DAVE I. ON WHAT FUTURE HOLDS: 'GUSTO KO TALAGA MAG-PBA'

ANOTHER hitch came up in Dave Ildefonso’s PBA arrival, this time in the form of the league rejecting his playing rights going from Titan Ultra to Converge.

READ: PBA committee rejects Titan-Converge trade for Dave Ildefonso

Ildefonso, who’s currently ramping up for the MPBL playoffs with the Abra Weavers, is likewise just waiting for any development on his fate.

"Wala namang talks na nangyayari," Ildefonso told SPIN.ph. "Honestly, yung mga naririnig ko lang is from news articles lang talaga."

While speaking on his supposed personal disconnect from discussions, the former Ateneo standout even joked about all the online buzz his trade talks have garnered.

"Yung mga updates ko sa sarili ko, nakikita ko lang sa Facebook eh," he explained. "So as in, nakakatawa lang na parang mas alam ata ng ibang tao nangyayari sa career ko kaysa sa akin."

Still, Ildefonso maintains that Asia's first pay-for-play league remains his end goal, complications aside.

"Siyempre, ako, gusto ko talaga mag-PBA. You know, eventually talaga, kung naging maayos na lahat and everything. You know, patient pa rin ako," he said.

Out of PBA, but not out of options

With the Giant Risers and FiberXers renegotiating as the All-Filipino conference is ongoing, Ildefonso has been keeping himself busy, doing good on his stint with Solid North-backed squad.

"First and foremost, may commitment pa ako sa Abra eh. Lalo na yung ngayon kasi playoffs na kami. So lahat talaga, yung focus and time ko, lahat ng effort napupunta sa MPBL," he said.

"Sa ngayon, goal ko talaga is makapag-champion. So, hopefully, makukuha na yun this year."

While his Abra contract spans only this season plus another team option, Ildefonso is open to extending it, especially if the PBA standstill persists.

As he put it, "Actually, yes. In conversations kami to extend to a third year. Pero as of now, yung goal ko talaga, first year ko pa lang, makapag-champion na."

2025-10-12T06:15:08Z