of the all-import team twice in the minor French LNB Pro B league.
Durham has also played in Romania, Finland, Israel, Uruguay, Korea and the NBA G League.
The pride of Michigan’s Grace Bible College, Durham holds several records there as the school’s career leader in scoring, rebounding and blocking. — Rappler.com