Nostalgia hits Antonio Hester, former team Magnolia

Terrafirma’s Antonio Hester goes up against his former team Magnolia in the PBA Governors’ Cup.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Antonio Hester saw much of the same but in quite a different situation at Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Sunday in the PBA Governors’ Cup.

The Terrafirma import took the hardwood with the Magnolia Hotshots, but this time he’s on the opposing side of the court.

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Hester was the Hotshots’ reinforcement in last year’s edition of the Governors’ Cup which explained why so much nostalgia hit him when the Dyip and Magnolia collided in Group A action.

READ: PBA: Antonio Hester torments former team in Magnolia win over Terrafirma

“These are my brothers, it’s all love. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to play [much]. That’s beyond me, I only control what I can. It’s always good to see my brothers. It’s definitely a blessing to share the court with them,” said Hester after the Dyip’s 124-103 blowout loss at the hands of the Hotshots.

Hester played sparingly for Terrafirma, scoring just two points and five rebounds in only 12 minutes.

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Despite seeing just a few touches for Dyip, Hester was acknowledged by Magnolia center James Laput, who said he missed seeing the American big man hit the floor.

“It’s always good to play with past teammates and hopefully, future teammates but it’s always good to play with guys like Hester,” said Laput, who finished with four points and two rebounds in the win.

“He brought us from a really bad start from the Govs. Cup to a playoff berth. Being able to match up against him on the other end is a great time to test our abilities to see how we’ve grown,” added the young big.

READ: PBA: Antonio Hester ‘lit up with joy’ upon getting Magnolia call-up

Hester replaced Eric McCree in the last Governors’ Cup, resulting in better outings for Magnolia.

In that conference, Hester posted norms of 34.0 points and 15.5 rebounds for the surging Hotshots.

However, their run in the 2023 edition of the import-laden conference would come to a halt when Meralco eliminated them in the quarterfinal.

That magical run is one of the many reasons why Laput said that he “misses” playing with his “brother” Hester.

“I miss him as my brother, I miss being with the ‘Hes-truck’ but on the competitive and business sides of things, it’s just part of the game so on game day, there’s no feelings involved.”