51-406: 1998 Centennial * 2003 All-Filipino 2008–09 Philippine 2010–11 Philippine 2011 Commissioner's 2011–12 Philippine 2012–13 Philippine 2015 Commissioner's 2021 Philippine 2023 Governors' 2024 Governors' (*) special championship The TNT Tropang Giga is a professional basketball team currently owned by Smart Communications , a subsidiary of
102-608: A holding company of the Lorenzo family. This would enable the Lorenzos to market and use a different brand for their PBA team. Pagemark Philippines, Inc., a company under Lapanday Holdings and Pilipino Telephone Corporation (PILTEL) were tasked to find a new name for the team. After negotiations, the team was rechristened as the Mobiline Cellulars. Since the Lorenzos still owned the team through their holding company,
153-515: A PBA record 105 points for Swift when they defeated Ginebra 151–147 in a game held in Iloilo City on October 10, 1992. In 1993, Swift traded Jack Tanuan, Ricric Marata and Andy De Guzman for Sta. Lucia in exchange for their former players in their PABL days, Vergel Meneses and Zaldy Realubit, and this gave Swift its second championship in the newly called Commissioners Cup, gaining revenge over their business rival, Purefoods Oodles, 4 games to 2,
204-691: A decent finish in the Governor's Cup but failed to enter the semis. In 1998 , the Phone Pals struggled in the All-Filipino with a 4–7 record. In the Commissioner's Cup, it hired former Purefoods mentor Eric Altamirano. The Pals, as in the '97 Governor's Cup, were eliminated in the quarterfinals with Terquin Mott as import. Andy Seigle and Jeffrey Cariaso were borrowed by the national team for
255-415: A future first round draft pick, Don Allado from Alaska for Willie Miller , John Ferriols and a future first round pick on May 8. The move saw the Phone Pals as a potential title contender with the squad boasting a group of star players from their past teams along with Taulava, Alapag, Cardona and Carey. Even with a strong lineup, the trade put the Phone Pals in a deeper hole, losing three more games before
306-451: A hefty fine and a five-game suspension for acting coach Ariel Vanguardia. In the revived Reinforced Conference, Talk 'N Text was bannered by Damian Cantrell but finished with a 7–6 mark, good for fourth place in Group B. They upset the top seeded Red Bull Barako 2–1 that ended with Jimwell Torion's clothesline on Jimmy Alapag's face that led to the latter's suspension for eight months, which
357-456: A knockout game for third place. In 2001 , Mobiline tried to acquire Kenneth Duremdes through free agency, but Alaska matched Mobiline's offer sheet of a reported 48 million pesos, and Duremdes stayed with the Aces. The Phone Pals drafted former Manila Metrostar Gilbert Demape, but the Phone Pals, for the sixth time in seven conferences, were eliminated by top seed Shell in the quarterfinals. In
408-706: A professional basketball team that played in the Philippine Basketball Association from 1990 - 2001 . The franchise was owned by RFM Corporation . In 2001, when RFM Corporation sold its entire stake in Cosmos Bottling Corporation to Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Inc. (CCBPI), the PBA franchise was included in the transaction. Upon ownership by CCBPI, the PBA franchise renamed the Coca-Cola Tigers beginning
459-544: A trade months ago, which dealt a big blow to the franchise. Rumors then speculated that TNT management was set to make drastic changes for the team after their disappointing season. 1998 PBA season The 1998 PBA season was the 24th season of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The muses for the participating teams are as follows: 1997 1997 Pop Cola Panthers 1992 Third Conference 1993 Commissioner's 1995 All-Filipino 1995 Commissioner's The Pop Cola Panthers were
510-476: A win against Coca-Cola gave them a disappointing 6–10 card. In the wildcard phase, the Phone Pals did not win a single game in the round-robin format. In their initial game, Talk 'N Text lost to Barangay Ginebra, eliminating them from quarterfinal contention before losing their final two games to Air21 and Sta. Lucia. The Phone Pals had a shot of taking the No. 1 pick in the draft but they traded that rights to Air21 in
561-458: The 1996 and 1997 seasons before their fortunes changed in 1998 when the team won a few third-place finishes under head coach Norman Black , who even played one game during the Commissioner's Cup to lead the 800s to a third-place finish in the said tournament. Pop Cola suffered two more losing seasons in 1999 and 2000 seasons but had a decent run in their final PBA season in 2001 under head coach Chot Reyes , copping third place honors in
