Rain or Shine star center Raymond Almazan was rushed to the hospital on Sunday night just moments after helping the Elasto Painters beat the Star Hotshots in the Oppo PBA Governors’ Cup at SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Almazan, who scored 13 points and 14 rebounds in the victory, was stretchered out of the dugout and taken to Cardinal Santos Medical Center due to dehydration. He was already feeling ill prior to the game.
Raymond Almazan felt really weak after the game. He played with a fever. He was dehydrated.
Still, he was the best player of the game
— Mara Aquino (@missMaraAquino) August 27, 2017
Raymond Almazan leaving the Rain or Shine dugout pic.twitter.com/2BeCQSWiTR
— Mara Aquino (@missMaraAquino) August 27, 2017
Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia said Almazan “forced himself to play” due to the absence of Beau Belga who was serving his one-game suspension.
“Raymond came in late today. He was sick. Since Beau wasn’t here, he has to force himself to play,” Garcia told sportswriters. “Surprisingly, kahit may sakit siya, he was rebounding and helping us out. He came to practice yesterday, but he came in today na medyo malata.”
Almazan, in the post-game interview after being hailed best player of the game, said he still gave his all for Rain or Shine despite barely getting any rest since playing for the national team in the FIBA Asia Cup.
“Wala kasi si Beau, kailangang mag-step up. Pagkatapos ng sakit, pwede naman ako magpahinga eh,” he said.
