This former cager ditched a PBA career for new life as a truck driver in Canada

MANILA, Philippines – Imagine working toward your PBA career for over a decade and when you get there, you leave to fulfill someone else’s dreams.

That’s the path that Tristan Perez took.

When Tristan was growing up in Pampanga, despite being tall (he topped off at 6’5”), he didn’t play basketball at all. In fact, he was a late bloomer and learned the game at age 14. Nevertheless, he stood out at St. Vincent Academy and was recruited by Eric Altamirano for National University. Tan, as Perez is nicknamed, was a part of NU’s 2014 UAAP men’s basketball champion squad, which he said “is a blessing.”

As his love for basketball grew, Perez began to dream about playing in the PBA. After an amateur career with BDO-NU and Jumbo Plastic in the PBA D-League, he was brought in by Blackwater in the PBA. A year into the pro league, despite his contract on the verge of being renewed, Tan opted to migrate and follow his wife, Princess Jhameel, in Alberta, Canada where she was working.

“I weighed my options very well,” recounted Perez. “I thought it many times over. My wife was pregnant and it seemed that what I would be getting from a new life in Canada outweighed anything I might earn in the PBA — assuming I play long in the league.”

Tan said he has no regrets with his decision. He had difficulty making ends meet back in Manila, but his new job as a truck driver for a firm that hauls petroleum in Alberta has proved to be very beneficial and is good for his family long term.

Tristan Perez while on duty.

“Truck driving is like basketball,” he explained. “You need a lot of rest — at least eight hours of sleep or 10 if you can. When you drive, you have to focus because we drive even during winter and sub-zero temperatures. Of course, our dispatcher will not let us out if road and weather conditions are bad. And we can refuse if we have not gotten enough rest or if it is dangerous.”

Hauling petroleum on board a 26-wheeler has made Tan a better driver as he takes extra care. 

“Driving here is much better unlike in the Philippines which can be hazardous to your health. The other year, I took a vacation in Manila, and I had a tough time driving. I had gotten used to driving defensively in Canada that I had trouble even crossing intersections here!”

Yet, Tan is immensely enjoying his new life. His brood has increased. In addition to his eldest daughter Triana who is five years old, the Perezes welcomed Tanya to the world 10 months ago.

The Perez family.

He still eats a slice of his former life, playing recreational basketball in his new home at Fort McMurray, Alberta, where the population is under 70,000 in this oil country. And most recently, he was lucky when a MPBL selection came over to Alberta for an exhibition game. That selection included an old NU teammate in Dennice Villamor for a quick, but much-valued reunion.

Even thousands and thousands of miles from the Philippines, Perez’s old basketball career is known not only to the small Filipino community, but also to others. 

“Being a basketball player has opened doors for me,” summed up Perez. “It has helped me get an education, meet people — and it does feel great to be recognized in this part of the world — and instill values of discipline and hard work. I am blessed.”