I think 15 years ago, I made some sort of vanity project wherein I listed down my 100 Best PBA Careers of All-Time.
I say “careers” because saying the “greatest” has its pros and cons. One “con” is that I value historical stats and try to give bonus points to the pioneers. Also, we have our favorite players, so the “greatest” tag is also going to measure a legend’s fandom and while it’s easy to rate the awesomeness of Robert Jaworski, Alvin Patrimonio, James Yap, Hector Calma, and Samboy Lim on top of this category, it might not be the case for a Ginebra hater, a San Miguel troll, and a Purefoods critic.
Or a U/Tex Wrangler?
I lowkey love their jerseys.
Also, I made this list by researching their stats and making 300 players duke it out. When I first made this list in the mid-2000s in the www.hoops.blink.ph website, it had the likes of Jun Papa, Ompong Segura, Bal David, Rey Cuenco, Larry Mumar, Marte Saldana, Rudy Kutch, Andy Seigle, Elmer Cabahug, Boybits Victoria, Willie Pearson, Roger Yap, Dondon Ampalayo, Rene Canent, Wynne Arboleda, Mick Pennisi, Noy Castillo, Vince Hizon, Pido Jarencio, Chris Jackson, and Yoyong Martirez. When I made the current version of this list, I considered a couple of names that are still playing like CJ Perez, Ian Sangalang, Jeff Chan, Solomon Mercado, Poy Erram, and Chris Newsome.
Spoiler alert, these guys never made the list.
Unlike my first Best Careers list, I have gotten hold of the career averages of the PBA legends from 1975 up until the present. I know their best seasons and their worst seasons as well. When I created my list back then, I zeroed in on the players I wanted to make the list. With that said, I had LA Tenorio at number 88 then.
LA Tenorio is going to be a lot higher on this list.
If you remember PBFantasy, the PBA-based fantasy game from the mid-2000s, I created a stat equivalent that is somewhat similar to its grading system. Points are 1.25, rebounds are 1.5, assists are 2, steals are 2.5, and blocks are 2.75. I gave points an additional .25 because an okay PBA season average is more or less, seven points per game. Meanwhile, I gave an additional 0.25 points on blocks because except for an elite few, swatting shots in the PBA is an extremely monumental task.
In terms of other categories, I considered the MVP, Mythical Team selection, BPC, Finals MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Star MVP, Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Player, 40 Greatest Players list, scoring titles, championships, and grand slams. I also gave away phantom Mythical points for the players who were Top 15 in my tabulation from 1975 up until 1983 – or the times the league didn’t have the Mythical Second Team selection.
I also considered the milestones and the games played. I never needed to put extra points other than the phantom pioneer points, but I am going to create a mini-tourney for the top players within a particular range (91 to 100, 81 to 90, etc.) based on the number of individual awards they accumulated. The players with an MVP, BPC, Mythical First Team, Mythical Second Team, and Finals MVP will have an advantage (in that order.) For example, if the number 100 guy and the number 99 guy had two individual awards, the one with the BPC would trump the one with the Finals MVP award (since the BPC covered more conference scope than the Finals MVP.) If there is still a deadlock, then the number of championships they won will come into play.
And oh yeah, I almost forgot. Instead of writing why they are on this list, I am going to write about why they are RANKED THIS LOW on the list. I made this change so the blog wouldn’t get too wordy and you probably know why these legends are in this place in the first place. The most obvious red flags are the pioneer’s curse, injury bugs, low overall stats, limited amounts of awards and championships, journeyman status causing statistical decline, and even off-court antics.
So it’s time to dive headfirst on this list. If you have violent reactions, you can just share it with your friends to say what an utter moron I am. But here’s the thing – this is my list... and you can make yours if you want... and I will respect it.
The game starts now.
30 | FRANCIS ARNAIZ
1975 – 1986 | PIONEER – TOYOTA
AVERAGES: 16.8PPG – 2.5RPG – 4.8APG – 0.7SPG – 613 GAMES
MILESTONES: 10200 POINTS – 1500 REBOUNDS – 2900 ASSISTS
AWARDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
3-TIME MYTHICAL FIRST TEAM
10-TIME CHAMPION
40 GREATEST PLAYERS IN PBA HISTORY
The Dante Silverio-coached Toyota squad, and a couple of its incarnations, are probably the best PBA franchise to never win the grand slam. With that in mind, the first Toyota player to score a Mythical Team selection is not Ramon Fernandez nor Robert Jaworski. Overshadowed by his more successful Toyota teammates, Francis Arnaiz's numbers are far from scrub-like. In his 12-year career, Arnaiz only averaged 15 points or less thrice. As for assists, Mr. Clutch never averaged less than three assists in his career. And while he missed out on a grand slam, Arnaiz also had 10 championships.
Even with the disbandment of Toyota, Arnaiz would rather play second fiddle to Jaworski. While Arnaiz would be the better scorer between the two, Jawo is the first name that pops into our heads when we say old-school Ginebra squad. And I guess aside from the fact that he played his first nine seasons with both The Franchise and The Living Legend (and his entire career with The Big J), Arnaiz's biggest problem is that he played in a time when the awards were less. Without any question, he could have had more than three Mythical Teams if he played at a time when the Mythical Second Team was available and he could have won a BPC and a Finals MVP as well. Truth be told, it's hard for a PBA player to score 10,000 points in 12 seasons if he's not a certified Hall of Famer.
