Rey Nambatac receives the Finals MVP trophy after TNT's Game 7 win against Ginebra in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup Finals, March 28, 2025 at the Araneta Coliseum. PBA Images

MANILA -- Rey Nambatac was tasked to take on a bigger responsibility for TNT in the Finals of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup, and he delivered.

With veteran point guard Jayson Castro sidelined with a season-ending injury, Nambatac was thrust into the spotlight as the Tropang GIGA's primary playmaker at the biggest stage. It was a challenge that the former Letran guard accepted, and he played a huge role in TNT's conquest of Barangay Ginebra in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup Finals.

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Nambatac put up averages of 19.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.0 steal in the seven-game series en route to winning Finals Most Valuable Player honors.

In TNT's gutsy 87-83 overtime win in Game 7 on Friday night, Nambatac battled through cramps to finish with 22 points, four assists, and three steals.

Afterward, he dedicated his individual trophy to the player who had been in his ear throughout the series, encouraging him to level up his game.

"Pinasasalamatan ko si Kuya Jayson -- ang naging mentor ko talaga sa series na ito. Kung hindi dahil sa kaniya, hindi ako magi-step up," said Nambatac.

The seventh overall pick in the 2017 PBA Rookie Draft, Nambatac spent the first six seasons of his career with Rain or Shine before being traded to Blackwater in February 2024. In July 2024, he was acquired by TNT, and has since helped the Tropang GIGA win back-to-back PBA crowns.