By MANILA, Philippines — Magnolia import Ricardo Ratliffe is eager to make his debut in the iconic Manila Clasico on Christmas Day when the Hotshots face their long-time rivals, the Barangay Ginebra Kings.
Now 35, Ratliffe revealed that he missed the opportunity to play against the Gin Kings during his earlier stints with Magnolia in 2016 and 2017.
“I’m looking forward to it. I know it’s the biggest rivalry in this league,” Ratliffe said on Friday night, shortly after helping Magnolia snap a four-game losing streak with a hard-fought 99-95 overtime win against NLEX.
While Magnolia continues to find its footing in the Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup, Ratliffe recognizes that a PBA showdown against Ginebra, the league’s most popular team, presents a unique opportunity to showcase his skills and, more importantly, secure a crucial win for his squad.
“We had to adopt a playoff mindset. We’ve dug ourselves into a pretty deep hole,” Ratliffe admitted.
“Like coach said, hopefully we can build some momentum and carry that confidence into our next game,” said Ratliffe, who previously played as South Korea’s naturalized player in the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China.
The former Missouri standout is set to face off against Ginebra’s star import Justin Brownlee, who recently delivered a spectacular 49-point performance in the Gin Kings’ 114-98 victory over Terrafirma.
Ginebra and Magnolia, whose storied PBA rivalry began in the 1988 season, are set to meet on Christmas Day for the first time since 2021. In their last holiday showdown, the Hotshots, led by import Mike Harris, dominated the Gin Kings with a 117-94 victory at the Big Dome, in front of 4,843 fans—the largest crowd during the COVID-19 pandemic era.
That Christmas game was particularly memorable for Magnolia, as the team held jersey retirement ceremonies for long-time stars Peter June Simon and Marc Pingris during halftime.
The following year, Ginebra returned to Christmas Day action with a commanding 96-81 victory over the Bay Area Dragons in Game 1 of the 2022-23 Commissioner’s Cup Finals, drawing a massive crowd of 18,252 fans at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
In last year’s Christmas Day game, Ginebra secured a hard-fought 86-78 win over a Rondae Hollis-Jefferson-less TNT during the Commissioner’s Cup elimination round.
