A grizzled veteran is coming out of retirement to help Barangay Ginebra in its playoff campaign in the Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup.
The Kings formally activated 42-year-old Joe Devance to boost their frontline as they brace for an all-out war against old rival Meralco in the best-of-five quarterfinal series of the season-opening conference on Thursday.
No less than Devance made the announcement, posting on his social media account the official league memo that informs teams that he will replace Paul Garcia for the remainder of the conference.
He will serve as a backup center following the injury of Isaac Go and the continued absence of Jamie Malonzo and Jeremiah Gray.
Devance said returning to action has been surreal as he gets the chance to close his professional career on his own terms.
“Through it all, it brought me back here. This is a surreal feeling I’m going through right now,” the veteran said in an Instagram post.
“This is the closure I wanted and needed. I am honored to have this chance. I’m on an emotional rollercoaster because I never had my family not watching me play.”
“They would have enjoyed this moment with me through all the battles, the high times and the low times with every team, my family has always been my support system.”
There will be no honeymoon period for Devance and Ginebra coach Tim Cone.
In fact, they have been together at Alaska since 2008 until moving to Star Hotshots in 2011 and Ginebra in 2015. They won 11 titles along the way with Devance emerging as one of most versatile big men and Cone blossoming into the league’s most successful mentor with 25 PBA crowns.