by Cristian Andal
In 1997, NBA scout Joe Betancourt of the Charlotte Hornets invited Abarrientos to join their pre-season camp. Abarrientos declined the offer and opted to focus on his pro career here in the Philippines. That year, he was averaging a career-high 16.7 points and a league-leading 8.6 assists per game.
In October 1991, Caidic broke the PBA all-time record for the most three-point field goals made in a career with 594 three-pointers after scoring nine triples in Tivoli's 125–142 loss to Pepsi. One month later, he set the league's all-time scoring record for a local with 79 points. His performance remains one of the greatest individual performances in PBA history.
Co became a politician when he served as a long-time city councilor of Pasig City from 1998 to 2007. In 2010, he ran again as councilor and was successful in his reelection bid. He is part of the PBA's 40 Greatest Players list and was enshrined into the PBA Hall of Fame in 2005.
Guidaben also had a great rivalry with Toyota's Ramon Fernandez, which was considered a classic in itself, like the PBA version of Bill Russell versus Wilt Chamberlain. He won MVP honors in 1983 with Crispa and in 1987 with San Miguel Beer.
After his retirement, Guidaben went into the construction business and migrated to the U.S. in 2003. In 2007, he was enshrined into the PBA Hall of Fame and was included in the PBA's 40 Greatest Players list in 2000.
In 1991, he signed a five-year 25 million peso offer sheet from cellar-dwelling PBA ballclub Pepsi Hotshots, which was matched by his mother ballclub Purefoods TJ Hotdogs. Patrimonio's new contract ushered in the era of multi-millionaire players.
He justified his contract by winning the 1991, 1993, and 1994 PBA MVP awards, leading the team to three conference championships. He won his fourth MVP in 1997, tying the then all-time record with Ramon Fernandez.
Patrimonio has a reputation for being one of the most beloved players in Philippine basketball and is arguably the second most popular player of all time, just behind Robert Jaworski. He is part of the PBA's 40 Greatest Players and was enshrined into the PBA Hall of Fame in 2011.
Jaworski was Toyota's team leader and a major player in the squad's nine championships, being named MVP in 1978. Jaworski's MVP performance may arguably be considered as the best single-season performance in league history, averaging 20 points, 12 assists, and close to nine rebounds per game.
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| Crispa's Atoy Co (right) posts up against Toyota's Robert Jaworski. |
Founded in 1975, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is the first professional basketball league in Asia. For almost 50 years, it has become a constant source of entertainment and inspiration for all basketball-crazy and loving Filipinos.
While America and Europe are known to have the best and greatest players in the world, the Philippines has its own set of heroes inside the hard court, too.
As a tribute to these childhood heroes of ours, we list down Sports Buzzer PH's Top 10 Greatest PBA Players Of All Time.
Our criteria: championships won, individual accolades and statistics, career longevity, social impact, and overall charisma (ability to draw crowds).
10. Benjie Paras
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| Photo credit: pressreader.com |
Career Stats: 17.7 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 3.1 APG, 2.3 BPG
Accolades: 4 PBA titles, 2 MVPs, 1 ROTY, Only ROTY/MVP
"The Tower of Power" entering the PBA with a bang is an understatement. In fact, the first pick of the 1999 PBA draft is the only player in league history who has ever won both the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player honors in the same season. Fresh from UP, he averaged 25.8 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 assists per game during his rookie year.
Paras is recognized as one of the most dominant players - if not the most dominant - in PBA history. He even dominates imports in his prime. What's even more incredible was that in the later stages of his career, during the advent of Fil-Ams and Fil-Shams, the 6-foot-5 center stood his ground and continued to dominate these much younger players.
Case in point was when his Formula Shell Turbo Chargers won the 1999 All-Filipino Cup championship over a Fil-Am laden Tanduay Rhum Masters, 4-2. Paras outplayed Tanduay's young and talented bigs composed of Eric Menk, Sonny Alvarado, Chris Cantonjos, and Mark Telan. He went on to win his second MVP award at the end of that season, a full decade after winning his first.
Paras led the Shell franchise to four championships from 1989 to 2002. He played briefly for San Miguel Beer in 2003 right before retirement.
After retirement, Paras became an actor/comedian who starred in numerous films and television shows. He is included in the PBA's 40 Greatest Players list and was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 2013.
9. Johnny Abarrientos
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| Photo credit: pinterest.ph |
Career Stats: 11.6 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.1 APG, 1.8 SPG
Accolades: 12 PBA titles, 1 MVP, 1 Grand Slam, All-Time Steals Leader
Johnny Abarrientos entered the PBA as a two-time UAAP champion, four-time PBL champion, three-time PBL MVP, and the third pick of the 1993 PBA Draft. Standing 5-foot-6, he was considered one of the best, or perhaps the best, little man in PBA history and a master ball handler.
