Juami Tiongson finally saw his hard work earn the validation it truly deserves now that he’s bound for a maiden PBA All-Star appearance.
The Terrafirma star is set to play in his first-ever All-Star Game as part of Team Mark Barroca in the midseason showpiece taking place in Bacolod.
“First and foremost, glory to God. Without Him, hindi naman ‘yan possible,” he said.
“Lalong-lalo na sa PBA fans na paulit-ulit na bumoto sa akin. Very thankful ako. Excited ako to compete with the big-time players natin dito sa PBA.”
Tiongson was among the top 29 vote-getters for this year’s All-Star Game and that served as good news for many after being snubbed last season.
The 2021 Most Improved Player was one of those which fans and netizens alike looked for when the PBA rolled out the 30 players that received the most votes for the 2023 All-Star, saying that he should’ve earned a nod given his fine play.
Tiongson averaged 18.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists that season, but he didn’t — and never would — take the non-inclusion against anybody.
(C) PBA Images
“Ako, personally, hindi naman ako ganun kasikat na player; ‘yung team na pinaglalaruan ko hindi rin naman sikat eh,” he offered. “Feel ko nga, bilang ‘yung fans namin eh. To be honest lang, let’s be real.
“At the end of the day, para sa fans naman ‘to eh. Whether All Star ako or not, naa-appreciate ko pa rin naman ‘yung bumoto sa akin. Kasi at the end of the day, sila naman ‘yung kailangan nating pasayahin eh.”
But a year can definitely change a lot and now, he’s set to play in the All-Star for the very first time in his career, which, indeed, is a major milestone for a player who had to toil in the D-League for a while to find his way back into the majors.
“This year hindi ko rin in-expect, pero very thankful talaga ako sa opportunity na binigay niyo sa akin,” said the Ateneo de Manila product.
Still, Tiongson refuses to rest on his laurels, preferring to remain as grounded and as locked in as he can. But at the same time, the 33-year-old guard hopes that this All-Star citation is a sign of better things to come for him.
“Ayoko maging overconfident. There’s more work to be done. Like I said sa previous interviews, sana start ‘to sa paganda nang paganda sa career ko.”
But of course, he’s excited about his All-Star debut, particularly in teaming up with his childhood hero, TNT star Jayson Castro, in Team Mark, which also features June Mar Fajardo, James Yap, Gabe Norwood, and Calvin Abueva.
“Kampi ko si Jayson Castro. Very excited ako,” he said, smiling. “Idol ko ‘yun growing up eh. Hopefully hindi ako mahiya magtanong sa kanya.”
