The Secrets Behind The "Iron-Man", LA TEnorio

(c) PBA Media Bureau

Something historic happened last Friday! It is not a much anticipated feat but it deserves some attention.

Last Friday, Ginebra suffered a come-from-behind defeat on the hands of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. That was also the 500th straight game of LA Tenorio! The awesomeness did not stop there, because actually, LA have never missed a game!

Yes! Starting from his first game with San Miguel in 2006, up to this point, LA had been on the court, rolling and doing acrobatic lay-ups!

So, the question now is, how?

Let me reveal the secret to the Ironman!

#1 He is contact-averse

In short, he avoids contact as much as possible. That is the reason why in the last five seasons, he only averaged 2.2 free-throws per game. 2.2 is very low for a player who plays 32.5 minutes per game. 

Watch him closely during a game and you may not even see him go straight into a defender. That is the reason why he develop his floater to the point that I am considering it to be the best in the league. 

#2 He is small 

It is easy to think that a small frame playing against much bigger bodies should suffer more injuries. But, if you are a risk-averse player and with a smaller frame to move, you will surely avoid big contacts. Being small also means LA is much quicker than almost everybody which minimize the chances that the big body guys will guard him.

His small stature also means that his body framework is very much intact and his body parts fits size and weight of his body. 

#3 He is kind

LA is well-beloved by his compatriots in the court. I cannot remember any time where he was involve in a confrontation. It is just human-nature that the enforcers will treat kind players, better. 

Maybe, you cannot appreciate the importance of durability in the game. So, how about this. Let us go back at the start of the 2015-2016 season, Let us say, you are being forced to cut one of LA Tenorio and Greg Slaughter. Who will you choose if you know at that point that LA will never miss a game and Greg will miss, almost, half of the games to be played?