CHICAGO - After an exhausting, seemingly interminable wait, Jordan Heading will finally play in the PBA beginning with the upcoming Commssioners' Cup that kicks off on November 27.
Unable to strike a deal with Terrafirma, which picked him No. 1 overall in the special Gilas round of the 2021 draft, the Dyip traded the prolific guard's rights to Converge in exchange for Aljun Melecio, Keith Zaldivar and the FiberXers' future first-round pick (Season 51).
"I'm really excited to finally be able to play full-time again on home soil. Been a long time playing all around the place," Heading told me in a telephone interview on Tuesday morning, his voice bursting in a cacophony of joy and relief.
READ Converge gets Jordan Heading rights in trade with Terrafirma
A veteran international campaigner, the 6-foot-2, 189-pound knockdown shooter cut his teeth in Taiwan, the NBL1 and the Japan B-League. But the fondest wish and desire always was to play in the PBA and honor his Filipino heritage.
"The PBA is exciting and has so much talent so I'm looking forward to competing against all these guys," the Fil-Australian from Adelaide said.
HEAVEN CAN WAIT.
Heading told me he arrived in Manila over a month ago unsure on whether he can emancipate himself from the rights that bound him to hapless Terrafirma.
He kept the faith, though, so much so that he passed on several international offers.
It wasn't easy plucking a high-value, high pick such as Jordan, but Converge team governor Archen Cayabyab got the job done. Cayabyab is the brother-in-law of Pampanga governor Delta Pineda.
While he is technically a PBA "rookie" the former Gilas playmaker is no stranger to Filipino hoops fans.
Heading played for San Miguel Alab Pilipinas in 2019 before making a name for himself with Strong Group Athletics (SGA) which finished second in this year's Dubai Invitational tournament and emerged as champions in the 43rd Jones Cup last September.
SGA is owned by billionaire Frank Lao, whose son, Jacob, is the team manager of Converge. Charles Tiu, a deputy with the FiberXers, is the head coach of SGA.
A REUNION WITH BALTI.
Heading is eager to roll with his new teammates, including Justine Baltazar who he played with at SGA.
"I had great experiences playing for coach Charles, boss Frank and Jacob in the SGA. So when they expressed interest in bringing me to Converge it was pretty exciting. They made a lot of noise this past conference and I'm looking forward to getting to work," he said.
If there's even a shred of doubt left on Converge's championship aspirations, this aggressive but carefully plotted power play to acquire Heading obliterates that.
Already loaded with talents such as Justin Arana, Alec Stockton and Schonny Winston, to name a few, the FiberXers will soon add Baltazar to their rich stable.
"I've always had fun playing with Balti so I'm excited to link back up with him and I know everyone's been waiting a long time for him to get there so I'll just piggyback off all that excitement." the soon-to-be FiberXer added.
Heading had wanted to wear either jersey No. 7 or No. 15 at Converge but since both digits are already taken he will happily roll with No. 3.
A star-driven league, the PBA galaxy just got brighter with the imminent arrival of Jordan Heading.
And just like that, Converge turned from a really good team into a serious title contender.
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