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#1732790288994612-404: The 2002 PBA season and was considered as an expansion team. The franchise also played under the names Pop Cola/Diet Sarsi Sizzlers, Swift Mighty Meaty Hotdogs, Swift Mighty Meaties, Sunkist Orange Juicers/Bottlers and Pop Cola 800s. Pop Cola was one of two expansion franchises to enter the league in the 1990 season, joining softdrink rival Pepsi-Cola , increasing the number of member teams in
663-611: The 2004–05 Philippine Cup, the Phone Pals placed second in the classification phase to qualify for the semifinals. They swept the Shell Turbo Chargers but were defeated in six games by Barangay Ginebra. During this tournament, Asi Taulava was considered by the Department of Justice as one of six Filipino-foreigners suspected of falsifying their documents. Taulava was suspended by the PBA indefinitely, along with five other players. Taulava gained some advantage from
714-512: The Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) since 1990. The franchise began in 1990 when Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines, Inc. (PCPPI) acquired a PBA franchise. Under PCPPI, the franchise played under the names Pepsi and 7 Up . In 1996, the franchise came under the control of Pilipino Telephone Corporation (Piltel) and played under
765-547: The Swift Mighty Meaties , led by Tony Harris in the finals, 4–0. Prior to the finals, 7 Up and Swift were fined on a so-so game where Swift intentionally lost the match in order to eliminate Ginebra from the finals race. 7 Up was bannered by players Manny Victorino, Abet Guidaben, Eugene Quilban and Naning Valenciano. Quilban recorded 28 assists during a game that year, which is still a PBA record. Despite getting second overall pick Victor Pablo, 7 Up failed to reach
816-588: The 1992 Reinforced Conference. After it failed to land Alvin Patrimonio in 1991, the ballclub attempted again in 1995 to dangle a 5-year, P28.8 million contract to Sta. Lucia Realtors ' main man Jun Limpot . However, Sta. Lucia matched the offer and Pepsi had to contend with blue-collar players in Alvin Teng (acquired from San Miguel in exchange for Victor Pablo), Dindo Pumaren (from Purefoods in exchange for Richie Ticzon), Eugene Quilban and Boy Cabahug to lead
867-636: The 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok . They captured the 1998 PBA Centennial Cup (the Philippines was then celebrating its 100th anniversary of the independence from Spain) Cup by beating Shell by a hairline, 67–66, in overtime led by imports Silas Mills and McClary, with the help of veteran locals Glen Capacio and Al Solis. However, the Centennial Cup was a special tournament and the title was not considered an official championship. The records after
918-569: The 2001 Governors Cup. Their first finals appearance came in 1991 All-Filipino, as Diet Sarsi, lost to corporate rival Purefoods TJ Hotdogs, 3 games to 2 in a Best of Five finals series. The team's first PBA title came in 1992 , when Swift defeated 7-Up four games-to-none to win the PBA Third Conference under head coach Yeng Guiao . The franchise also fielded one of the dominant imports in PBA history in Tony Harris , who scored
969-415: The 2001 Governors' Cup, the franchise came under the control of Smart Communications after the company absorbed the operations of Pilipino Telephone Corporation. The team changed its name to " Talk 'N Text Phone Pals". Before the 2002 season, Talk 'N Text fired Alas and hired former UNLV coach Bill Bayno , despite numerous calls by the nationalist Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines to ban
1020-579: The American mentor. Although they lost Asi Taulava and Patrick Fran to the National Pool, Talk 'N Text was bannered by Richie Frahm and Jerald Honeycutt , a replacement for an original import. The Phone Pals ended up as the top team in the elimination phase of the Governor's Cup but suffered the same fate as in 1999, when the eighth seed San Miguel Beermen upset the Pals. Talk 'N Text finally broke
1071-512: The Commissioner's Cup, the Pals bannered Michigan University standout Jerod Ward, who exploded for 61 points in his debut. Later, Taulava returned to the Philippines after an approval by the Justice Department ; despite this, the Phone Pals failed to get past the quarterfinals. The Governor's Cup also held the same fate for the Phone Pals despite changing their name to "Talk 'N Text" and having Brandon Williams as import. Beginning in
