HAD things gone originally as planned, Joe Devance and Kelly Williams would probably be at home with their families in the comfort of their couches, watching and cheering on their respective teams and their longtime coaches as Tim Cone’s Barangay Ginebra took on Chot Reyes’ TNT in the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals.
Instead, here they are, the two former top overall picks, now both 42 years of age, still battling with the coaches they’ve won plenty of titles with in the past, and still making an impact for their respective squads whether it be on the court or off it.
This time, Williams finally got the better of Devance in a finals series following TNT’s six-game conquest of Ginebra in the recent blockbuster championship series. Prior to this one, ‘JDV’ has already won twice over the former PBA MVP in the finals.
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“It’s kind of crazy how it started and how it ended. A little anticlimactic for us. The build-up was great,” Devance said after missing out on the final two games of that series because of a knee injury.
“I give all credit to Talk ‘N Text. They’re playing great basketball the whole conference I heard and it showed all the way to the finals so congrats to them.”
Devance and Williams first squared off in the finals of the 2012 Commissioner’s Cup – the last time Chot and Cone faced each other in a finals series – a memorable one which needed seven games and an overtime to settle.
Both Cone and Devance were with B-Meg that time, while Williams and Reyes were already at TNT.
They’d face off again two years later in the same conference, this time in a best-of-five affair where Devance and Cone’s San Mig Coffee would end up victorious again Williams' TNT, this time under coach Norman Black.
One decade and retirements for both of them later, they’d cross paths in a finals stage once again. It could've happened earlier, but Devance retired in 2022 and was no longer around when Williams' TNT beat Cone and Ginebra under coach Jojo Lastimosa in the 2023 PBA Governors Cup Fnals.
The 12-time PBA champion announced his comeback right before the playoffs of this conference while Williams remained a steady force in the paint for the TNT franchise since his return from his 2020 retirement in 2021.
While they are certainly far from their dominant selves compared to their first two meetings, they’ve both had positive impacts in their squads’ respective runs to the big dance, and Williams couldn’t be happier that he got to battle it out with Devance one more time.
“I was glad to see that Joe came back. I felt like he left prematurely,” Williams said.
“Anytime you get to play against a great team like GInebra, and a great coach like Tim Cone, you have to relish it. In my career, it’s always been a great battle with Joe for my entire career, so any time you can get a win, you really have to cherish it.”
A special brotherhood
When Devance was reminded of how special it was to still see both him and Williams on the court in this year, he could only smile given the improbability of all it when they both decided to retire.
The University of Texas at El Paso product shared a special moment with Williams before he left the court, but he also put the spotlight on the other veterans on TNT’s team like eventual Finals MVP winner Jayson Castro and Ryan Reyes.
“Still battling right?” Devance said with a smile.
“He was the last person I hugged before I left the court. I’m just super proud of him,” he added.
“I’m super proud of him, Ryan Reyes, Jayson Castro. What? I don’t know who won MVP but in my book, I think [Jayson] deserved it.”
While they never really shared the floor as teammates, all those battles they’ve shared on the court as part of two of the most successful franchises the PBA has ever seen will always make this bond between them special.
“Those guys are all my brothers too,” Devance said.
“Even though we actually haven’t played [together], we battled so against each other for so many years. That’s a brotherhood you just can’t really get rid off. Super proud of those guys.”
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