"The Flying A" played for three different ballclubs in his career, winning championships with all of them. However, he was most known as the leader of the Alaska Aces, leading them to nine PBA titles, including a Grand Slam in 1996. He also won two titles with the Coca-Cola Tigers and one with the Barangay Ginebra Kings in a limited role.
His best year was the Grand Slam in 1996, when he also won the league's MVP award. The former FEU Tamaraw averaged 14.6 points, six assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.2 steals that season.
Abarrientos played his last professional game in 2010 for Ginebra. He is an assistant coach of the Magnolia Hotshots and head coach of the Tamaraws as of this writing. He is included in the PBA's 40 Greatest Players list.
8. Allan Caidic
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| Photo credit: Powcast Sports FB page |
Career Stats: 19.6 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.6 APG
Accolades: 5 PBA titles, 1 MVP, Most points scored in a single game - 79 pts
Considered the PBA's greatest shooter of all time, "The Triggerman" was drafted first overall by the Great Taste Coffee Makers. He is a premier scorer and shooter, not only in the country but also in world competitions, which made him a marked man internationally.
Standing 6-foot-2, Caidic won the 1987 Rookie of the Year award and was included in the Mythical Five Selection, becoming the third rookie in league history to be named to the All-PBA first team after Arnie Tuadles and Great Taste teammate Ricardo Brown. He also finished his first season as the first-ever player to lead the league in scoring as a rookie.
On November 2, 1989, Caidic scored 68 points and had 15 three-point field goals to lead Presto Tivoli past the Alaska Air Force. In 1990, he was named PBA MVP and set the league all-time record for the most three-point field goals made in a single season (160 triples), leading Presto to a championship.
On November 2, 1989, Caidic scored 68 points and had 15 three-point field goals to lead Presto Tivoli past the Alaska Air Force. In 1990, he was named PBA MVP and set the league all-time record for the most three-point field goals made in a single season (160 triples), leading Presto to a championship.
In October 1991, Caidic broke the PBA all-time record for the most three-point field goals made in a career with 594 three-pointers after scoring nine triples in Tivoli's 125–142 loss to Pepsi. One month later, he set the league's all-time scoring record for a local with 79 points. His performance remains one of the greatest individual performances in PBA history.
Caided began coaching and managing teams full-time after his retirement in 1999. He is included in the PBA's 40 Greatest Players list and was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 2009.
7. Atoy Co
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| Photo credit: PBA Throwback and Trivias FB |
Career Stats: 17.4 PPG, 3.5 APG
Accolades: 9 PBA titles, 1 MVP, 9x Mythical First Team
Fortunato "Atoy" Co first played in the PBA on April 22, 1975, scoring 34 points and leading Crispa to a 113-102 win over CFC, the team's first victory after starting the season with three straight defeats.
During his PBA career, "The Fortune Cookie" led the fabled Crispa Redmanizers ballclub to two grand slams from 1975 to 1984. He won the PBA MVP in 1979 and was a nine-time All-PBA first-team member.
During his PBA career, "The Fortune Cookie" led the fabled Crispa Redmanizers ballclub to two grand slams from 1975 to 1984. He won the PBA MVP in 1979 and was a nine-time All-PBA first-team member.
In 1979, Co was the first-ever player in league history to reach 5,000 career points, before becoming the first player to score 10,000 career points in 1984. He finished his career as the fourth all-time leading scorer with 12,994 points behind Ramon Fernandez, Abet Guidaben, and Alvin Patrimonio.
The 6-foot-2 shooting guard ventured into television and films after his playing days were over. He was a co-host for the noontime show Student Canteen over at RPN (now Solar TV) and starred alongside action stars like Phillip Salvador in films such as Delima Gang in 1989. He made a career mostly out of playing supporting roles in films and television series.
The 6-foot-2 shooting guard ventured into television and films after his playing days were over. He was a co-host for the noontime show Student Canteen over at RPN (now Solar TV) and starred alongside action stars like Phillip Salvador in films such as Delima Gang in 1989. He made a career mostly out of playing supporting roles in films and television series.
Co became a politician when he served as a long-time city councilor of Pasig City from 1998 to 2007. In 2010, he ran again as councilor and was successful in his reelection bid. He is part of the PBA's 40 Greatest Players list and was enshrined into the PBA Hall of Fame in 2005.