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#17327902889941122-403: The Commissioner's and Governor's Cup, while Taulava's eligibility as a legitimate Filipino-foreigner was questioned. During the midseason, Mobiline traded Andy Seigle to Purefoods for veteran Jerry Codinera. 2000 saw some lineup changes for the Phone Pals, as the team acquired Vic Pablo in the three-team trade that sent Jeffrey Cariaso to Tanduay and Mark Telan to Shell Velocity . Taulava
1173-468: The Hotdogs were powered by best import Ronnie Thompkins. the team was title-less the following season in which head coach Yeng Guiao decided to moved over to Pepsi Mega, and Derek Pumaren taking over the coaching chores, Swift made it to the finals in the season-ending Governor's Cup, losing to Alaska in six games. The 1995 season became a banner year for the team. Under the name Sunkist Orange Juicers ,
1224-562: The Hotshots lost all their remaining games in the first conference. Their 15-game losing streak stretched into the All-Filipino, before they finally won over Diet Sarsi, formerly Pop Cola. In the third conference, San Miguel Beermen assistant coach Derrick Pumaren replaced Ed Ocampo as the Hotshots' head coach, and the Pepsi franchise went 0 wins, 10 losses in the season-ending tournament. In 1991 , Pepsi acquired Manny Victorino from Presto, and
1275-656: The PBA franchise, it would have returned to Pepsi. The sale was rejected by the Board of Governors on a special meeting on January 5 since Duty Free was not majority-owned by Lorenzo. The Hotshots continued on with their campaign in the All-Filipino Cup , finishing last with a 4–10 record. After the All-Filipino Cup, PBA Board of Governors approved the ownership transfer of the franchise from Pepsi Cola Products Philippines, Inc. to Lapanday Holdings Corporation,
1326-592: The PBA when he accused the league of favoring the San Miguel Corporation teams. In the All-Filipino, Taulava returned to the team after his national team stint in the Asian Games , but the Phone Pals got the early boot in the quarterfinals under new head coach Paul Woolpert, another American coach who replaced the departed Bill Bayno. In 2003 , the Phone Pals used two first round picks to draft Fil-Americans Harvey Carey and Jimmy Alapag , who
1377-411: The Pals' frontline along with Seigle. Mobiline started the All-Filipino with a 7–0 record before losing a crucial game to San Miguel. The Pals ended up with the best record after the elimination phase but were defeated by a gritty Barangay Ginebra Kings squad despite a twice to beat advantage on Bal David's incredible last second shot. The rest of the year, Mobiline was eliminated in the quarters during
1428-605: The Phone Pals became the first team since 1982 to come back from a 0–2 deficit to win the next four games after a hard-fought Game Six victory. Taulava was named as the PBA Finals MVP, after winning the Best Player of the Conference award. They also qualified in the 2003 PBA Invitationals, where four guest teams were invited. Joel Banal left the team for the moment to concentrate on his Ateneo Blue Eagles stint in
1479-464: The Phone Pals' incredible year. Joel Banal resigned as Ateneo head coach to concentrate on the Talk 'N Text team. In the 2004 PBA Fiesta Conference , the Phone Pals were bannered by 2002 MVP Willie Miller and Yancy de Ocampo in separate deals with Red Bull and FedEx. The Phone Pals made it to the semis of the tournament, but lost in a three-game showdown with crowd favorite Barangay Ginebra Kings . In
1530-661: The Quezon City RTC, but the PBA still didn't give Taulava the go-signal. In the Finals of the Philippine Cup, the Phone Pals used Taulava despite the league's refusal to allow Taulava. Talk 'N Text reasoned a court order that allowed Asi to play in the series. The Phone Pals wound up winning Game One by double figures, but the game was forfeited two days later, awarding the win to Barangay Ginebra. The Phone Pals later announced that they would not allow Taulava to play for
1581-480: The UAAP. The Phone Pals did not qualify for the semis, but not without controversy. Needing to win by eight points over Red Bull Barako to qualify, the Phone Pals deliberately fouled several Red Bull players in the last two minutes to force an overtime or even reach the needed eight point margin. The game turned out to be more disgraceful when Jojo Manalo tried to hit a three-pointer on Red Bull's basket. The incident led to
