Jonas Tibayan is shifting all of his attention to pursuing a lifelong dream even as he continues to pick himself up from an ugly incident that threatened his career.
The 26-year-old admitted that he’s still in the process of recovering but remains determined to make it to the PBA, as he’s among those hoping to turn the heads of scouts and coaches in the Season 50 Draft Combine.
“Still recovering pa rin po after nung nangyari, pero nakaka-catch up naman po,” he said during Day 1 of the showcase at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
Tibayan has just returned to basketball activities recently after recuperating from the broken jaw he suffered from a sucker-punch by Michole Sorela during the Mindoro-GenSan game in the MPBL last August in Batangas.
He had to stay confined in the hospital for over a week, but that didn’t stop the former Batang Gilas stalwart from trying his luck in the PBA.
After all, that had been his plan even before the incident, which left the regional pro league with no choice but to impose a lifetime ban on Sorela.
“Bago kasi mangyari ‘yun, I’ve been planning to go to the Draft na talaga,” the NU product shared. “Pinursue ko na lang din after nung nangyari.
“Kasi inisip ko, ‘di naman ‘yun lang ‘yung basehan eh. Kung kaya ko pa naman, edi I’d go. Doon ako kumuha ng gauge, ng lakas.”
Now Tibayan is at the two-day Combine, looking to do the best he can to compete with his fellow hopefuls now that he’s getting back to his old form.
“Still catching up. Still recovering. Still trying my best na maka-catch up sa kanila, lalo na puro rookie ‘yung iba. I’ll do my best,” he said.
And if ever he gets lucky enough to be selected in Sunday’s drafting, the 6-foot-3 wing vows to bring his physical — but not dirty, he pointed out — brand of play.
“Siguro staying physical, pero not dirty. Tsaka ‘yung sipag,” he said.
“Doon ako kumukuha kasi eh. ‘Yung puntos, bonus na lang po siguro.”
#WATCH: “HINDI LANG SIYA ANG BASEHAN”
Jonas Tibayan stays focused on his #PBADraft dreams despite the MPBL incident 🏀
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/v9OaIomYsW
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) September 4, 2025
