Jordan Heading and TNT dedicated their Game 4 win over Ginebra in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup Finals to the families of Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili, grieving the untimely deaths of the young student-athletes in Aurora, Quezon, last Monday.
The lefty guard almost went to Ateneo for a one-and-done stint in the cancelled UAAP Season 83 tournament.
He was asked about his standout performance that helped the Tropang 5G tie the best-of-seven series at two games apiece, but he began by paying respects to the two Blue Eagles who tragically passed away in a team-building activity.
“First of all, I want to take the time to give my love to the families of Rene and Divine,” he offered during the postgame press conference of their 106-98 victory at the SMART Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday night.
“That played heavily on our minds, so I just wanna take the time and give love to their families.”
Heading finished with 29 points, six rebounds, and eight assists as he starred in a must-win game for the reigning champions. A loss would have meant going down 3-1 in the race-to-four affair — and could put their title defense in danger.
“Back to the game, it was a big game, and we needed to come out and win this, and that’s really it. We needed to win it,” said the 30-year-old sniper.
#WATCH: IT’S BEEN A LONG DAY, WITHOUT YOU, MY FRIEND 🦅
A day before Game 4 of the #PBA50 Commissioner’s Cup Finals, TNT head coach Chot Reyes expressed his grief over the passing of Ateneo center Divine Adili, whom he saw regularly at the Moro Lorenzo Gym, where both the Blue… pic.twitter.com/2FbSJRhuXT
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) June 10, 2026
But at the same time, they played for something far bigger than basketball as they competed with the memories of the players that passed away.
“Really glad that Jordan brought it up because he’s right, that was something we discussed also as a team yesterday,” said Coach Chot Reyes.
The champion mentor himself was among those who expressed grief over the passing of Adili, whom he saw regularly at the Moro Lorenzo Wellness and Sports Center, where both the Blue Eagles and the Tropang 5G train.
Now that the Nigerian center is gone, the facility won’t ever be the same for Reyes, as he won’t be welcomed by his warm greetings any longer.
“We see those guys — well, not too much Rene, but Divine. The past two years, we’ve seen them almost every day because we practice in the same facility, we lift weights in the same gym,” the 61-year-old bench tactician said.
“I don’t know if you saw my Instagram story yesterday. It was really surreal stepping into the Moro Lorenzo court and the gym without Divine’s ‘Good morning, Coach!’ greetings right there.”