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1632-612: The Year Jeffrey Cariaso from Alaska via an offer sheet bearing a three-year contract worth P18.3 million. In the All-Filipino Conference, the Cellulars advanced to the semifinals but faltered in the Commissioner's Cup with Isaiah Morris as reinforcement. In the Governor's Cup, they paraded Artemus "Tee" McClary and hired a new coach, Derrick Pumaren, with Tommy Manotoc as consultant. Mobiline posted
1683-492: The coaching change, Pepsi's on-and-off performance continued with their best finish, taking third place in the 1994 Governors' Cup with import Ronnie Coleman. In the 1995 , even with a strong start in the Governors' Cup , they had a 5–2 win–loss card but never took home a trophy at the end of the tournament. Pepsi was also known as a hard-luck PBA team because it never found considerable success after finishing runner-up in
1734-466: The early stages of his second stint with Talk 'N Text. With Pumaren using the star players Asi Taulava, Jimmy Alapag, Willie Miller and mixing Harvey Carey and seldom-used rookie Mark Cardona, the Phone Pals went 5–4 through nine games of the Philippine Cup . However, the Phone Pals suffered three succeeding losses, prompting team officials to land Ren-Ren Ritualo from Air21 for Leo Avenido and
1785-452: The eight teams in the third conference. In 1992 , Pepsi acquired ROY Eugene Quilban in a trade which sent Jun Reyes to Alaska. The Hotshots placed seventh in the first conference. After the Pepsi "349" controversy , the team was renamed as the 7 Up Uncolas. 7 Up placed runner-up in the 1992 Reinforced Conference. Their import was an NBA veteran point guard, Dell Demps . They were swept by
1836-548: The elimination round of the tournament was carried over in the Governor's Cup. The Pals retained their winning way and advanced to the finals in a rematch with the Zoom Masters. Mobiline held a 3–2 series lead but lost the last two games to wind up in second place. Mills ended up winning the Best Import of the Governors' Cup . Seeking for bigger things in 1999, Mobiline acquired Filipino-Tongan Pauliasi Taulava to man
1887-594: The league's powerhouses and it is one of the oldest teams in PBA. Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines, Inc. was accepted as one of two new members of the PBA during the 1990 season , joining soft drink rival Pop Cola . They were known as the Pepsi Hotshots in their maiden year 1990. Their first coach was Ed Ocampo , assisted by Olympian Bobby Littaua, and the team manager was Steve Watson. After winning its inaugural game against another expansion team Pop Cola, 149–130, with import Derek Hamilton scoring 77 points,
1938-496: The name Mobiline. In 2001, the franchise was renamed Talk 'N Text after the operations of Piltel was absorbed by Smart Communications . The team is currently one of three PBA teams under the control of businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan – the others are the Meralco Bolts and NLEX Road Warriors . To date, the franchise has won nine official PBA titles (and one special PBA tournament championship), it also remains as one of
1989-608: The pro league to eight. In their 12-year stint in the PBA, they were known as the Pop Cola Sizzlers, Sarsi, Swift Mighty Meaty, Sunkist Orange Juicers, Sunkist Orange Bottlers and Pop Cola 800s. The team has used the Pop Cola name from 1997 until their final season in the PBA in 2001, although the team was known as Sunkist in the 2000 Commissioners Cup and was known as the Swift Panthers for the first few games of
2040-467: The quarterfinals. During the series, import Damien Cantrell was replaced by former Detroit Piston and NBA champion Darvin Ham . However, Ham did not fit in Talk 'N Text's system, and struggled. After the disappointing finish in this tournament, Joel Banal resigned as head coach and was replaced by returning coach Derrick Pumaren (his second stint after the 1997 season). The change made some good strides in
2091-453: The records of the Pepsi team were retained. Point guard Eugene Quilban and power forward Alvin Teng led the team. Mobiline acquired the first overall pick from Pop Cola and used it to draft Filipino-American Andrew John Seigle . The Cellulars also drafted Tony Boy Espinosa and signed Patrick Fran from free agency. Mobiline hired former San Miguel coach Norman Black, and acquired 1995 Rookie of
