119-614: 5 Finals Appearances The Barako Bull Energy Boosters were a professional basketball team of the Philippine Basketball Association owned by the Photokina Marketing Corporation. They entered the league in 2000 after a successful stint in the semi-professional Philippine Basketball League during the late 1990s under the name Agfa Color where the team won a championship in 1996. It was originally known as Red Bull Barako before
238-582: A championship. However, Miller played big games for the Phone Pals. He was instrumental in Talk 'N Text's come-from-behind win over Ginebra in Game 4 of the 2004-05 PBA Philippine Cup finals and in a losing effort scoring 32 points in Game 6. He was named the 2005 PBA Fiesta Conference Best Player after another strong performance leading Talk 'N Text to the best record during the tournament. At season's end, he
357-455: A company can enter the PBA via an expansion team . An aspiring team seeking to join the PBA had to be approved by majority of the existing teams. There is a lockout provision, which enables a team to veto the entry of a franchise team whose company is a direct competitor that of one of the existing team's business. Previously, a company is allowed only one team, with each team having one vote in
476-523: A former PBA coach, resigned his post to join Red Bull as coach in the PBA. They also got Ato Agustin from the expansion pool. After losing their opening game in the 2000 All-Filipino Cup to Barangay Ginebra Kings , they won two more games to improve to 2–3. But the league disqualified Raymundo from playing. It was discovered that he had falsified his documents, claiming he graduated from high school in 1996, when actually he finished his secondary studies
595-529: A key role in Red Bull's 2001 Commissioners Cup championship upset of the San Miguel Beermen . In Game 5, he made a last-second block on Beermen import Nate Johnson to preserve the Thunder's victory, and a 3–2 series lead. Fortunes change 2002, despite playing sparingly with Torion, Junthy Valenzuela and Lordy Tugade , Miller played a huge role for Red Bull. After an impressive performance against
714-417: A knee injury with Ginebra the year before. It also saw the talent of Cebuanos Jimwell Torion and Junthy Valenzuela along with other provincial cagers Rene Suba and Jun Carmona. Letran star Kerby Raymundo and Filipino-American Davonn Harp later joined the squad. Agfa Color/Red Bull would always fall short of a title as Tanduay won several PBL championships at their expense. In 1999, they were among
833-667: A major brawl, leading to the arrest and detention of several players from both clubs at Fort Bonifacio . The most heated rivalry in the PBA today is that of two teams representing the Ginebra franchise and the Purefoods franchise. The rivalry is now commonly known as the Manila Clasico . It traces its roots on the original Añejo–Purefoods rivalry of the late 1980s to early 1990s. Other short-lived or less intense rivalries include: As teams do not represent geographic locales,
952-534: A member of the team's personnel. However, Red Bull managed to beat San Miguel Beer in seven games after a buzzer-beating shot by Junthy Valenzuela to seal a two-point victory for the Bulls, setting up a rematch of the Fiesta Conference finals series against Purefoods . The Bulls, though, lost to Purefoods in six games, denying them of a chance to sweep all championships in the 2005–06 season. Larry Fonacier
1071-516: A new beginning like Gabby Espinas from Air21 Express and Mike Holper from Barangay Ginebra Kings . They only won 5 out of 18 outings. Due to this, they were rumored as about to be disbanded which caused Yeng Guiao to resign as head coach during late December. The newly christened Barako Bull Energy Boosters , with team manager Andy Jao , hired former PBA Rookie of the Year Leo Isaac as its new head coach with Ariel Vanguardia of
1190-748: A new import laden tournament named as the Fiesta Conference . To accommodate these changes, a transitional tournament, the 2004 PBA Fiesta Conference was held from February to July, which was won by the Barangay Ginebra Kings . The league also began to hold the annual All-Star weekend in the provinces, alternating from Luzon and Visayas/Mindanao provinces every year. The league regained some popularity by this year, thanks in large part to Barangay Ginebra's three PBA championships led by Eric Menk , Jayjay Helterbrand and Mark Caguioa . Solid marketing and arrival of collegiate stars from
1309-445: A second elimination round for the top teams serving as the conference semifinals. The conference champions don't meet at the end of the season to determine an overall champion, instead, all of them are declared league champions. If a single team manages to win every conference in a single season, the team earns the rare distinction of being a Grand Slam champion. At the end of the conference, the league holds an awarding ceremony to honor
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#17327985258561428-748: A semi-bubble type setup at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig. After two weeks, the Quezon City government approved the league's proposal to play their games with a limited number of audience at the Smart Araneta Coliseum . The league postponed indefinitely the scheduled games for January 2022 due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases brought by the Omicron variant . On February 16, 2022, Alaska Milk Corporation which owned
1547-483: A single foreign player known as an " import ". Meanwhile, the Philippine Cup is exclusive for Filipino players and is considered the most prestigious of the three conferences. Although the three conferences have minor variations in format and rules, each consists of a single round-robin elimination round followed by playoffs to determine the champion. The winners of the conference cups do not face each other at
1666-471: A strong backcourt duo between him and 2003 Rookie of the Year Jimmy Alapag while playing alongside 2003 MVP Asi Taulava and veterans Vic Pablo, Mark Telan, and rookie Harvey Carey . During the 2004-05 PBA season, the Phone Pals played in two of the three finals appearances, with Miller playing big roles for the Phone Pals. However, losses to Barangay Ginebra and San Miguel denied Talk 'N Text
1785-527: A year later. Mick Pennisi also arrived as a solution to the team's lack of height. The games won by the Energizers were nullified. Red Bull finished 10th and failed to enter the quarterfinals. In the Commissioner's Cup, Jack Hartman became Red Bull's first import but failed to show anything promising for Batang Red Bull which failed to enter the quarters once again. Before the end of the tournament,
