(NI LOUIS AQUINO)

MAGANDA na rin ang naging ending ng 12-taong karera sa PBA ni Doug Kramer matapos manalo ang kanyang Phoenix Pulse team sa pagtatapos ng kampanya ng koponan sa Governor’s Cup

Si Kramer, 36, ay nagpahayag ng pagreretiro sa PBA bago ang game ng Phoenix Pulse kontra Blackwater noong Biyernes kung saan nanalo ang Fuel Masters sa overtime, 120-117.

Sa kanyang huling laro sa Fuel Masters ay nakapagtala ng three points at 10 rebounds si Kramer.
Maliban sa Phoenix Pulse, naglaro rin siya sa mga koponan ng Air21, Barangay Ginebra, Rain or Shine, Barako Bull, Petron/San Miguel at GlobalPort.

Para sa dating Ateneo Blue Eagles star, napiling fifth overall noong 2007 PBA Rookie Draft, nanghihinayang siya na hindi nakapasok ang Phoenix Pulse sa quarterfinals, ngunit masaya na nanalo sila bago nag-exit sa third conference.

Nilinaw din niya na hindi biglaan kundi matagal niyang pinag-isipan ang pagreretiro. “I planned this maybe for the past year and then parang na-solidify lang ‘yung plans ko the past few months. I wanted to announce it, No. 1 because parang no-bearing na ‘yung game and I wanted the fans to know also that it was my last game. There were some fans that came out and said their goodbyes.”

Dagdag niya, “Basketball is something that I made na parang one of my avenues. I’ll give my all, I’ll be professional, but knowing it’s only an X amount of years, six years, 10 years, 12 years, whatever it may be. At the end of the day,

I’m still very young. I’m 36. I still want to do so much.”

Masaya din siya na nagretiro nang walang sakit o injuries. “I’m very healthy, I’m very strong physically, I can still take the banging. But parang naging notion na kasi for almost every basketball player, will you wait till something is really painful until you give up, until puro pain killer ka na lang? I’m not like that.”

Ayon pa kay Kramer, marami siyang plano kasama ang kanyang pamilya at iaanunsiyo niya ito “soon” sa social media.