At 34, Jio Jalalon believes that his time in basketball is soon coming to a close, thus the new mindset he has since recovering from back surgery.
The former PBA Press Corps Defensive Player of the Year is trying to make the most of his opportunity with TNT at this point in his career, just like what he did in their rout of Macau in the Season 50 Governors’ Cup on Tuesday.
He notched a rare triple-double of 11 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists in 22 minutes. It was a performance reminiscent of his exploits during his college days with Arellano University and while proving his worth early in his pro career.
“I’m thankful and grateful kasi ito naman ‘yung ano ko ngayon sa buhay ko. Like, alam ko patapos na ako sa basketball sa PBA,” he said moments after the Tropang 5G’s 142-27 mauling of the Giant Pandas for their third win in a row.
“But gusto ko lang matapos ‘yung career ko na ganito — like ganito, ‘yung trabaho na natatapos ko. Yun ang inaano ko sa sarili ko, na every day mag-improve lang ako one percent, so gusto ko lang magtrabaho.”
It’s a surprising thought from Jalalon, who appears to have more years of solid basketball left. Still, it’s also understandable considering that he went through chronic sciatica, which raised some doubts about his future.
That injury was the reason his form dropped for a time, pushing him to have it surgically repaired to address the issue and to continue playing.
Months later, he’s feeling better, so much so that he was able to register his third PBA career triple-double on Tuesday following a thorough check by the league’s chief statistician, Fidel Mangonon III, through records.
It was, furthermore, his first triple-double in the last three seasons, becoming the fourth active local player to tally three triple-doubles after Chris Ross, former league MVP Scottie Thompson, and rookie Juan Gomez de Liano.
“Sobrang tagal na,” reflected Jalalon, who recorded his first two triple-doubles during his time with Magnolia. “Sabi ko nga sa sarili ko, nakaka-miss mag-basketball. Kaya ito na ‘yung ano ko, na wala akong regret na sa buhay.
“Na maglalaro lang ako; kung ano ‘yung trabaho ko, sige, pasok lang ako, basta I’m always ready,” added the special Gilas draftee back in 2016.
Maximizing his time on the court is also his way of repaying the trust given by the flagship MVP franchise, especially after signing him to a one-year extension.
“Sobrang thankful and grateful ako kay Boss Jolas and Coach Chot, siyempre binigyan pa rin ako ng work. Blessed ako dahil nandito pa rin ako,” he said.
“Every day, pinapakita ko sa kanila na kaya ko pang gawin yung makakaya kong maitulong sa team,” added Jalalon, who was picked up by TNT via free agency a day before Season 50 opened.
“As a role player sa TNT, I’m always ready.”