6. Bogs Adornado
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| Photo credit: PBA Throwback and Trivias FB |
Career Stats: 20.4 PPG
Accolades: 10 PBA titles, 3 MVPs, First-ever back-to-back MVP
William "Bogs" Adornado is one of the pioneers of the Philippine Basketball Association and was the main man of the legendary Crispa Redmanizers ballclub. He was an offensive juggernaut, averaging 20.4 ppg in his 12-year career and leading the league in scoring five times during that span.
Considered one of the country's greatest basketball players of all time, the 6-foot-2 shooting guard has the distinction of being the first PBA MVP by winning the award back-to-back during the league's inaugural season in 1975 and again in 1976, before winning it again in 1981 while playing for the U/Tex Wranglers.
In 1980, after playing only seven games for Crispa, the Redmanizers released Adornado to U/Tex for a sum of 100,000 pesos. He teamed up with Lim Eng Beng to lead the Wranglers to a memorable comeback win over the Toyota Tamaraws in that year's Open Conference. The team wiped out a 4-point deficit with 16 seconds left in regulation and won in overtime on a basket by Adornado.
In 1980, after playing only seven games for Crispa, the Redmanizers released Adornado to U/Tex for a sum of 100,000 pesos. He teamed up with Lim Eng Beng to lead the Wranglers to a memorable comeback win over the Toyota Tamaraws in that year's Open Conference. The team wiped out a 4-point deficit with 16 seconds left in regulation and won in overtime on a basket by Adornado.
In November 1980, Adornado scored 64 points and grabbed 12 boards to set the highest single-game scoring total in league history at that time. In 1985, he became the third player to reach the 10,000 points mark behind Atoy Co and Ramon Fernandez.
Adornado is part of the PBA's 40 Greatest Players list and was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 2005.
5. Abet Guidaben
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| Photo credit: PBA Throwback and Trivias FB |
Career Stats: 14.6 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.8 BPG
Accolades: 16 PBA titles, 2 MVPs, 5x Mythical First Team
Seen as a "late bloomer" with the Crispa Redmanizers, Guidaben played behind the shadows of his more illustrious teammates Bogs Adornado, Atoy Co, and Philip Cezar during the first years of his career. However, once he got his chance in the limelight, the 6-foot-5 center did not disappoint, capturing a total of 16 PBA championships along the way.
The two-time PBA MVP was also one of the earliest dunkers in the league, making the slam dunk a signature move before the arrival of famed high-flyers Samboy Lim, Bong Alvarez, and Vergel Meneses.
Guidaben also had a great rivalry with Toyota's Ramon Fernandez, which was considered a classic in itself, like the PBA version of Bill Russell versus Wilt Chamberlain. He won MVP honors in 1983 with Crispa and in 1987 with San Miguel Beer.
The three-time PBA All-Star finished his career second to Fernandez in the all-time leading scorers list with 15,775 points and was also No. 2 all-time in the total rebounds list with 6,197. He was No. 1 in the all-time games played list with 1,081 games in 21 seasons.
After his retirement, Guidaben went into the construction business and migrated to the U.S. in 2003. In 2007, he was enshrined into the PBA Hall of Fame and was included in the PBA's 40 Greatest Players list in 2000.
4. Alvin Patrimonio
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| Photo credit: PBA Throwback and Trivias FB |
Career Stats: 17.6 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 2.3 APG, 0.7 BPG
Accolades: 6 PBA titles, 4 MVPs, 10x Mythical First Team
Arguably one of the greatest players, if not the greatest, in Philippine basketball history, "Captain Lionheart" is considered by many as part of the PBA's Mount Rushmore. The 6-foot-3 power forward was often compared to the NBA's Karl Malone because of his rugged physical play combined with finesse maneuvers and outside shooting. He is well-known for his trademark low post-spin move, which had been impossible to stop.
Patrimonio is also considered one of the best clutch performers in PBA's history, often bailing out his team during the final moments of games. Over time, his dominance in the post meant automatically attracting double or triple-team defenses whenever he had ball possession.
He justified his contract by winning the 1991, 1993, and 1994 PBA MVP awards, leading the team to three conference championships. He won his fourth MVP in 1997, tying the then all-time record with Ramon Fernandez.
Patrimonio has a reputation for being one of the most beloved players in Philippine basketball and is arguably the second most popular player of all time, just behind Robert Jaworski. He is part of the PBA's 40 Greatest Players and was enshrined into the PBA Hall of Fame in 2011.
