Jonas Tibayan pushes for PBA dream after MPBL incident

Jonas Tibayan, a hopeful for the PBA Rookie Draft, is not allowing a previous incident with Michole Sorela in the MPBL—which resulted in Tibayan being hospitalized—to deter his aspirations of being selected in the draft. Tibayan stated that he had already planned to enter the draft prior to the incident and did not use it as a factor in his decision, confident in his ability to pursue this opportunity.

The incident occurred during a regional league game in Batangas City, where Tibayan, playing for the Mindoro Tamaraws, received a sucker punch from Sorela. This forced Tibayan to undergo surgery to repair a broken jaw. As a consequence, Sorela, who played for Gensan, was banned for life from the MPBL and fined P200,000. Tibayan declined to comment on the punch when questioned by reporters.

Although still in recovery, Tibayan participated in the PBA Draft Combine at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City, albeit limited to measurements and biometrics. He has not yet taken part in the mini-tournament component of the combine but remains focused on doing his best with the draft approaching.

If selected, Tibayan aims to bring his known qualities from his time with Batang Gilas and National University in the UAAP to the PBA. He describes himself as a physical yet clean player who is committed to hard work and effort on the court.