PJ Simon on old pal James Yap: 'Nakadikit na talaga ‘yung pangalan naming dalawa'

CALASIAO, Pangasinan - They may now be separated by teams, but for Peter June Simon, his name will always be linked to his former Purefoods teammate James Yap.

Talking to reporters after he clinched his first-ever 3-point shootout title in the PBA All-Star on Friday, Simon had nothing but words of praise for his friend Yap, whom he had dethroned in the competition.

Simon scored 17 points in the Final round to narrowly escape Robert Bolick of Northport and Philip Paniamogan of NLEX.

• READ: PBA All-Star 2019: PJ Simon wins first ever 3-point shooting title

“Ewan ko ba. Parang siguro parang nakadikit na talaga yung pangalan naming dalawa,” Simon revealed. “Pero I’m very happy para sa kaniya kasi sobrang galing niya pa rin until this time. And we had a great career so wala na kong masabi kundi thankful sa pinagsamahan namin.”

(I don't know. Maybe because our names are linked. But I'm very happy for him because he's still so good until this time. And we had a great career so there's nothing else I could say but that I am thankful for our friendship.)

Yap returned the favor, congratulating his ex-teammate for the victory. “Big Game” Yap said Simon could still play at a topnotch level despite being older.

“Nung rookie year ko, magkasabay na kami and marami pang gasolina na natitira diyan sa katawan niya. So, puwedeng puwede pa ‘yan,” Yap said.

(During my rookie year, we were together and he still has a lot of fuel left in his body. He can still play.)

The two-time champion in the shootout contest, on the other hand, shrugged off his loss, stressing that he is still happy with the outcome of the competition. Yap failed to advance to the final round.

He also hinted at a possible return in the skill challenge at the next PBA All-Star should he be given a chance.

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Meanwhile, Simon admitted, despite his long stay in the pro league, he felt anxious before the shootout as he believed his three-point baskets are ‘game’ shots.

“Kinakabahan pa rin ako kahit sobrang tagal ko na sa PBA. So parang inisip ko na lang na take time lang, hindi ko na lang madaliin ang tira ko kasi wala akong magawa eh. Ganun talaga yung tira ko, mabagal,” the Hotshot playmaker said.

(I still get nervous even if I've been in the PBA for a while. So I just kept in mind to take my time, not rush my shots because there's nothing I can do. That's really how I shoot- slowly.)

Simon said his initial plan was to slow down his pace and make sure baskets in the early racks. This worked for him in the first round where he ranked second behind Paniamogan.

However, in the final round, he was off to a bad start, forcing him to rush his shots to reach the final rack.

“‘Yung final round na, bad start ako eh. So parang gusto ko habulin ‘yung time para makaabot ako doon sa huling rack. And luckily, malaking tulong ‘yung last rack sakin.”

(In the final round, I had a bad start. So it's like I want to catch up with the time so I could reach the final rack. And luckily, the last rack was helpful.)

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