Matthew Wright was part of the Gilas Pilipinas team that lost the gold in the 2021 Southeast Asian Games.

Four years later, he finally found his vindication in that Hanoi debacle.

Wright proved to be a key cog for the Nationals as they reasserted their dominance in the region with a gold medal in the 33rd edition of the Games in Bangkok, Thailand.

But it wasn’t an easy road for Gilas especially with the eligibility issues that hounded the formation of the team.

“I came into this tournament trying to avenge that loss,” Wright said recalling the team’s loss to Indonesia that denied them a 14th straight gold in the regional meet.

“We had two weeks to prepare. Thailand did everything possible to make it difficult for us to have a team. But that made us band together more and come out with the gold,” he added.

Wright finished with 14 points and kept the Nationals in the contest after trailing by as many as 13 in the first half.

But it wasn’t a smooth-sailing ride either for Wright, who hasn’t really played the game for months after his departure from his Japan B.League team Kyoto Hannaryz.

“I mean, you know, guys like 30 and out, we haven’t played basketball for like seven, eight months. And then only having two weeks preparation, that was tough on us,” noted the 34-year-old gunner.

“It took me a while to get my legs into this tournament, but I was able to find it in the Saigon game and then I was able to carry it on,” he added.

All the challenges, however, only made the triumph even sweeter not only for Wright for the rest of the national team.

“We only had one full practice with all our roster, one in two weeks because everyone was with their team. This one is really sweet. This one, this was definitely the best one,” Wright.

“All the other SEA Games I’ve been a part of, other than the last one, we’ve been blowing out teams. The rest of Southeast Asia is getting better, that’s for sure. But we’re still the best,” he added.