Gregory William Slaughter[1] (born May 19, 1988) is a Filipino-American professionalbasketball player who last played for theManila SV Batang Sampaloc of theMaharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). He was selected first overall by theBarangay Ginebra in the2013 PBA draft.[2] Sports commentators and scribes call himGregZilla because of his apparent heft and height.[3] Listed at 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) and 245 pounds (111 kg), he plays the center position in B.League, the Japanese professional basketball league.[4]
Greg's father is 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m), while his mother is 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m), Both of his parents were health physicists at nuclear power plants. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio,[5] and grew up in Virginia, finishing at Massaponax High School. In 2007, his family moved to Cebu, the hometown of his mother. He quickly learned Cebuano and was convinced by his maternal uncles to play competitive basketball.[6]
He studied and played for theUniversity of the Visayas from 2007 to 2009 and took up Political Science, winning theCebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) men's basketball title each year in his three-year stint with UV, as well as the league MVP award in 2008 and 2009, the latter of which he shared withJune Mar Fajardo of theUniversity of Cebu. He transferred toAteneo de Manila University in 2010 and became an eligible player in 2011.[7] In his two seasons for the Blue Eagles, he averaged 13.1 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 1.8 APG 2.9 BPG and 49.7 FG%, and he placed second in rebounds and blocks. He successfully teamed up withKiefer Ravena andNico Salva to lead Ateneo to two UAAP championships and completing a five-peat.[8]
After graduating from Ateneo, he signed withPBA D-League teamNLEX Road Warriors to showcase his talent for the upcoming PBA Draft.
Slaughter declared for the2013 PBA draft. In the prospect camp, he was measured to have height of 6 foot and 11 5/8 inches and a wingspan of 85 inches. He had a vertical reach of 11 feet 6 inches and performed 40 bench presses, the most of all draft applicants. He also did 50 situps, 62 pushups and 18 pullups. After the workout, multiple PBA managers and analysts listed him as the no. 1 prospect.[9] Barangay Ginebra San Miguel picked him with the #1 pick in the draft.
Greg Slaughter was paired withJapeth Aguilar to form one of the most formidable frontcourt duos in the PBA and was dubbed the "Twin Towers". In his first game in the PBA, he tallied 10 points (5 of 9 shooting) and 13 rebounds in 36 minutes of play. On February 8, 2020 via Instagram, Slaughter announced that he's taking a break from PBA after his contract with Ginebra already expired.
On February 4, 2021, Ginebra coachTim Cone confirmed that Slaughter is re-signed with the team after a 1-year hiatus.
On March 5, 2021, Slaughter was traded to theNorthPort Batang Pier in exchange forChristian Standhardinger.[10] He became a restricted free agent on January 31, 2022.[11] He was unable to re-sign with NorthPort due to contract disputes.[12]
On July 9, 2022, Slaughter signed withRizing Zephyr Fukuoka of theB2 League of Japan marking his departure from the PBA.[13]
In April 2024, Greg Slaughter was listed as a reserve player for theMaharlika Pilipinas Basketball League'sManila SV Batang Sampaloc. He will join the Manila squad upon the conclusion of the 2023–24 B.League season.[14][15]
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
As of the end of 2021 Season[16]
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | Barangay Ginebra | 43 | 32.9 | .532 | .000 | .641 | 10.0 | 1.5 | .2 | 1.4 | 14.6 |
| 2014–15 | Barangay Ginebra | 32 | 28.8 | .494 | — | .705 | 10.3 | 1.3 | .2 | .8 | 14.8 |
| 2015–16 | Barangay Ginebra | 26 | 35.3 | .545 | .000 | .708 | 11.7 | 2.0 | .4 | 1.3 | 19.7 |
| 2016–17 | Barangay Ginebra | 23 | 27.4 | .487 | — | .659 | 8.2 | 1.4 | .2 | 1.9 | 13.8 |
| 2017–18 | Barangay Ginebra | 38 | 27.7 | .486 | .000 | .691 | 8.0 | 1.9 | .3 | 1.1 | 13.4 |
| 2019 | Barangay Ginebra | 49 | 22.8 | .508 | — | .713 | 6.4 | 1.0 | .3 | .9 | 9.8 |
| 2021 | NorthPort | 12 | 35.3 | .480 | .059 | .563 | 10.8 | .7 | .3 | 1.9 | 16.5 |
| Career | 223 | 29.0 | .508 | .048 | .678 | 9.0 | 1.4 | .3 | 1.2 | 14.0 | |
Slaughter was the starting center for theSinag Pilipinas team that won the2011 SEA Games and the 2011 SEABA tournament which was the qualifying tournament for the2011 FIBA Asia Championship.[17] He was also a part of the national team pool in preparation for the2013 FIBA Asia Championship held in the Philippines but did not make it to the final 12 roster. He was again invited to the pool that will train to compete in both the2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup inSpain and the2014 Asian Games inIncheon,South Korea, but he declined.[18] He played in the Philippines in the fifth window of the Asia qualifiers for the 2019 FIBA World Cup against Kazakhstan, but he was scoreless and had only one rebound in the game.[19][20]
Philippines squad | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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