Philippine Basketball Association
From Hoopedia
For more details on the origins of the PBA, go to PBA History article.
Contents |
Season Format
From the league's founding in 1975 until 2003, a season was usually composed of three conferences (tournaments). From the 1993 season, the conferences were named All Filipino, Commissioner's and Governors Cups, usually ending in a best-of-7 Finals series match wherein the winner takes the Conference Cup. If the same team wins all of the conferences, the team is said to be the "Grand Slam" champion. A draft was held in January.
In 2004, Commissioner Noli Eala introduced drastic changes to the season calendar. He reduced the number of conferences from three to two and changed the start of the season from February to October, so that the league can accommodate international tournaments that were frequently held from June to September. Another reason for the change in schedule was the popularity of college hoops, the NCAA (Philippines)and the UAAP, whose basketball season runs from June to October each year.
The first tournament is the Philippine Cup, which is held from October to February the following year, where only Filipinos are allowed to play. In the second tournament, the Fiesta Conference, held from March to June, teams are allowed to field one foreign player called an ("import"). The Philippine Cup is identical to the All-Filipino Conference of the previous seasons. The rookie draft is now usually held every July.
Teams
Current teams
| Name | Season joined | Team colors | Sponsor | Titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air21 Express | 2002 | Indigo and white | Airfreight 2100, Inc. | 0 |
| Alaska Aces | 1986 | Red, black and white | Alaska Milk Corporation | 11 |
| Barangay Ginebra Kings | 1979 | Red and white | Ginebra San Miguel, Inc.* | 7 |
| Coca-Cola Tigers | 2001 | Red and white | Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Inc. | 2 |
| Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants | 1988 | Red, navy and white | San Miguel-Purefoods Co., Inc.* | 7 |
| Red Bull Barako | [[2000 | Red, yellow and white | Photokina Marketing Corporation | 3 |
| Magnolia Beverage Masters | 1975** | blue and white | San Miguel Beverages, Inc.* | 17 |
| Sta. Lucia Realtors | 1993 | Green and white | Sta. Lucia Realty | 1 |
| Talk 'N Text Phone Pals | 1990 | Yellow, blue and white | Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company | 1 |
| Welcoat Dragons | 2006-07 | Midnight blue and white | Asian Coatings Philippines | 0 |
**Left on the 1985 season, returned on the 1987 season.
Defunct and Guest Teams
The most prominent defunct teams are the Crispa Redmanizers and the Toyota Super Corollas.
Among guest teams, most notable was the American Nicholas Stoodley team that won the 1980 Invitational Conference.
PBA champions
The San Miguel Beermen currently is the winningest team, with 17 championships. Among disbanded teams, the Crispa Redmanizers have the most championships, with 13, while rival Toyota Super Corollas ended with nine.
The Barangay Ginebra Kings won the latest conference, the 2006-07 PBA Philippine Cup, their seventh championship.
Important people
Commissioners
- Leopoldo Prieto (1975-1983)
- Col. Mariano Yenko (1983-1987]])
- Atty. Rodrigo Salud (1988-1992]])
- Reynaldo Marquez (1992-1993]])
- Emilio Bernardino, Jr. (1993-2002)
- Atty. Jose Emmanuel Eala (2003-Present)
Players
Most of the league's present star players are also members of the Philippine national team. Within a 30-year period, Filipino basketball fans have seen the likes of Samboy Lim, Allan Caidic, Hector Calma, Ramon Fernandez, Robert Jaworski, Alvin Patrimonio, Vergel Meneses and Danny Ildefonso take centerstage. Ramon Fernandez and Alvin Patrimonio are particularly prominent players, as they are the only players to win four PBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards.
Vergel Meneses is the only player to win four PBA All-Star MVP awards while Danny Ildefonso is the only player to have won five Philippine Basketball Association Best Player of the Conference Awards.
Individual Awards
The league has awarded the MVP award since 1975 and the Rookie of the Year award since 1976. Other lesser awards are handed out at the end of the season; the Best Player and Best Import of the Conference awards are handed out at the end of the conferences.
Rivalries
Intense rivalries are a natural phenomenon. The most famous matchup was the Crispa-Toyota rivalry of the 1970s. Fans faithfully supported their favorite squads, and appeared in the multitudes at the Araneta Coliseum, or wherever the archrivals had met. In those days, the players were very passionate. On one occasion, they engaged in a major brawl. Players from both clubs were arrested and detained for one night in jail.
Other famous contests include:
- Crispa vs Great Taste
- Ginebra vs Purefoods (late-1980s rivalry, both are now sister teams)
- Añejo/Ginebra vs Shell (early-1990s rivalry)
- Purefoods vs San Miguel Beer (1990s All-Filipino Conference rivalry)
- Añejo vs San Miguel Beer (late-1980s rivalry)
- Ginebra/Gordon's Gin vs Alaska (late-1990s rivalry)
- Ginebra vs Red Bull (current rivalry as both teams met numerous times in the playoffs)
- Purefoods vs Red Bull (2005-06, both teams met twice in the Finals)
- Talk n' Text/Mobiline vs. Ginebra (perhaps the most watched match-up in 2004 and 2005.)
PBA Slogans
1998-2000 PBA BAYAN NG SUPERSTARS
2003-2005 PBA:ITO ANG GAME KO!
2004-05 PBA:ASTIG!(PBA on ABC early slogan)
2005-06 LABAN KUNG LABAN (PBA on ABC recent slogan)
2006 PBA Philippine Cup PINOY SA PINOY LABAN KUNG LABAN (PBA on ABC alternate slogan)
2006-07 Pride is Back
Media Coverage
The PBA had been covered by television, as well as other media since its opening day. Their current TV partner is the Associated Broadcasting Company.
- PBA on KBS 2 (1975-1981)
- PBA on Vintage Sports ([1982-1999)
- PBA on Viva TV ([[2000-2002)
- PBA on NBN/IBC ([2003)
- PBA on ABC (2004-present)
