By Adrian Stewart Co

Veteran center Gregory Slaughter has formalized his return to the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) after signing a deal with his former team Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings.

Kings head coach Tim Cone confirmed the signing of the 7-footer Cebuano center, who opted not to renew his contract with Barangay Ginebra last year.

“Yes, Greg has signed although I’m not privy to the details. We are happy to have him back,” Cone said in an interview with Spin.ph on Thursday, February 4.

The 32-year-old Slaughter, who was Ginebra’s first overall pick in the 2013 rookie draft, took a sabbatical with the squad after the 2019 season, vowing to improve both as a player and as a person.

Even with the absence of the former University of Visayas and Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles center, the Kings went on to win the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup championship.

Regardless of their championship success, Cone still pushed for the re-signing of Slaughter as they prepare for their title-retention bid in the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup this April.

“Greg gives us such great versatility and a huge presence in the paint,” said Cone. “He will join the team once we begin our preparation for the 2021 season.”

“At this point, we’re having voluntary practices and won’t start official practice for at least a couple of more weeks,” added the many-time PBA champion coach./ASC, WDJ