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| Mikey Williams is back in the PBA after three years, but not without a last-minute glitch. Peter Baltazar |
MANILA—Mikey Williams was in uniform on Wednesday night when Converge began its PBA Commissioner's Cup campaign against Macau at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
However, word quickly spread that his return to action PBA-wise after three years was in a last-minute jeopardy.
With the uncertainty mounting, the FiberXers opted to sit out Williams for the first three quarters of the game.
To the delight of the "Purple Nation", though, Williams was finally inserted in the fourth quarter, and although he was scoreless throughout the final canto, his presence was enough to reenergize Converge and steal the win from Macau.
"It felt good. We had a little hiccup to deal with in the first three quarters, but I'm glad that everything got cleared up and I was able to play and help the team," Williams said.
Asked about the "hiccup", Williams said that the FiberXers had to settle something before he could finally play.
"There was an issue going on, so we were just trying to figure that out before I could play," he revealed.
Although he did not directly say the concern, word has reached Dugout Philippines that they were waiting for a letter of clearance from FIBA during the game.
It was only at the end of the third quarter that Williams was notified that he could finally play, and coach Delta Pineda wasted no time in giving the entire fourth quarter to him.
While Williams played decently on the other aspects of the game as he tallied two rebounds, three assists, and one steal for the full final 12 minutes, Pineda said that he is still far from his past explosive self, who won two Finals MVPs in 2021 and 2023 for TNT.
"Marami pang hahabulin si Mikey, pero syempre, he's still a threat inside the court. Nag-iba yung momentum noong offense namin when Mikey became the point (guard). Na-set niya lahat," Pineda said.
Converge will next face surprise Day 1 joint leader Terrafirma on Saturday night as action shifts to the Ynares Center 2 in Rodriguez, Rizal.
With the FIBA letter of clearance finally secured just in time, Williams can now play the full four quarters for the FiberXers.
