Rey Nambatac may have won Finals MVP honors in the 2025 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals, but his coronation and TNT’s second championship of the season might not have been possible without the heroics of one of its most unsung players: Glenn Khobuntin.
Entering Game 7 on Friday, the 6-foot-4 forward from Cagayan de Oro was averaging just 4.33 points and 1.67 rebounds, having gone scoreless in Games 4 and 5. His best outing prior to Game 7? A 10-point performance in Game 3 that helped TNT escape with an 87-85 win.
But despite his limited minutes, Khobuntin put in the work during practices.
“Napaka-hardworking na taong yan. Siya yung pinaka-una at pinaka-huling lumabas ng court,” shared Calvin Oftana.
When Roger Pogoy cramped up midway through the final quarter of the deciding game, and with Ginebra leading by five, Chot Reyes called Khobuntin’s number. It was the moment Khobuntin had been waiting for—and he didn’t waste a second.
#WATCH: Roger Pogoy calls the #PBA2025 Commissioner’s Cup Finals against Ginebra the toughest championship Tropang Giga has ever won 🏆
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/U6MmHNGHGn
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) March 28, 2025
“Proud ako kay Glenn din, nung nag-cramps ako. Talagang nag-step up si Glenn,” said Pogoy.
“Ganun talaga pag team.”
Khobuntin was tasked not only with providing offense in Pogoy’s absence but also with defending Scottie Thompson, one of the toughest challenges in the league. Right after entering the game, he followed a Calvin Oftana three-pointer with a booming triple of his own, giving TNT a 75-72 lead.
Late in the game, he cleaned up an Oftana miss with a jumper, extending the lead to 77-74 with just under 50 seconds left.
Though Ginebra managed to send the game into overtime thanks to Justin Brownlee’s heroics, Khobuntin would not let the Gin Kings spoil what the Tropang Giga had worked for.
With 2:22 left in overtime, Khobuntin drilled a cold-blooded three-pointer that gave TNT an 85-79 lead—the shot that set the stage for an 87-83 victory and the Commissioner’s Cup title.
Khobuntin finished the game with 14 points, three rebounds, an assist, and a steal—crucial contributions to the Tropang Giga’s triumph.
#WATCH: Forget the Grand Slam talk—Calvin Oftana says TNT’s priority is rest after their hard fought battle with Ginebra 🏀
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times#PBA2025 pic.twitter.com/Kq44X3DfMK
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) March 28, 2025
“Ibang klase. Yung puso ng isang kampeon nandun sa kanya. Siya yung mga crucial at nalilibre and he is grabbing it. Nashu-shoot niya yung mga ganung bagay. Siyempre, hindi magagawa ni Glenn yun kung hindi dahil sa aming lahat, sa mga pasa at tiwala namin,” said Oftana, who ended the game with 10 points and six rebounds.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds, could not help but express his pride for Khobuntin and the entire team after surviving the tough battle against Ginebra.
“I’m proud of these guys. To be punched the way we were punched with those tough games… We were kinda out of it. Our heads were somewhere else. We decided to eat together as a team. We just talked after we ate and formed a circle to talk about what we were feeling,” said Hollis-Jefferson.
“These guys, these men, I consider them as brothers. Our number one thing over every other team is our connectivity. We may not have the most talented players, but you see, we know how to enjoy the game and feed off one another.”
