Greg Slaughter | Inquirer photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebuano basketball fans were hit with a shocker as 7-foot big man Greg Slaughter officially parted ways with the Cebu Classic, the team set to compete in the upcoming Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) season.
Reports circulated on Tuesday, February 25, particularly from sports journalist Snow Badua, claiming that Slaughter was dropped from the team’s plans due to his alleged demand for a hefty salary—double that of a PBA player, roughly ₱700,000 plus an ex-deal.
However, the 36-year-old former PBA champion quickly refuted these allegations, clarifying that money was not the reason behind his decision.
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In a comment on Badua’s Facebook post, Slaughter revealed that the Cebu Classic had already agreed to his asking price, but he opted not to join the team due to its lack of Cebuano homegrown players.
“Money was not the problem, they agreed to my amount. I did not want to join since we did not have any Cebuano players but instead a group from last year’s Valenzuela team,” Slaughter said in a Facebook reply on Wednesday, February 26.
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Cebu Classic
The Cebu Classic, that recently holding tryouts in Cebu City and Danao City, has yet to release an official statement on the matter.
Interestingly, the team is owned by Voltaire Morales Ora, who previously managed the Valenzuela Classic in the MPBL. Cebu Classic took over the Cebu franchise, which was previously known as the Cebu Sharks before being disbanded by International Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (IPI) after the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Despite its Cebuano branding, the current Cebu Classic roster is primarily composed of former Valenzuela Classic players. The team has yet to announce which players from the recent tryouts, if any, made it to the final lineup.