Manny Pacquiao wants to become professional basketball player/coach

Manny Pacquiao has seemed for the past several years somewhat dissatisfied with being merely the second best boxer on earth. And since a fight with Floyd Mayweather, which would be necessary to elevate him to #1 status, doesn't seem likely, the Filipino superstar has turned to other mediums to express his talent, some of them... stranger than others.

The latest takes the cake.

Recently, Pacquiao told the Daily Times that he intends to become a "playing coach" for the debuting Kia Motors team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Despite the fact that Pacquiao has no competitive background in the sport, the prizefighter's people insist that he is dead serious about this new venture.

Business manager Eric Pineda assured reporters: "This is not a publicity stunt. He doesn't do such things."

Perhaps this shouldn't be such a surprise. Since becoming the most famous Filipino on earth, Pacquiao has worked as a politician, pop singer, and even a preacher in his native country, but the image of the 5'7" boxer running around on a basketball court is just too ridiculous.

Fans worried about the champion boxer's level of focus won't be encouraged, either, because it appears that this new activity will require Pacquiao to play ball while training for his next fight.