1904-700: Is a Filipino professional basketball coach and former player. He is an assistant coach for the Converge FiberXers of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He last played for the Pilipinas MX3 Kings of the ASEAN Basketball League . He has started at the point guard position mostly but could also play the shooting guard spot. Miller has won four PBA championships and two PBA Most Valuable Player Awards. Miller played college basketball for Letran , where he
2023-599: Is often divided into two parts; the first is the company or brand name, then the product or a moniker – usually connected to the business of the company. In some cases, the brand name and the moniker can be fused. For example, the San Miguel Beermen is a team owned by the San Miguel Brewery of the San Miguel Corporation , makers of the popular San Miguel Beer brand. The names of the teams often changes, often depending on what product or service
2142-508: The 2008 Fiesta Conference , they managed to finish second to earn themselves a seventh-consecutive semifinals appearance. With Mexico national basketball team mainstay Adam Parada as their import, Red Bull faced the rampaging Barangay Ginebra Kings with a 6-game winning streak in the semifinals. Adam Parada played through injury but the Kings swept the Barakos in the semifinals to eliminate
2261-530: The 2015–16 PBA season . Salud was then appointed as the President and CEO of the league, when the board of governors decided to restructure the league and create the President/CEO position to manage the league's marketing, expansion and business-related matters. The Commissioner (who will also be the league's Chief Operating Officer) will handle game-related matters. Salud, however, also stepped down as
2380-598: The Alaska Aces announced that the team would leave the PBA at the end of the 2021 Governors' Cup after 35 years in the league and winning 14 championships. Alaska played their last game on March 19, 2022, with a loss to the NLEX Road Warriors in the quarterfinals. A ceremony was held shortly after the game to mark the Alaska's departure from the PBA. The team was later sold to Converge ICT , to which it
2499-687: The Apertura and Clausura format in Latin American football. There may be fewer conferences in a season, such as the 2020 and 2021 seasons having one and two conferences, respectively, due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The three conferences are the Philippine Cup , Commissioner's Cup and Governors' Cup , with the Philippine Cup being considered the most prestigious of the three. The season begins with an opening ceremony consisting of
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#17327985258562618-491: The Asian Games , earning a silver medal. The PBA would later send three more all-pro squads to the event. The early 1990s saw Ginebra and Shell forming an intense rivalry that included Ginebra's walkout in 1990 finals against Shell and the team's dramatic comeback from a 3–1 deficit to beat Shell in the 1991 First Conference . Patrimonio, Allan Caidic , and a host of others became the league's main attraction. By 1993,
2737-640: The Department of Justice found them to have falsified their documents. But the event paved the way for guys like Tugade, Valenzuela and Enrico Villanueva to shine as Red Bull recovered to place fourth in the 2005 Fiesta Cup. The former Ateneo center won the Most Improved Player honors. Red Bull became somewhat of a flashback to the Ateneo Blue Eagles squad of UAAP 2002 when Larry Fonacier and Paolo Bugia were drafted by
2856-718: The Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan. Occasionally, provincial games are hosted in selected venues throughout the country. Playoff games are usually held at venues in Metro Manila , most often at the Araneta Coliseum. However, recent incentives to promote the league throughout the country have resulted in out-of-town playoff games. The league has also played several times outside the Philippines,
2975-920: The GlobalPort Batang Pier , decreasing their teams to three. By 2010, Manuel V. Pangilinan has owned the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals team via the Pilipino Telephone Company . Pangilinan, who had controlling ownership in Meralco , bought the Sta. Lucia Realtors team, rechristening them as the Meralco Bolts . His NLEX Corporation then bought the Air21 Express team in 2014, becoming the NLEX Road Warriors . This has made Cojuangco and Pangilinan own three teams each out of
3094-501: The JRU Heavy Bombers and former Philippines women's national basketball team coach Raymond Celis as chief lieutenants. They also signed new recruits Alex Crisano and John Arigo . Despite the new name, coach, signings and image, the team floundered in the import-laden 2009 Fiesta Conference , mustering only two out of 14 wins, although one of those came from Philippine Cup champions Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters where
3213-606: The Philippine national team to play in FIBA tournaments, as such the season may be lengthened. There have been calls from within the league to revert back to the two-conference format used from 2004 to 2010 to shorten the season and have it in sync with the FIBA calendar again. The PBA uses its own rules for its games, independent from FIBA or the NBA . Most non-professional leagues in
3332-662: The Pop Cola Panthers team, to Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines , a subsidiary of SMC, rechristening them as the Coca-Cola Tigers , and giving SMC four teams. The PBA approved this arrangement, with SMC getting two votes in the Board of Governors instead of four. In 2006, SMC sold back its Coca-Cola unit to the Atlanta -based Coca-Cola Company , and sold the now renamed Powerade Tigers to Sultan 900, Inc., becoming
3451-418: The San Miguel Beermen alongside reserve Omanzie Rodriguez in exchange for future draft picks. The Barakos also added former Shell Turbo Charger Carlo Sharma into their line-up during the off-season. The addition of Sharma gave the Barakos, who only has main man Enrico Villanueva as its legitimate low-post threat, additional ceiling and inside presence. In the Philippine Cup, Red Bull placed third after
3570-537: The San Miguel Corporation , which owns three teams (San Miguel, Barangay Ginebra and B-Meg Derby Ace) in the league shows concerns should the sale will push through, since they also own a petroleum company, Petron Corporation , which is a direct competitor of Phoenix Petroleum. One of the SMC teams, the San Miguel Beermen , was renamed to Petron Blaze Boosters before the start of the Governors Cup . Another buyer,