3. June Mar Fajardo
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| Photo credit: PBA Throwback and Trivias FB |
Career Stats: 17.3 PPG, 12.1 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.6 BPG
Accolades: 9 PBA titles, 6 MVPs, 7x Mythical First Team
The youngest player on this list, and also the only active player remaining, was selected first overall in 2012 by the Petron Blaze Boosters (San Miguel Beermen). Popularly known as "The Kraken", the 6-foot-10 center is indeed a monster on both ends of the floor, regularly dominating opposing big men because of his sheer size and finesse.
Fajardo displayed exceptional consistency and sustainability by setting the all-time record for most MVPs when he won his fifth straight award in 2018. He extended the record to six MVPs after winning his sixth consecutive in 2019, showing his continued dominance over the field.
During the 2015-2016 PBA Philippine Cup finals, Fajardo led San Miguel to an unbelievable comeback, dubbed the "BEERacle", to win the championship. Down 0-3 in the series against Alaska, the Beermen pulled off four straight wins to clinch the title, making them the first professional basketball team in the world to come back from that kind of a deficit.
What made it incredible was that Fajardo suffered an injury in Game 4 of that series, because making a surprise return in Game 5 to lead his team to the championship.
Fajardo is also a mainstay of Gilas Pilipinas, the Philippines' men's basketball team that competes globally. In the 2023 FIBA World Cup, he scored 16 points (shooting a perfect 5-of-5 from the field) and grabbed seven rebounds as he came off the bench in an 87-81 loss to Dominican Republic in their opening game.
2. Robert Jaworski
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| Photo credit: pinterest.com |
Career Stats: 12.3 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 6.1 APG, 1.0 SPG
Accolades: 13 PBA titles, 1 MVP, All-Time Assists Leader
When it comes to influence, charisma, and popularity, "The Big J" is at the top of Philippine basketball's Mount Rushmore. The silhouette of the PBA logo, he played 23 seasons in the league and holds the record for the oldest player to ever play in the PBA at 50 years old and is the all-time assists leader with 5,825.
The 6-foot-1 point guard was initially known for playing for the Toyota franchise, the anti-hero to Crispa, before boosting to new heights of stardom with the Ginebra San Miguel/Añejo Rhum franchise.
The other argument for the greatest single-season performance would be Ramon Fernandez's 1984 Beer Hausen season, where he averaged 27 points, 15 boards, and 9.9 assists. The difference was Jaworski managed to lead Toyota to two titles, while Fernandez was not able to win a championship that year.
In retirement, the "Living Legend" continued to become larger than life as he won a senatorial seat in 1998, where he focused on legislating laws on the environment and sports. He was named part of the PBA's 40 Greatest Players and was enshrined into the PBA Hall of Fame in 2005.
Upon retirement, like Jaworski, he ran for a Senate seat in 1995 but lost. He then became the first commissioner of the defunct professional league, the Metropolitan Basketball Association, in 1998. Again, like his arch-nemesis Jaworski, Fernandez was included in the PBA's 40 Greatest Players and was enshrined into the PBA Hall of Fame in 2005.
In retirement, the "Living Legend" continued to become larger than life as he won a senatorial seat in 1998, where he focused on legislating laws on the environment and sports. He was named part of the PBA's 40 Greatest Players and was enshrined into the PBA Hall of Fame in 2005.
1. Ramon Fernandez
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| Photo credit: PBA Throwback and Trivias FB |
Career Stats: 17.7 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 4.9 APG, 1.7 BPG, 1.2 SPG
Accolades: 19 PBA titles, 4 MVPs, 13x Mythical First Team, All-Time Points, Rebounds, and Blocks Leader
Arguably the greatest ever in Philippine basketball, "El Presidente" holds many PBA all-time records. He was the all-time leading scorer with 18,996 points, the all-time leading rebounder with 8, 652 boards, the second all-time assists leader with 5,220 dimes, the second all-time steals leader with 1,302, and the all-time blocks leader with 1,853.
Through all of these statistical accomplishments, he also managed to win 19 championships and four MVP awards, a feat that could never be replicated perhaps.
Fernandez teamed up with Robert Jaworski at Toyota, forming a formidable one-two punch that dominated the league. With Toyota's disbandment in 1984, Fernandez left to play for Beer Hausen and an infamous feud with Jaworski became public.
Like Jaworski, Fernandez also became a playing coach, this time it was for the Purefoods franchise in 1988. He led his new team composed of Alvin Patrimonio, Jerry Codiñera, and Jojo Lastimosa to a runner-up finish against the San Miguel Beermen. However, later that year he was traded to San Miguel, where he won a grand slam and his fourth MVP title.