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2142-465: The rest of the series. In the 2004–05 Fiesta Conference, the Phone Pals finished first after the classification phase, earning an outright semifinals berth. In the semis, the Phone Pals eliminated the soon departing Shell Turbo Chargers , 3–1, to face San Miguel in the finals series. Taulava was once again used by Talk 'N Text, but this time the league gave the go-signal for Taulava to return and play for his mother ballclub. Asi showed rustiness during
2193-521: The semifinals in the first two conferences of the season. In the third conference, the team's name reverted to Pepsi, but to be known as the Pepsi Mega Bottlers . They eventually placed fourth in the 1993 Governors' Cup . Before the 1994 PBA Governor's Cup, Pepsi and Sunkist were involved in a rare coaching trade that saw Derrick Pumaren moving to the RFM franchise for Yeng Guiao . Despite
2244-491: The series as the Phone Pals lost the series to San Miguel, 4–1. Willie Miller was named as the Best Player of the Conference. Talk 'N Text acquired rookies Jay Washington and Mark Cardona from the Air21 Express for Yancy de Ocampo and Patrick Fran in separate deals. The Phone Pals were considered as top favorites in the 2005–06 Fiesta Conference . However, the Phone Pals lost in five grueling games to Air21 in
2295-399: The spell in the Commissioner's Cup, led by Honeycutt and Pete Mickeal, when the seventh seeded Phone Pals defeated Sta. Lucia in the quarterfinals and Alaska in a five-game semis affair to enter their third Finals appearance in team history, and the first since 1998. In the end, Red Bull defeated Talk 'N Text in seven grueling games. Bayno later left the team, but without some parting shots on
2346-462: The team almost achieved a rare back-to-back winning the All-Filipino and Commissioner's Cup titles before finishing third overall in the season-ending Governor's Cup. The team was bannered by season MVP Vergel Meneses , Bonel Balingit , Boybits Victoria, Kenneth Duremdes and Rudy Distrito (who was banned in 1995 for his infamous hard foul on Alaska rookie Jeffrey Cariaso during the All-Filipino finals series). Sunkist/Pop Cola suffered hard times in
2397-417: The team increased its number of wins, but still failed to make it past eliminations in the first two conferences. They attempted to become a competitive team by offering a 5-year, P25 million contract to Purefoods TJ Hotdogs' top gun Alvin Patrimonio . Patrimonio stayed with Purefoods after his mother team matched the offer. However, this did not stop Pepsi from entering the semifinals and finishing fourth among
2448-478: The team. Before the start of the 1996 season , Frederick Dael took over as the new president of Pepsi Cola Products Philippines, Inc. A change in marketing priority took effect and the owners mulled disbanding the PBA franchise. To prevent the team from being disbanded, Luis, "Moro" Lorenzo, chairman of PCPPI, intended to sell the PBA franchise to Duty Free Philippines, a company he also owned, for one peso (P1) to retain its ownership. If Duty Free would have disbanded
2499-401: Was deported later in the year as the Pals were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the All-Filipino with new coach Louie Alas . The Pals wound up with the best record in the elimination phase of the Governor's Cup. After surviving a quarterfinals meeting with Barangay Ginebra, Purefoods eliminated Mobiline in four games. The Phone Pals finished fourth after losing to Batang Red Bull Thunder in
2550-510: Was later reduced. In the semis, Talk 'N Text was swept by eventual champions Coca-Cola, but the Phone Pals captured third place in the tournament after beating Sta. Lucia in a one-game playoff for third place. Asi Taulava became the first Filipino-foreign player since Ricardo Brown in 1985 to win the coveted Most Valuable Player award. Jimmy Alapag won the Rookie of the Year honors to wrap up
2601-615: Was with the RP national pool in 2002. The Pals struggled early in the All-Filipino. Midway to that tournament, Woolpert left the team and was replaced with Ateneo coach Joel Banal, who had led the Blue Eagles to the UAAP title in 2002 . Talk 'N Text rose to the tournament and captured the All-Filipino Cup over defending champion Coca-Cola in six games. After an overtime win in Game Five,
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