3689-569: The Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters , a franchise he played several seasons for in the past. He won eventually one Commissioner's Cup title with the Texters. He has agreed to terms with the Pacquiao Powervit Pilipinas Aguilas (which was later renamed to Pilipinas MX3 Kings ) before the season start, a team which play in the ASEAN Basketball League . He scored 12 points in his ABL debut. In November 2023, Miller
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3808-699: The Toyota Tamaraws , still considered one of the greatest rivalries in league history. Big names such as Robert Jaworski , Ramon Fernandez , Francis Arnaiz , Atoy Co , Bogs Adornado and Philip Cezar played for those squads before the two teams disbanded in 1983 and 1984 respectively. Following their disbandment, the league moved from the Araneta Coliseum to ULTRA in Pasig . There, the league continued to be popular, as several former Toyota and Crispa players suited up for different teams. During
3927-569: The UAAP and the NCAA also worked in the PBA's favor. By 2005, the league would take on the role of Philippine national representation under Chot Reyes , when FIBA lifted the suspension of the country following the formation of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas despite a ninth-place finish in the 2007 FIBA Asia Championship . In 2009, however, the all-amateur Smart Gilas team became
4046-664: The William Jones Cup in Taiwan, when the country finished third. However, Miller played only three games after suffering an injury and was replaced by Denok Miranda . In 2006, Miller played for the team in a Qatar Invitational tournament along with the two-game exhibition against the Lebanon national basketball team . In 2008, he was again included in the RP Training Pool under former coach, Yeng Guiao . He
4165-493: The 12 teams in the PBA by 2014. This closed system, while unlike the open European model of promotion and relegation , allows teams from other leagues to carryover some of players to the PBA, if they are given this concession, such as in 2006 when the Welcoat Dragons were allowed to carry over three players from their Philippine Basketball League team. The PBA also allows "guest teams", or teams not represented in
4284-533: The 2000 season. In 2001, Miller opted out of the MBA to join the PBA Rookie Draft. Batang Red Bull Thunder, with the top overall pick in the draft, selected Miller as the first pick, despite speculations of possibly choosing Filipino-American John Arigo. In his first season, Miller was playing the backup role to Jimwell Torion at point guard but was able to contribute solid numbers in his PBA debut. He played
4403-567: The 2011–2012 season. The Express renamed its team to Barako Bull Energy after the sale of the majority share of the Energy Food and Drinks, a subsidiary of Photokina Marketing that exclusively distributed Red Bull Energy Drink to the Philippines to the Lina Group of Companies. Miller was involved in the biggest trade during the off-season before the 2012–13 season which sent him first to Barangay Ginebra before landing to GlobalPort. He
4522-462: The Aces lost to the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in game seven, with Miller missing two free throws in the final 16 seconds that could have tied the game. In the middle of the Fiesta Conference, Alaska traded him to Ginebra in exchange for Cyrus Baguio who wanted to have more minutes. On his debut with the Kings, they lost to his former team. Ultimately, they ended their season in the quarterfinals to
4641-463: The Aces took third-place honors during the conference after falling a game short against Purefoods for a finals berth. In the 2006-07 Philippine Cup, Miller led Alaska in numerous categories for the injury-riddled Aces. In the 2007 Fiesta Conference, he led the Alaska Aces with the help of 2007 PBA Fiesta Conference Best Import Rossell Ellis to the championships once again after 5 years. Winning
4760-512: The Aces. Ginebra amassed an impressive 10-4 card but it was only enough for 3rd place if only Miller did not turned the ball at least once in 3 out of there 4 games they could have avoided Alaska and gain Twice-to-beat Advantage. They will win against Alaska though 2–1 with a come from 0–1 deficit while trailing 20 points in the first quarter in game 3. But Miller was just limited to 2 points in game 1 and 1 point in game 3. As
4879-403: The Barakos anew. Prior to the 2008–09 season, they lost Mick Pennisi who went to San Miguel Beermen and Topex Robinson who went to Purefoods TJ Giants and got rookies Larry Rodriguez , Jeff Chan , and Mark Cuevas . Disaster was booming around the franchise as they lost key players such as Rich Alvarez and Cyrus Baguio . But there are also some players who went to Red Bull and started
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4998-464: The Board of Governors, to play in certain conferences. The most recent guest team is the now-defunct Bay Area Dragons , who took part in the 2022–23 PBA Commissioner's Cup . Since the 2010–11 season , three conferences are usually held. Unlike in most leagues where a " conference " refers to the grouping of teams based on historical or geographical context, PBA conferences are tournaments each consisting of an elimination round and playoffs, similar to
5117-567: The Board of Governors; with the acquisition of La Tondeña Distillers (now Ginebra San Miguel ) by the San Miguel Corporation (SMC) in 1987, this caused the SMC to have two "sister" teams: the San Miguel Beermen and the Ginebra San Miguel (now the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel ). At this point, Ginebra coach Robert Jaworski had autonomy on the decisions on his team, so the situation of SMC having sister teams
5236-402: The Bulls were highly favored to win the title, they started the tournament with a 3–6 record. However, they won six of their final seven games to finish with a 9–7 win–loss card in the classification phase, clinching an outright quarterfinals berth. Red Bull survived a five-game clash with rival Barangay Ginebra in the quarterfinals. This was after the crowd-favorite Kings led the series 2–1, but
5355-494: The Bulls won the last two games by a combined margin of more than 50 points. The Bulls faced the San Miguel Beermen in the semifinals when controversy struck the Bulls, after they staged a mini-walkout during Game Four of their series. They eventually returned to the court and lost by double figures. This led to a 400,000 peso fine on the team, 100,000 on head coach Yeng Guiao, 6,000 for player Lordy Tugade and 1,000 for
