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Sacrifices will always be worth it for Arwind Santos

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Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/sports/03/06/arwind-santos-030617.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">San Miguel&#x27;s Arwind Santos celebrates durnig Game 5 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals. <cite>Richard Esguerra, <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/basketball/photos">ABS-CBN Sports</a></cite></div></figcaption></figure></div>MANILA, Philippines – Eleven years into his professional basketball career, San Miguel forward Arwind Santos is satisfied with the role that he has in a powerhouse team that can contend for the championship in every conference. His resume is brimming with individual awards that includes an MVP trophy, several Mythical Team selections, and Defensive Team honors. Santos, even at 35, clearly still has what it takes to be a franchise player.However, with SMB, Santos has been more than willing to take a backseat. With June Mar Fajardo&#x27;s transformation into the most dominant force in the PBA, the Beermen no longer need for Santos to be the &quot;Spiderman&quot; of old. They simply need him to fulfill his role – guard the other team&#x27;s best wing player, hit open shots, run the break, and, of course, provide veteran leadership and guidance.Santos has excelled in his role, and his willingness to sacrifice his numbers and individual honors has been highly touted by his teammates and coaches. If a former league MVP is willing to take on a smaller role for the betterment of the team, then what excuse would others have?<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/basketball/news/2017/03/05/san-miguel-wins-perpetual-trophy-expense-ginebra-22824">READ: San Miguel wins Perpetual trophy at the expense of Ginebra</a></li></ul>For Santos, however, making this sacrifice was a no-brainer.&quot;Tayo naman kasi, dumaan na tayo sa pagiging rookie, at tapos na ako doon,&quot; said Santos on Sunday, basking in the glow of a third consecutive All-Filipino title following their 91-85 win over Barangay Ginebra in Game 5.&quot;Ngayon, andito na kami, at mayroon kaming June Mar, tapos andyan pa sila Chris Ross. Kumbaga, hindi ka na dapat makipag-agawan,&quot; he said simply.Santos already has a collection of individual awards, but ultimately, what he wanted was more championships. He knew that the best way to do that was to uplift his teammates, which could only lead to the improvement of the entire team.&quot;Dapat itaas mo sila, suportahan mo sila, para mas lalo silang umangat,&quot; said Santos. &quot;Alam mo naman na kapag ina-angat mo sila, ginawa mo &#x27;yung part mo, hininto mo na &#x27;yung mga selos or huwag makipag-agawan sa kanila, I&#x27;m sure mare-realize ng bawat isa na pwede nila akong tularan,&quot; he pointed out.Santos believes that his example has rubbed off on their rookies, who are willing to wait their turn and work hard in practice even though they are rarely used in games. His coaches, he knows, have also taken notice of his actions.&quot;Kahit ang mga coaches, nakikita nila na hindi na ako &#x27;yung tipong nakikipag-unahan pa sa kanila sa score or sa mga award,&quot; Santos said.&quot;Basta kami, masaya kami sa kung saan masaya ang bawat isa. Kagaya nito, champion, lahat masaya kami,&quot; he stressed.Santos&#x27; sacrifice has not gone unnoticed. Chris Ross, the Finals MVP of their All-Filipino Cup triumph against Ginebra, paid tribute to his team captain when he accepted his trophy.&quot;This team is about sacrifice,&quot; said Ross. &quot;Arwind is an MVP, but when June Mar came in, he took a backseat.&quot;Santos, the one-time PBA MVP and now five-time PBA champion, now just smiles at the idea of individual trophies. The last time he got an individual award was in 2014, when they had just won the first of three straight All-Filipino titles.&quot;Walang kasama-sama (sa loob ko),&quot; he said. &quot;Kumbaga, &#x27;yang mga ganyang award, ipagpapa-salamat mo kapag binigay sa &#x27;yo ng Diyos. Pero kahit hindi ka bigyan, magpapasalamat ka pa rin.&quot;(For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/">ABS-CBN Sports website.</a>)

Eleven years into his professional basketball career, San Miguel forward Arwind Santos is satisfied with the role that he has in a powerhouse team that can contend for the championship in every conference.

Eleven years into his professional basketball career, San Miguel forward Arwind Santos is satisfied with the role that he has in a powerhouse team that can contend for the championship in every conference.

Sacrifices will always be worth it for Arwind Santos

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Sacrifices will always be worth it for Arwind Santos

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Mar 06, 2017 07:10 PM PHT

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Philippine Cup

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