After all the vitriol he went through last year, TNT coach Chot Reyes admits that his latest PBA championship is a little sweeter than the others.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Chot Reyes was one of the most vilified Filipinos on social media last year.
Much of the vitriol directed at him stemmed from his last stint with Gilas Pilipinas, the lowlight of which was their losing the Southeast Asian Games gold medal to Indonesia in 2022. Such a loss is considered a mortal sin among the Filipino basketball faithful, and Reyes took the brunt of it.
The negativity carried over and followed him well into 2023, with his every move scrutinized and second-guessed. Reyes became a walking meme generator for fan pages, even as his quotes were sometimes taken well out of context and merely used to generate online traffic.
All this led Chot Reyes to step down as Gilas head coach just minutes after their win over China in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He said that it had become too much, with even his family being targeted with death threats. He eventually returned to his role as head coach of the TNT Tropang Giga in the PBA, but even that was met with scorn, for while he was away, Jojo Lastimosa piloted the team to the 2023 Governors’ Cup title. Meanwhile, in Reyes’ first season back, the Tropang Giga were booted out in the quarterfinals of two conferences.
So when the Tropang Giga beat Barangay Ginebra San Miguel on Friday night to clinch the Season 49 Governors’ Cup title in six games, it carried more weight for Chot Reyes. For not only did he move up to solo fourth among PBA coaches for most championships won (10), breaking a tie with Jong Uichico and Leo Austria, he also achieved a certain level satisfaction and even vindication.
When asked by this writer what he was feeling after everything he had gone through, Reyes simply smiled and was diplomatic.
“Everything happens for a reason,” he said. “I’m filled with gratitude. At the start of our pregame talk, it was about who’s going to play harder. Who wants it more, the team that’s fighting for its life or the team that is fighting for significance? There’s something special about this team because a lot of our players are going through a lot of personal adversity. That’s why we said for us, if we win here, it was bigger than basketball because a lot of our players have things going on in their personal lives.”
He then took a slight dig at his detractors who would mock one of his catchphrases.
“And the same with me, I guess. Everything that I had that I had gone through, all the adversity I had gone through. But it’s all part of the process. I know a lot of people are talking about ‘lesson learned, lesson learned,’ but it’s really lesson learned.
“I am a very growth-minded individual and for me, all of the challenges and difficulties I went through in the past were opportunities for me to learn and grow. And after all of that, to be back here and win a championship with this group of guys is incredibly satisfying, both on a personal and on a team level. And especially also, of course, for my family.
“I know we played Barangay Ginebra, but there’s a huge Barangay Reyes clan also watching on their television sets, cheering and praying for us. So I really dedicate this as well to them.”
Tim Cone said that while he was disappointed in the result, he was also happy for his good friend Chot Reyes.
“We had our chances today, but we couldn’t sustain it into the last four, five minutes of the basketball game. I’m really bummed out, I’m sad. I’m sad for myself, sad for our players, sad for our fans.
“But I’m happy for Chot. I’m happy that he got some vindication (Friday) night. It’s been a hard road for him the last couple of years. And for him to get this, it’s real good for him and his family. And so I’m happy for him. I just wish it wasn’t at my own personal expense. But that’s the way it is.”
Reyes wouldn’t say where this championship ranks among the 10 he has won in a career dating back to 1993, but admitted that this one hit differently for all the reason just mentioned.
“Every championship is different,” he explained. “Every championship is sweet in its own right. But after everything I’ve gone through, all the adversity that I’ve had to battle throughout the last year, it certainly has a certain different kind of sweetness. But like I said, every championship is special.”
Banner Images from PBA Media Bureau.