ANTIPOLO — Jordan Heading is hoping that the third time’s the charm after TNT completed the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup Finals picture Sunday.
The Tropang 5G have forged a rematch with Barangay Ginebra for a chance to defend the championship, and the lefty guard has his sights set on helping the franchise to accomplish as much for his first taste of glory in the league.
“That means everything,” he said about the prospect of winning his maiden crown shortly after their 97-94 ouster of Meralco in the semis’ Game 6 Sunday at the Ynares Center here, in which he starred in with 30 big points.
Heading wasn’t with TNT when it ruled the midseason tourney just last season until he got traded by Converge back on June 2, 2025, for Mikey Williams in a straight-up swap pulled off in the midst of the Season 49 Philippine Cup.
That improved his chances of reaching the PBA Finals for the first time, and that’s exactly what happened when the Tropa made it to the Last Dance of that very conference, where they squared up against the loaded San Miguel.
It did not end the way they wanted, though, as Jericho Cruz and the Beermen finished it off in six games to regain the Jun Bernardino Trophy.
(C) PBA Images
Heading and TNT earned a chance at redemption quickly by going all the way to the Season 50 Philippine Cup Finals, but standing in their way anew was SMB.
And just like in their past meeting, the result was still the same, with June Mar Fajardo leading his crew to a successful title defense–and the ‘Kraken’ earning himself Ramon Fernandez PBA Press Corps Finals MVP honors along the way.
All that has stuck with Heading since, thus the extreme hunger on his part to exorcise those ghosts by finally winning the gold this time.
“When you lose in the Finals, that sticks with you the whole offseason, the whole next season, the whole preseason,” Heading said. “You wake up in the morning, and you go into training, that’s what you’re thinking about.
“You’re thinking about getting in a spot to have another crack at it, and we’re blessed and thankful to be able to have another shot at it. We’re gonna give everything we’ve got just like what we did in the last Finals.”
And based on the way he’s performed in the recent series, Heading could be bound for a solid Finals ahead. In Game 6 alone, the former Gilas Pilipinas cog came through in the clutch by nailing the marginal bucket.
It’s also representative of the sudden uptick in his numbers in this semis. After scoring just six points in Game 2, the former overseas import went on to average 19.75 points, capped by, as mentioned, his 30-piece in the clincher.
“Nothing changed,” the 30-year-old Fil-Australian said. “Sometimes the results differ, but the work remains the same. Doesn’t matter if the ball’s going in or not, you gotta come into the morning, shoot your shots, take care of your body.
“And as a pro, you go through little slumps and that, but you gotta have faith in yourself that you’re gonna bounce back.”
