KJ McDaniels now finds himself playing for the very same team that dealt him some tough losses during his previous stints in the PBA.
The ex-NBA cager is back in town – this time to reinforce Meralco in the ongoing Commissioner’s Cup. And he feels blessed to finally play on the side of the squad that some could call a tormentor of his.
“They took me out the first two years,” recalled McDaniels. “Got me out of the playoffs and I lost to them last conference. It’s good to be on his side, and learning from Coach [Norman] Black and the other players.”
The 29-year-old’s first rodeo in the PBA was with TNT in the 2019 Governors’ Cup. Expectations were high on that crew given its 7-0 start. But the Tropang Giga saw themselves booted out of the semis by Allen Durham and the Bolts in five.
He would lose to Meralco again years later, in the same conference. His NLEX bowed to Meralco by way of a 110-101 decision in an elimination round duel, wasting as well his 41-point, 12-rebound performance.
All that, though, is in the past now and McDaniels is looking forward to doing his best in helping a squad looking to make a playoff push.
And the partnership got off to a solid start when the Bolts took down erstwhile league leaders Bay Area, 92-89, on Friday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
(C) PBA Images
“With KJ coming in, we thought we had like a breath of fresh air and it would give us a chance to win,” lauded head coach Norman Black.
McDaniels finished with 31 points and eight rebounds, but felt far from pleased with how he shot the ball as he went just 11-for-33 from the field.
Nonetheless, he’s thankful for a triumphant debut, and grateful as well to the other Bolts that stepped up and made sure that he wouldn’t lose in his first game.
“It’s a blessing that I’m back in the PBA,” he said. “I shot the ball horribly. But that’s no excuse, I got to find other ways to help my team win. Credit to my teammates, they picked me up and they still had confidence in me.
“They were telling me to keep shooting the ball. Credit to those guys, they picked me up when I was down throughout the game. It’s a blessing to be back. I’m happy to get a W against a top team,” McDaniels added.
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The second game of each PBA gameday is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