5474-536: The Coffee Mixers also made history when he became the first coach to win two Grand Slams. For the 2014–15 season , the league expanded to twelve teams, after accepting two new franchises: Kia Sorento and Blackwater Elite . The league held its opening ceremonies at the Philippine Arena and set an all-time Philippine basketball attendance record of 52,612. This record was eventually broken during
5593-746: The Commissioner's Cup. In March 2011, Barako Bull announced that it will not be returning to the league. Eventually, the franchise was sold to the Lina Group of Companies in July 2011 upon approval of the PBA Board of Governors. Photokina Marketing joined the Philippine Basketball League during the mid-90s. They played under the name Agfa Color in the early days of their PBL stint. Once, they had San Miguel player Danny Ildefonso as one of their players along with his NU Bulldogs teammate Lordy Tugade and Jonas Mariano coming back from
5712-491: The Energizers get Raymund Tutt as replacement. Tutt scored 56 points in his PBA debut, which still stands today as the highest points scored by a Red Bull player in a single game. Tutt returned for the 2000 Governors Cup, and the renamed as the Batang Red Bull Thunder made a strong showing to finish in third place at the end of the tournament, their first trophy in the league. Davonn Harp was named Rookie of
5831-575: The Energy Boosters announced that they will take a leave of absence for the upcoming Commissioner's Cup to make way for the Smart Gilas Philippine national team. The application was eventually approved during the team owners meeting on January 24. The players of the squad will be put on a conditional dispersal draft on February 7, then after the Commissioner's Cup is finished, all of these players will return to Barako Bull, if
5950-399: The Energy Boosters rallied down by more than 20 points to win in overtime. They were eliminated in the wildcard phase by former doormats Rain or Shine Elasto Painters . Burger King and Barako Bull beat the trade deadline and agreed in a trade between Carlo Sharma and Richard Alonzo . Team manager Tony Chua perished at the height of Tropical Storm Ketsana on September 26, 2009. At
6069-418: The Game 7 of the 2022–23 Commissioner's Cup Finals , contested between the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and guest team Bay Area Dragons , which was also held in the Philippine Arena with an attendance of 54,589. On February 15, 2015, in the middle of the 2014–15 PBA season , commissioner Chito Salud announced that he would step down as the league's commissioner and was succeeded by Chito Narvasa starting
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#17327985258566188-413: The Lina Group of Companies, which also owns the Air21 Express , announced that they intend to buy the struggling franchise for more than P50 million after the Board of Governors gave Barako Bull until the end of the 2010–11 season to sell its franchise otherwise, they would lose the franchise. The sale was eventually approved by the board on July 8. The team will be renamed as Shopinas.com Clickers . This
6307-401: The MICAA's " franchise system " akin to North American sports, only that instead of geographic regions, teams represent companies. Several teams have disbanded and entered the league. Disbandment of a team usually occurs if its mother company regularly sustains financial losses, or for non-sporting reasons, causing it to sell the team to another company. Aside from buying an already-existing team,
6426-440: The PBA Most Valuable Player Award, the only player in league history to win the award with a scoring average below 10 points a contest. Miller beat teammate Harp for the award. Miller continued to play his usual performances in the 2003, making it to the Mythical Team for the second straight season. In the 2004 offseason, Miller was traded by Red Bull to the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals in a one-sided deal. The transaction paved way for
6545-459: The Philippines in FIBA tournaments, the league adopted a portion of the FIBA rules, including allowing zone defenses, so that the Philippine national team will not be disadvantaged in FIBA competitions. The PBA implemented a four-point shot, 27 feet from the basket, for its regular-season and playoff games, starting in its 49th season in 2024-25. Eligibility to participate in the PBA is generally limited to natural born Filipino citizens born in
6664-460: The Philippines primarily use FIBA rules, so called "amateur rules", although recent professional leagues, such as the MPBL and PSL , have used FIBA rules for its games. The Games and Amusements Board (GAB) has its rules for the size of the basketball court and equipment, which the PBA adapts. Game rules have previously been predominantly influenced by the NBA, such as the rules on illegal defenses . After PBA players have been allowed to represent
6783-401: The Philippines. There are player quotas for natural born Filipinos born outside the Philippines, while naturalized Filipinos and foreigners can only play in certain conferences. Coaching is restricted to Filipinos, although longtime foreigner residents and holders of certain visas have been granted exemptions. Willie Miller (basketball player) Willie V. Miller Jr. (born July 13, 1977)
6902-426: The RP-Hapee Training Pool in which he single-handedly led Red Bull to an overtime win over the Nationals, Miller performances alongside the impressive play of teammate Davonn Harp led to Red Bull's second PBA title in the 2002 Commissioners Cup. He continued his play all the way to the All-Filipino Cup almost leading the Thunder to another finals berth. At season's end, he was selected to the PBA Mythical Team and won
7021-410: The Thunder needing to win twice to advance to the semis, Batang Red Bull shocked the Beermen winning the first game by double-figures, but lost in the deciding game capped off by Danny Seigle 's three-pointer to seal SMB's win. Former Duke University and NBA standout Antonio Lang bannered the Thunder in the Commissioner's Cup. After a sub-par performance in the tournament opener, Lang proved to be
7140-403: The Year at the end of the season. During the 2001 PBA Draft , Red Bull selected former Letran Knight and MBA star Willie Miller as its first overall pick. Former Letranite Kerby Raymundo was also allowed to return for Red Bull for the upcoming season. In 2001, Red Bull finished seventh in the All-Filipino Conference and met eventual champion San Miguel Beermen in the quarterfinals. With
