Troy Rosario lives out his "Ginebra dream" to start the New Year

During the short break between the PBA Season 49 Governor’s Cup and Commissioner’s Cup, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel fulfilled the dream of Jeth Troy Rosario as they signed him to a three-year contract.

Rosario was vocal in saying that he dreamed of playing in the most-popular basketball team in the country, and it was also one of the reasons why he chose to be a Gin King, even though there were numerous offers for him when he became a free agent.

In his very first game of the Commissioner’s Cup as a Barangay Ginebra player, Rosario already tasted a win.

“Finally, it's been a childhood dream nga eh to wear that jersey. Talagang masarap sa pakiramdam,” said Rosario after that game.

He also shared how excited he was even before the game started, “Pagdating ko pa lang dito sa venue, talagang ‘yun ‘yung tinignan ko eh, kung nasaan ‘yung jersey ko. Finally, masusuot ka na rin.”

And on January 5, 2025, the 6-foot-7 forward-center showed how he loved playing for his dream team as he finally had his breakout game wearing a Ginebra jersey.

The former National University star scored a game-high 22 points to lead the Gin Kings to a 93-81 victory against the mighty San Miguel Beermen.

Rosario added 10 rebounds and a block across his name in 33 minutes of play. He also shot the lights out from downtown as he sank four of his eight attempts.

In all the seven games for the Gin Kings, who improved to 5-2 in the team standings after the win, the four-time All-Star always had a solid contribution and nothing as solid as his last game, when he was named the Best Player of the Game.

As they climbed out to the top of the standings, another of Rosario’s dreams seemed to happen in the near future – to be a PBA champion once again, but the difference is he is already wearing the jersey of his childhood dream team.

If Rosario can have a breakout game against the winningest team in the league, imagine what he can provide against the other teams that they will face, especially when he has already got his groove playing for Ginebra under the guidance of the most decorated coach in PBA history, Tim Cone.

The Gin Kings will be back in action on January 8 at the Philsports Arena to face NorthPort Batang Pier, the number one team of the league right now.

Then, they will battle Blackwater Bossing (the team where Troy played last before coming to Ginebra) on Sunday, January 12, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

If Jeth Troy Rosario fulfilled his childhood dream at the age of 32, and is admittedly nearing the twilight zone of his career, then it could also inspire all of us to continue dreaming until we finally reach our goal and be excellent when we set our foot on that dream that becomes a reality.