Tenorio on Finals MVP plum: 'Championship lang ang hiniling ko, binigyan pa ako ng bonus'

If things turned out just a little bit differently, LA Tenorio could have skipped the PBA bubble in Clark, Pampanga.

Weeks before the league restarted its 45th season disrupted by the pandemic, the veteran point guard had an appendectomy shortly after his wife gave birth.

The situation made it difficult for him to decide whether to join his team in the PBA bubble. But he made up his mind to just take the plunge, and that made all the difference.

Now, Tenorio won his first ever Philippine Cup title and even snagged the Finals Most Valuable Player trophy, to boot.

"All-Filipino championship lang ang hiniling ko sa Panginoon, binigyan pa ako ng bonus," he said after Barangay Ginebra closed out TNT in Game 5 on Wednesday.

Tenorio registered an average of 13.6 points, 6.2 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game to claim the Finals MVP award.

For head coach Tim Cone, Tenorio was crucial in Ginebra's title run.

"He was the driving force through this whole bubble, even though he came in not 100% from surgery," Cone said in the post-game press conference.

"It was special. He drove us motivationally throughout this tournament," he added.

The Gin Kings won their first Philippine Cup title in 13 years after defeating TNT in a gentleman's sweep. —MGP, GMA News