7259-450: The best players of the conference. Once the season concludes, the league holds its rookie draft . Most draft applicants have played in the collegiate ranks (either in the Philippines or the United States ), the PBA D-League , or in other domestic and international leagues. The off-season usually lasts a couple of months before the next season begins. In some cases, there may be a mid-season break to give way for players who are members of
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#17327985258567378-506: The best teams in the league but would lose to Welcoat Paints in the finals of Challenge Cup. In October, the PBA announced that Red Bull was accepted as the 10th member of the league beginning in the 2000 season. The franchise played their first PBA season as the Batang Red Bull Energizers . Red Bull was allowed to take six players from their PBL team and took Kerby Raymundo , Davonn Harp , Lordy Tugade , Jimwell Torion , Junthy Valenzuela and Bernard Tanpua. PBL Commissioner Yeng Guiao ,
7497-416: The championship against Talk 'N Text in seven games despite being down 3–2 in the series making it the club's 12th title. He also bagged the PBA Most Valuable Player once again in that season, as well as the PBA Finals MVP. In the 08-09 PBA Philippine Cup All-Filipino Conference, Miller won his second best player of the conference award, leading his team to the best record in the eliminations and eventually to
7616-492: The championship round. There, Miller performed superbly, averaging 15.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 6.5 assists and making some clutch plays. In Game 2, with Alaska down 84–89 with less than 7 minutes to play, he sparked a fiery rally, scoring six points in a decisive 16–0 run that eventually won them the game. Miller also played the hero in Game 5, where he scored 15 points, including an emphatic (and somewhat ill-advised) game-clinching three-pointer with 8.7 seconds remaining. However,
7735-419: The coach for the Philippines at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics , was appointed as the first commissioner and Coseteng was chosen as the first president of the league's Board of Governors. The first game of the league was held at the Araneta Coliseum on April 9, 1975, featuring Mariwasa-Noritake and Concepcion Carrier. The league's first 10 years was known for the intense rivalry of the Crispa Redmanizers and
7854-401: The country's official representative in international competitions. The PBA's role in forming a national team was thus reduced to sending up reinforcements to beef up the national squad. After the appointment of Chito Salud , son of former commissioner Rudy Salud as the commissioner of the PBA, the league returned the three-conference format starting in the 2010–11 season . This also ushered
7973-426: The country. The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas has since stated that they will help address these concerns. All franchises are owned by corporations since the league's inception in 1975, being the successor of the Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association , an amateur league which also featured corporate teams. They are not based on geographic locale, so they do not play in a home arena. A team's name
8092-440: The defunct Crispa Redmanizers are the only team to have achieved two Grand Slams. As of 2022–23, the PBA earned ₱200 million in net revenue and had an average television audience of 4 million per game. The PBA also has an official developmental league , the PBA D-League . The Philippine Basketball Association was founded when nine teams left the now-defunct Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA), which
8211-412: The early goings of the All-Filipino Cup before finishing with a 14–4 record. However, their 0–3 record in the quarterfinals eliminated them from title contention. The All-Filipino Conference also saw the suspensions of Harp and Torion for testing positive for taking illegal substances. Batang Red Bull renamed the team as Red Bull Barako for the Invitational tournament. They managed to enter the semis but
8330-442: The elimination round with an 11–7 win–loss card and an outright quarterfinals berth in which they defeated the Sta. Lucia Realtors , 3–1. In the semifinals, Red Bull lost against the San Miguel in seven games that highlighted by several physical encounters by both teams during the series. Red Bull gained the top seed in the Fiesta Conference but dealt Enrico Villanueva to San Miguel Beermen for Rommel Adducul . The former MBA MVP
8449-422: The eliminations of the 2007-08 PBA Philippine Cup and sweeping the Magnolia Beverage Masters in the quarterfinals meeting 2005–06 rival Purefoods in the semifinals. The Bulls extended the series to seven games after trading games with Purefoods, but the TJ Giants pulled away in the deciding game to eliminate Red Bull in contention for the third straight time. Although the Barakos posted an identical 11–7 card in
8568-421: The end of the 1980s, San Miguel Beer won numerous championships that included the 1989 Grand Slam, led by coach Norman Black and former national team stars Samboy Lim and Hector Calma . In 1989, FIBA voted to allow professionals to play in their sanctioned tournaments, hence the PBA's players are now able to represent the country internationally. In 1990, the league sent its first all-professional squad to
8687-548: The end of the season to determine the season champion; instead, each conference champion team are considered PBA champions. The achievement of a team winning all three conferences in a season is called the Grand Slam . The San Miguel Beermen are the most successful team with a total of 29 championships, including a Grand Slam in 1989. They have also won the most titles in each of the current conferences: 10 Philippine Cups, 5 Commissioner's Cups, and 5 Governors' Cups. Meanwhile,
8806-528: The expansion Nueva Ecija Patriots of the MBA. With Miller parading the Patriots, he was ranked second in the league in scoring averaging 23.6 a contest and made it to the MBA First Five. However, the Patriots won only five games in his first season. Despite another impressive second year with Nueva Ecija, they never made it to the playoffs as the team ranked among the worst teams in the league during
