HE fell short of the prestigious Best Player of the Conference plum but Phoenix star Matthew Wright is just as honored to be recognized as one of the top players in the last PBA Philippine Cup bubble.
Wright, who finished a close second to Barangay Ginebra ace Stanley Pringle in the fight for BPC, was named to the Elite Five during Sunday's PBA Special Awards.
He joined Pringle, fellow Fuel Master Calvin Abueva, Ginebra's Japeth Aguilar, and TNT Tropang Giga's Poy Erram in the esteemed roster that represented the best and brightest in the backcourt and frontline positions.
"Thank you to the entire PBA family for recognizing the effort and sacrifice put forth during this historic bubble conference. It feels good to be acknowledged amongst your peers and other talented players in the league as one of the recipients of this great award," he said.
Wright and Pringle engaged in what's considered the closest BPC race ever. The Gin Kings' Fil-Am tallied 1,640 points culled from stats, and votes from the media, players, and the PBA. Wright wound up with 1,578 points.
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The sweet-shooting Wright posted averages of 21.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.2 steals and provided leadership to help Phoenix rise as a strong contender in the All-Filipino bubble. The Fuel Masters took the No. 2 seeding in the playoffs and went a victory short of making it to the championship series.
Wright and his teammates hope to build on this achievement to go further this year.
"Shoutout to the Fuel Masters organization for letting me be the best version of myself and to teammates for dealing with my ass on a regular basis," he said.
"To all fans and media personnel who I have gotten to know better, thank you for the positive energy and support you've given and hopefully will continue to give our franchise as we try to compete for that elusive championship" he added. (OL)
