It’s challenging, to say the least, for those like Jayson David to stay as ready as they can be without any certainty as to when the opportunity to play comes.
Yet he did, and by keeping the faith, the Kapampangan winger finally got his prayers answered after being brought back to the Ginebra lineup.
“Masaya ako siyempre na mababalik ulit ako sa lineup,” reflected the 28-year-old. “‘Yun ‘yung pinagdadasal ko, ng pamilya ko, na makalaro ulit ako.”
On Tuesday, David was reactivated by the Kings by relegating LA Tenorio to the unrestricted free agent list in a move made to give the star guard more time to prepare his Gilas Boys for the FIBA U16 Asia Cup SEABA Qualifiers.
That, of course, was much to the delight of the former PBA 3×3 standout, given how hard it is to crack the squad due to how stacked it’s always been.
“Naiintindihan ko naman kasi sobrang stacked nga ng lineup namin, sobrang loaded,” said David, who was picked 20th overall by Ginebra in 2022.
“From Kuya LA to Nards Pinto, hanggang ilalim sobrang stacked namin, may Paul Garcia pa kami. Sobrang blessed ko lang talaga na nabalik ako sa lineup.”
And so he made it a point to make the most out of his comeback when they faced NorthPort a day after being reactivated into the lineup.
In an apparent expression of gratitude, David unloaded a PBA career-high 25 points on 8-of-9 shooting, including a perfect 4-of-4 clip from three, alongside nine rebounds to star in their 131-106 crushing of the Batang Pier.
It was, without a doubt, a sensational showing from the Lyceum product but head coach Tim Cone already knew what his ward is capable of.
“Jayson’s paid the price,” the champion mentor said. “He paid his dues, he played today like he plays in practice.
“It wasn’t actually anything special, sorry to say. It wasn’t anything special, he does that in practice everyday.”
(C) PBA Images
For David, it’s a representation of his mindset of keeping himself as prepared as he can be for whenever he’s needed. And he’d always stick to it.
“Ang mindset ko lang is maging ready lagi, nasa lineup man ako o hindi. Basta iniisip ko lagi ready lang, baka kailanganin ako ng team,” he said.
“Sa practice, kung ano maitutulong ko, dedepensahan ko ‘yung mga teammate ko para pagdating sa game ready rin sila. Basta kung ano lang ‘yung maitutulong ko, ‘yun lang lagi ‘yung ginagawa ko.”
So impressive was his performance that Cone is looking to keep him in the lineup even when Tenorio gets available after his national team duties.
“At that time, we hope that we can open up a spot for Jayson to stay in the lineup. Obviously, he needs to stay, as well as he’s playing,” he said.
#WATCH: Tim Cone is glad his gamble on Jayson David paid off in their win against NorthPort 🏀
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times#PBA2025 pic.twitter.com/rP4g6RWGUp
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) April 30, 2025