8925-516: The issue regarding their delayed salaries to then Commissioner Sonny Barrios . After Crisano went public with his accusations, team management did not renew his contract after the 2009–10 season ended and had difficulty in getting his back pay. Current members also expressed their grievances that their salary and their bonuses were not yet paid since December 2010, with some players as late as August 2010. Commissioner Chito Salud gave guidelines to Barako Bull for them to pay their standing obligations with
9044-746: The league itself rents venues for games. The PBA usually plays a doubleheader three times a week at the arenas in Metro Manila , and a game on Saturdays at the provinces , popularly known as "out-of-town" games. The majority of games are at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City and the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay . When both arenas are unavailable, the alternate venues are the Ynares Center in Antipolo, Rizal, PhilSports Arena in Pasig, and
9163-555: The league moved to the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay and later saw the Alaska Milkmen win the 1996 grand slam and nine titles in the decade. From 1999 to 2000, the PBA endured controversy. Several expatriate cagers arrived on the scene (such as Asi Taulava , Danny Seigle and Eric Menk ). Their lineage was questionable and most of them were deported for falsifying documents. The arrival of dozens of these players
9282-458: The league's president and CEO on December 31, 2015, and was replaced by incumbent PBA chairman Robert Non. The board of governors later appointed Chito Narvasa as the President and CEO. The said position was eventually dissolved before the start of the 2016 Governors' Cup. Amid controversies during his term, Narvasa stepped down on December 31, 2017. The board appointed Media Bureau chief Willie Marcial as his replacement on January 25, 2018. Upon
9401-612: The majority in Dubai where there is a large Filipino community . Likewise the PBA had plans to construct its own indoor arena as early as 2007. The most recent plan is in 2024, with the league looking to build a venue in Metro Manila. When the PBA was created, it was from the nine clubs representing different companies that seceded from the Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA). The PBA adopted
9520-563: The mid to late 1980s, Jaworski and Ginebra San Miguel became the league's most popular squad for their "never say die" attitude. The team had intense rivalries with the Tanduay Rhum Masters , which was led by Jaworski's ex-Toyota teammate-turned-rival Fernandez, and later the expansion Purefoods Corporation and younger players Alvin Patrimonio , Jerry Codiñera , Jojo Lastimosa and Fernandez (who moved from Tanduay). By
9639-462: The national team in 2002. The Thunder was eliminated by eventual champion Purefoods in the quarterfinals. In the Commissioner's Cup, Harp returned for Batang Red Bull along with Antonio Lang and Julius Nwosu . The Thunder dominated the tournament, eliminating Shell in the quarterfinals and the Beermen in the semis to face the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals in the finals. Four games into the series, Lang
9758-486: The national team without consulting them first. On January 23, 1975, Mariwasa-Noritake Porcelainmakers' team owner, Emerson Coseteng, together with Carrier Weathermakers, Toyota Comets , Seven-Up Uncolas and Presto Ice Cream announced the formation of the PBA. The Crispa Redmanizers , Royal Tru-Orange , Tanduay Distillery , and the U/Tex Weavers later joined the upcoming professional league. Leopoldo Prieto ,
9877-458: The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the league was forced to postpone their games for the 2020 season just three days after holding their opening ceremonies. It is not until October that the league was able to resume the Philippine Cup at Angeles, Pampanga in a bubble setup . This was the first time that the league held only one tournament in a season. The opening of the 2021 season
9996-444: The onslaught of Typhoon Ketsana in 2009 as the main reasons why they will leave the PBA. Barako Bull was in the financial binge since 2009 after team management admitted that they are having difficulties in making the payroll of the team. The team even requested for a co-sponsorship with Harbour Centre for the duration of the 2010 Fiesta Conference to ease their financial difficulties. Alex Crisano and John Arigo even escalated
10115-636: The owners like to advertise. A name change could be drastic, to the point of switching industries entirely, such as in the case of the Pepsi Mega Bottlers which changed their names to the Mobiline Cellulars (now TNT Tropang Giga ). In 2008, a survey by the Social Weather Stations showed that Purefoods shares the honor of the league's most popular team along with Barangay Ginebra . It appeared that Ginebra
10234-487: The presentation of the team's roster and their respective muses followed by the Leo Awards , the league's awarding ceremony, all before the start of the first game of the season. The Philippine and Commissioner's Cups begin with a single round-robin elimination round, where every team plays against each other once with the top eight teams advancing to the playoffs while the rest are eliminated. The Governors' Cup splits
10353-596: The return of the previously retired conferences, the Commissioner's and Governors' cups. The beginning of the 2010s also saw the dominance of the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters , who nearly got the Grand Slam in the 2010–11 season and won the Philippine Cup in three consecutive years ( 2010–11 , 2011–12 , 2012–13 ) enabling them to permanently keep possession of the Jun Bernardino Trophy ,
10472-448: The right import for Red Bull. The Thunder advanced to their first finals appearance against the mighty San Miguel Beermen . Red Bull took the first two games of the series behind strong performances by Lang and Harp. The Beermen later tied the series at 2–2 in a physically intense battle that saw several suspensions on the Red Bull side. But in Game five, Red Bull won 79–77 after a potential game-tying basket by San Miguel import Nate Johnson
10591-529: The season in October instead of January. The change in starting the season allowed the league to accommodate international tournaments held from June to September and it fit better with college hoops, the NCAA and the UAAP , whose seasons run from June to October. The league also reduced the number of conferences from three to two, renaming the All-Filipino Cup as the Philippine Cup and introducing
