Philippine Basketball League

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Philippine Basketball League
Philippine Basketball League
Sport Basketball
Founded 1983
Motto Where the future begins
No. of teams 9
Country Flag of Philippines Philippines
Current champions Magnolia Spinners (Heroes Cup), Harbour Centre Portmasters (Unity Cup)
Official website www.mypbl.com

The Philippine Basketball League (PBL) is a commercial semi-professional basketball league in the Philippines. The league is composed of several commercial teams with several collegiate and provincial stars in the fold.

Contents

[edit] History

The PBL was formed on 1983, a brainchild of San Miguel Corporation chairman Danding Cojuangco, under its original name the Philippine Amateur Basketball League (PABL). It was the predecessor of the defunct Manila Industrial and Collegiate Athletic Association (MICAA), which folded during the early-1980s. During the inaugural PABL tournament, over 36 collegiate and commercial teams participated in the tournament that was played in the historic Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

The PABL became a breeding ground for future Philippine Basketball Association superstars Allan Caidic, Samboy Lim, Bong Alvarez, Alvin Patrimonio, Jojo Lastimosa and Benjie Paras. In the early days, the league even invited some foreign squads to beef up the tournament.

In the 1990s, the league was renamed as the Philippine Basketball League under Andy Jao, who would later return to the broadcasting panel of the PBA coverage on Vintage Sports. Jao's replacement, Charlie Favis later adopted a new theme, calling the PBL as the "faster league".

Yeng Guiao replaced Favis, when Guiao left the coaching ranks. The league gained early success with the dominance of the Tanduay Rhum Masters, the arrival of Eric Menk and Asi Taulava, and holding PBL games at the air-contioned Makati Coliseum.

In 2000, former Vintage Sports commentator Chino Trinidad replaced Guiao, when the commissioner resigned to coach Red Bull in the Philippine Basketball Association, the country professional basketball league. The PBL's popularity grew, inviting commercial teams bannered by a single collegiate teams and also gained a stable broadcast partner in Studio 23.

Trinidad is currently in his sixth year as commissioner.

[edit] Teams

[edit] Current teams

  • Cebuana Lhuillier-Pera Padala Moneymen
  • Hapee-PCU Teeth Sparklers
  • Harbour Centre Portmasters
  • Henkel Sista-St. Benilde Super Sealers
  • Kettle Korn Pop Kings
  • Magnolia Ice Cream Spinners
  • Mail and More Comets
  • Teletech Titans
  • Toyota Otis Sparks

[edit] Notable former members

[edit] Media

The PBL games are seen on UHF-television station Studio 23, a subsidiary of media-giant ABS-CBN. The league forged a deal with the station in 2003 as an airtime slot, but both parties renew ties in 2004 to make ABS-CBN Sports its official TV producer/coveror and Studio23 its official carrying station of the games. Games are shown every Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 2-6PM.

Previous broadcasters includes PTV 4 (later NBN), Silverstar Sports, Solar Sports and Vintage Television, as the games are usually put on airtime slots.

DZSR Sports Radio 918 kHz, a government station, has been airing the PBL games on radio since the start of the PABL back in the mid-1980's.

In 2002, the league opened its official website, MYPBL.com, powered by E-Highway.

[edit] Commissioners

  • Jose "Joe" Pavia (1983-1984)
  • Mauricio "Moying" Martellino (1985-1988)
  • Andy Jao (1989-1990)
  • Gregorio "Ogie" Narvasa III (1991-1992)
  • Philip Ella Juico (1993-1994)
  • Charlie Favis (1994-1997)
  • Yeng Guiao (1997-2000)
  • Chino Trinidad (2000-Present)

[edit] External links

National men's team | National women's team

National associations: BAP | PB | SBP
National team incarnations: Centennial Team | Dream Team | SMB-Pilipinas
Professional leagues: PBA | NBC | MBA
Amateur leagues: PBL | MVBA | CBF | URBL | MICAA
Collegiate leagues: List of leagues | Men's champions | Team nicknames