Jeremiah Gray couldn’t be any happier to have finally returned to action after going through what he considers one of his toughest ordeals ever.
The former second overall pick on Friday played his first game in 19 months as Ginebra walloped NorthPort anew to take Game 2 of their PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup semifinals at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
“Being out there on the floor is just a big blessing to me. It’s been a long time, like you said, a year and a half,” he said moments after the match.
Gray was inserted by Tim Cone at the 6:55 mark of the second period and was deservingly showered with cheers and adoration from the crowd, as he was finally competing once more after being sidelined due to a major knee injury.
He needed only little time to score the first points of his comeback, nailing a triple from the left wing — in just his first attempt — with 6:19 on the clock.
(C) PBA Images
“Man, shoot. To be honest, I really blacked out when I was out there for the first few minutes, so that was all God, for sure, just guiding me through the first few minutes on the floor,” said a smiling Gray, who finished with six points.
“Once I hit that first shot and went in, heard my name say three ball, it just felt really good to be out there again,” added the 28-year-old winger.
Gray was indeed all smiles even as he made his way out of ULTRA, and one can’t put him at fault for being full of joy — especially after suffering the second major injury of his budding career that kept him out for a long time.
It could be recalled that he suffered an ACL tear on his left knee while playing for TNT in the PBA 3×3 back in November of 2021, although he was able to play again after about 11 months during the 2022-23 Commissioner’s Cup.
But that return lasted for a few months only. On the final day of the 2023 PBA On Tour at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig, his right knee gave out during the final seconds, and cast a dark cloud over their 91-85 win over NLEX.
The doctors then found out that he had sustained multiple ligament tears, and the journey to recovery would prove to be a long and arduous one.
Photo by PBA Images
“To be honest, that was probably one of the toughest things I ever had to go through,” he recalled. “You guys know I went through one ACL injury before.
“And then, in that last game in the On Tour, in the last minutes of the game, I just blew my knee out. And that might have been one of the toughest things I ever had to go through. But it really made my faith very strong,” he added.
“Just having faith got me through everything. But that was definitely one of the toughest things I’ve ever had to go through, for sure.”
It took him 579 days to return, and that’s why Gray — with his faith as strong as it’s ever been — is just extremely thankful to have made his way back.
“I’m just very grateful for the people around me, very grateful to be a part of an organization like Ginebra, to keep me around for 18 months without playing, it’s just a blessing, for sure. The people around me kept me going,” he said.
#WATCH: “IT’S A BIG BLESSING!”
After 579 days, Jeremiah Gray is just grateful to be back doing what he loves—playing the game
@justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times#PBA2025 pic.twitter.com/tKQXTTelTe
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) February 28, 2025