10710-464: The season went through, Miller's minutes winded down due to the rising of then rookies John Wilson and Robert Labagala as well as the return of Mark Caguioa 's superstar game. Before the start of the playoffs of the third conference, he got traded to the then Air21 Express who were looking for a guard that could help Dondon Hontiveros . Miller joined the Air21 Express before the start of
10829-539: The start of the 2010–11 season, they hired Junel Baculi as the new head coach of the Barako Bull. The team was involved with several trades during off season with Barangay Ginebra , Powerade , and new team Meralco , acquiring Sunday Salvacion , Jason Misolas , Khazim Mirza , and Ken Bono . The Energy Boosters picked Borgie Hermida in the year's rookie draft. In the first weeks of the Philippine Cup, they signed undrafted rookie Hans Thiele and eventually became
10948-431: The start of the quarterfinals. Red Bull swept Alaska in the quarterfinals while surviving a seven-game tussle with crowd-favorite Barangay Ginebra Kings in the semi-finals. The championship gave Yeng Guiao his fifth PBA title, tying former Toyota mentor Dante Silverio for sixth on the all-time PBA list. Before the Philippine Cup, Red Bull acquired the services of another former Atenean, Rich Alvarez, from Alaska. While
11067-420: The team announced its name change. Barako Bull has won two Commissioner's Cups, in 2001 and in 2002 and the 2006 Fiesta Conference. Willie Miller became the first Barako to win the league MVP title in 2002. The franchise took a leave of absence after the 2010-11 PBA Philippine Cup . The players were distributed to other teams via dispersal draft as their slot will be taken over by guest team Smart Gilas for
11186-730: The team in the second round of the 2005 PBA Draft in August. The Bulls won their third PBA title during the 2005–06 Fiesta Conference defeating the Purefoods Chunkee Giants in six games. Enrico Villanueva won the Best Player of the Conference honors while Lordy Tugade was named as the Finals MVP. During their title run, the Bulls replaced import Quemont Greer in place of a more team-oriented James Penny at
11305-481: The team members in lump sum. In March 2011, Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc. , a petroleum company from the Visayas-Mindanao area expressed interest in acquiring the Barako Bull franchise. For the sale to push through, an approval from the PBA Board of Governors is needed (7 out of 10 votes). However, the sale did not push through after Barako Bull failed to get the necessary number of votes. Reportedly,
11424-464: The team will eventually return. The owners announced on March 20 that they do not intend to return to the season-ending Governors Cup. In a letter sent to PBA Commissioner Chito Salud , the owners of the Barako Bull franchise mentioned their ongoing legal battle against TC Pharmaceuticals Industries, Co. the manufacturer of Red Bull in Thailand, and the death of one of their owners, Tony Chua during
11543-409: The team's top scorer together with Salvacion. After a month with the team, Thiele was shipped to Meralco, in exchange for the team's 2013 2nd round pick and Dennis Daa. After the Energy Boosters finished 3–11 in the Philippine Cup, the team got involved on trades that shipped their core players Reed Juntilla , Sunday Salvacion and Mark Isip on different teams. On January 20, 2011, the management of
11662-426: The teams into a two groups that will play in a double round-robin with the top four from each group advancing to the playoffs. The format of the playoffs depends on the conference being held and has varied over the years. The Finals, regardless of conference, is a best-of-seven series to determine the conference champion. Previous conferences featured a group stage where teams play against their group opponents twice or
11781-525: The top three teams that have the most supporters have also been considered the most talent-laden teams. They also fall under the San Miguel Corporation umbrella. 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
11900-407: The transitional tournament dubbed as the 2004 Fiesta Conference . The Barakos fielded in six imports during the said conference but its last import Victor Thomas won Best Import honors. During the 2004–05 Philippine Cup , Red Bull was decimated with the departures of alleged Fil-Shams (Filipino-Americans that did not prove their Filipino blood) Mick Pennisi and Davonn Harp, who were deported after
12019-547: The trophy given to the Philippine Cup champions. On May 19, 2013, the third game of the PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals between the Alaska Aces and the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel set the all-time basketball attendance record of 23,436 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum , which broke the previous record of 23,108 set 11 days earlier that featured the semifinals series doubleheader between Alaska vs. San Mig Coffee and Barangay Ginebra vs. Talk 'N Text . This record
12138-543: The world after North America's NBA . The league played its first game at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on April 9, 1975, and its regulations are a hybrid of rules from the NBA and FIBA. As of the 2022–23 season , the PBA season consists of three tournaments known as " conferences ": the Philippine Cup , the Commissioner's Cup , and the Governors' Cup . The Commissioner's and Governors' Cups allow each team to sign
12257-511: Was a counter to the fledgling Metropolitan Basketball Association , a regional-based professional league formed in 1998. After ABS-CBN 's 2001 abandonment, the MBA faced mounting expenses and would fold within a year. Despite the MBA's disbandment and the arrival of those players to the PBA, attendance went sour for the PBA in 2002 and was even worse the following year. In 2004, the league introduced drastic scheduling changes, when it decided to begin
12376-413: Was back in Barako Bull's arms again after he was traded in the offseason for oft-injured center Enrico Villanueva . His role in the team is more of a mentor to young guards and a voice in the locker room, though he can score and make plays for his teammates whenever he needs to. He was let go by the team after his contract expired last season and is contemplating retirement. He has agreed to terms with
12495-532: Was blocked from behind by Miller with no time left. In Game six, Lang recovered from a four-point outing in Game five to lead Red Bull to their first PBA championship. Lang was also named as Best Import of the Commissioners Cup. In the Governor's Cup, Tutt returned for the team in hopes of claiming back-to-back title, but the Thunder was eliminated in the quarterfinals. Harp was loaned by Red Bull to
