Stephen Holt comes through for Ginebra outside of scoring

Stephen Holt and Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings’ coach TIm Cone celebrate after winning the title in the 2026 PBA Commissioner’s Cup. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Barangay Ginebra wing Stephen Holt has heard it all before.

Inconsistent. Can’t shoot. Nerves are getting to him. All series long, the negatives kept streaming.

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Yet, at the end of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals, Holt stood tall for the Gin Kings, who clinched the title after winning Game 7 over TNT, 88-76, at the Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday night.

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“I just focused on what I could control. Shots will go in or out but your effort, leadership and work ethic, that doesn’t change,” he told the Inquirer.

“Obviously, my scoring output wasn’t the best but that didn’t affect my work ethic and my leadership.”

In the do-or-die, Holt was held scoreless but that didn’t hamper his contributions outside of the offense.

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The intangibles

The former Terrafirma star snagged seven rebounds and two assists, none bigger than his pass to Nards Pinto in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter.

With time running down, Holt found a wide-open Pinto in the corner, and the backup Kings guard sank a big-time triple to keep Ginebra out of harm’s way, 80-74, with 3:04 remaining.

Holt’s intangibles shouldn’t come as a shock, not to the Ginebra faithful nor the casual PBA spectator.

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In his mind, Holt has always been a winner and he’s willing to do everything to prove that, even if it has to do it without scoring.

“From the moment I stepped into the PBA, I was all about winning,” he said.

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“I just try to do everything I can on the court. It’s so surreal because I had to battle through so much adversity.”