12614-685: Was defeated by Alaska in a one-game showdown. After a 1–2 start in the Reinforced Conference, the Barakos hired former Charlotte Hornet and Chicago Bull Scott Burrell as import. Red Bull won 10 games to finish with an 11–2 record entering the quarterfinals. They were upset by Talk 'N Text in the opening round. But the deciding game was marred by a vicious clothesline of Torion on Phone Pals' point guard Jimmy Alapag . The incident gave Torion an eight-month suspension, later reduced to only four. Red Bull made its third Finals appearance in 2004, losing to eventual champion Barangay Ginebra in
12733-480: Was eventually broken on February 12, 2014, when the seventh game of the 2013–14 PBA Philippine Cup Semifinals series between Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and San Mig Super Coffee Mixers set the all-time basketball attendance record of 24,883. The 2013–14 season became historic as the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers became the fourth team to win the Grand Slam . Tim Cone , the coach of
12852-524: Was highly promoted in the national media as a future PBA superstar. After graduating, he was selected with the first overall pick in the 2001 PBA draft by the Thunder. Miller led them to two PBA championships before he got traded to the Alaska Aces where he also won one. He also won one championship with Talk N' Text. Miller played collegiate basketball for the Letran Knights in the NCAA . In 1999, Miller turned pro and instead opted to play for
12971-619: Was hired as an assistant coach of Converge FiberXers . In May 2024, Miller was named head coach of the Letran Squires , his alma mater's high school team, replacing Allen Ricardo , who was then named head coach of the Letran Knights , the college team. Miller was chosen by head coach Chot Reyes to play for the RP Training Pool in 2005. He played well for the Philippines in the FIBA Asia tournament and participated in
13090-557: Was later shipped to the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants and exchange for Don Camaso and a second round draft pick at the 2008 PBA Draft . Despite the strong performance of Larry Fonacier and the emergence of Cyrus Baguio , Red Bull lost to Talk 'N Text led by the strong performance of Mark Cardona in a six-game series. With Red Bull debuting an updated version of their logo in 2007, the Barakos continued their semifinal qualification streak, finishing fourth in
13209-420: Was named Converge FiberXers . The league's modern history is noted for its declining attendance, despite still pulling high television viewership. Journalists, team owners, and coaches have noted the dominance of SMC/RSA and MVP teams as a potential reason, with some calling for parity in the league. The low attendance has also been compared to the high figures of collegiate and professional volleyball in
13328-629: Was named as the 2005–06 PBA Rookie of the Year with Villanueva named to the Mythical Five selection. The Bulls had only one pick in the 2006 PBA Draft and selected Ateneo shooting guard Magnum Membrere with the 19th overall pick. The move triggered another addition to the team's dominant lineup of former players from the Blue Eagles lineup. In the middle of the elimination round, Red Bull traded 2005–2006 Fiesta Cup Finals MVP Lordy Tugade to
13447-552: Was named to the Mythical Team joining Alapag on the spot. Willie once again played an all-around performance in the 2005–06 season. However, his stellar play could not lead the Phone Pals back to the finals of the Fiesta Conference. At the middle of the 2006 Philippine Cup , Miller was traded to the Alaska Aces as part of a big trade with the Phone Pals. This time, Miller's backcourt partner would be Mike Cortez and with them, Jeffrey Cariaso, Sonny Thoss, and Reynel Hugnatan,
13566-769: Was planned to open in January 2021 but was also delayed to July 2021 due to the rising cases of COVID-19 caused by the virus' Delta variant . The games were initially played at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig in a semi-bubble type setup but due to another case surge in Metro Manila in August, the games were moved to the Don Honorio Ventura State University in Bacolor, Pampanga . The 2021 Governors' Cup started in December in
13685-621: Was replaced by another NBA veteran in Sean Lampley . Lang was even accused of game-fixing, which he denied. With Lampley, Red Bull overcame a 2–3 deficit to win an emotional Game seven for their second PBA title. Red Bull's hope for a second title was denied in the All-Filipino as Alaska booted them out in the semis. In 2003, The Thunder used their first round pick to select 2002 UAAP MVP Enrico Villanueva from Ateneo de Manila to bolster Red Bull's frontline. Red Bull went 10–1 in
13804-527: Was the final roster used by the franchise: Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association ( PBA ) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the second-oldest continuously operating professional basketball league in
13923-614: Was the most popular team among men, while Purefoods was the most popular among women. Also, Ginebra was more popular in Metro Manila and Luzon and in classes ABC, while Purefoods was more popular in Visayas and Mindanao and in class D. The two teams were tied for most supporters in class E. In terms of percentage of supporters, the survey showed that, after Ginebra and Purefoods (which both got 31%), are San Miguel Beermen (21%), Alaska (13%), Sta. Lucia (5%), Red Bull (4%), Talk N' Text (3%), Coca-Cola (1%), and Air 21 (1%). Notably,
14042-826: Was tightly controlled by the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP), the FIBA-recognized national association at the time. With the BAP controlling the MICAA, the league was de jure amateur, as players were only paid allowances. This is much like what was done in other countries to circumvent the amateur requirement and to play in FIBA -sanctioned tournaments such as the Olympics. MICAA team owners were not pleased with how BAP (then led by Gonzalo "Lito" Puyat ) were taking away their players to join
14161-654: Was tolerated. In 1998 , Jaworski ran and won for a Senate seat; this caused him to delegate coaching duties to his longtime deputy Rino Salazar. By this time, Danding Cojuangco has seized control of SMC, and he added Allan Caidic to Ginebra from San Miguel. Jaworski disapproved of this, and resigned. In 2001 the Ayala Corporation sold its Purefoods-Hormel unit , which included the Purefoods TJ Hotdogs team, to SMC. Later that year, RFM Corporation sold its Cosmos Bottling Corporation, including
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