29 | FREDDIE HUBALDE
1975 – 1990 | PIONEER – CRISPA
AVERAGES: 12.4PPG – 3.9RPG – 2.5APG – 0.5BPG – 793 GAMES
MILESTONES: 9700 POINTS – 3100 REBOUNDS – 1900 ASSISTS
AWARDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
1-TIME MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
3-TIME MYTHICAL FIRST TEAM
2-TIME GRAND SLAM MEMBER (CRISPA)
16-TIME CHAMPION
40 GREATEST PLAYERS IN PBA HISTORY
Freddie Hubalde stands as one of the finest small forwards to grace the PBA. Over his impressive 16-year career, the former Mapua Cardinal secured 16 titles, the majority of which were won with the Crispa Redmanizers. He played a part in two grand slam-winning teams and came close to winning another with Tanduay in 1986, had it not been for Ginebra, the team where he would retire. In 1977, Hubalde became the second player to win MVP honors. Hubalde was known for his signature "dukot" undergoal stabs, and his trademark "backtap" strip attempt.
The thing about Freddie Hubalde is that he is an accidental MVP. Like Ato Agustin, injuries to Crispa's main star allowed Hubalde to shine. Nearing the end of the 1976 PBA season, Bogs Adornado suffered a devastating injury that would sideline him for more than a year. Hubalde saw this as an opportunity and took home the MVP in 1977. Unfortunately for him, Freddie was unable to sustain his momentum as for six consecutive seasons, his scoring averages dropped. Before Crispa's final season, his numbers had slowly dropped to single digits. Hubalde was able to regain his scoring awesomeness when he moved to Tanduay but the die was cast on his career when Tanduay's franchise was bought by Purefoods and he was eventually shipped to Shell in the middle of the 1988 PBA season.
28 | BONG HAWKINS
1991 – 2006 | 1991 PBA DRAFT – PRESTO (GREAT TASTE) – 2ND OVERALL
AVERAGES: 13.6PPG – 6.8RPG – 2.8APG – 0.8SPG – 607 GAMES
MILESTONES: 8200 POINTS – 4100 REBOUNDS – 1700 ASSISTS – 500 STEALS
AWARDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
1-TIME BEST PLAYER OF THE CONFERENCE
2-TIME MYTHICAL FIRST TEAM
2-TIME MYTHICAL SECOND TEAM
1-TIME FINALS MVP
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
1-TIME GRAND SLAM MEMBER (ALASKA)
10-TIME CHAMPION
Son of former FPJ supporting actor Rene Hawkins Sr., Bong Hawkins is known for his impressive side shot and exceptional rebounding skills. The Hawk was acquired by Alaska in a trade that sent disgruntled star Bong Alvarez to the Sta. Lucia Realtors and while he was far from the showman Mr. Excitement was, he was quietly racking double-doubles for his team. Hawkins played a pivotal role in Alaska's dominance during the mid-'90s, highlighted by their grand slam victory in 1996. Hawkins won his first and only Best Player of the Conference award during the Commissioner's Cup of that same year but unfortunately, it was his teammate Johnny Abarrientos who was named the MVP of that season.
In some ways, losing the MVP to the Flying A alongside other near-MVP opportunities that were won by Alvin Patrimonio caused The Hawk his spot in the 40 Greatest Players list. His achievements can thwart most names on the list but because of his runner-up finishes, Hawkins is stuck in "snub" limbo. His contract dispute with Tanduay in 2002 also hastened his retirement because, at that point, he had yet to average in single digits since coming to the PBA in 1991. I know Patrimonio is the man in the '90s and Johnny Abarrientos was the face of the Alaska franchise during their grand slam run, but we're probably looking at Hawkins' achievements a bit differently if he was able to win an MVP award.
27 | JIMMY ALAPAG
2003 – 2016 | 2003 PBA DRAFT – TALK N TEXT – 10TH OVERALL (ACQUIRED FROM ALASKA)
AVERAGES: 12.1PPG – 3.8RPG – 5.7APG – 0.5SPG – 601 GAMES
MILESTONES: 7200 POINTS – 2200 REBOUNDS – 3400 ASSISTS
AWARDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
1-TIME MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
1-TIME BEST PLAYER OF THE CONFERENCE
3-TIME MYTHICAL FIRST TEAM
2-TIME FINALS MVP
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
1-TIME ALL-STAR MVP
6-TIME CHAMPION
40 GREATEST PLAYERS IN PBA HISTORY
Jimmy Alapag is a GM's nightmare. First debuting as part of the 2002 Busan Asian Games training pool, Alapag found himself with a hand injury that forced him back to the United States. With the influx of MBA, PBL, and college players in the 2003 PBA Draft, The Mighty Mouse was selected tenth overall by Talk N Text when they gave up Don Camaso to Alaska. Can you imagine what the Alaska people were thinking when they had a chance to have Alapag, Kenneth Duremdes (if they didn't pursue the Brandon Cablay trade), and the MBA version of Romel Adducul (since Alaska already had Alapag?)
Anyway, while we know Jimmy Alapag as the never-say-die leader of the iconic Gilas Pilipinas FIBA World Cup-bound squad of 2013-14, there was a time when we viewed him as the best point guard in the PBA. For ten seasons, he averaged at least 10 points and 4.5 assists per game. His partnership with Asi Taulava is one of the most feared tandems in league history. Fortunately and in some ways, unfortunately for him, most of Alapag's awards and championships happened at the tail end of his PBA career. Before the 2010-11 PBA season, Captain Jimmy only had two championships and two Mythical First Team selections. Back then, Talk N Text was only good on paper and this is why they had to dismantle the Asi Taulava and Jimmy Alapag partnership. Having a total of three Mythical First Teams overall is such an injustice to his talents. There are only four players in my Top 30 list with three Mythical Team selections, and two of them are Francis Arnaiz and Freddie Hubalde, who were from the league's pioneer era. But as mentioned, Alapag managed to turn things around with TNT's almost grand slam era.
26 | JOJO LASTIMOSA
1988 – 2002 | DIRECT HIRE – PUREFOODS
AVERAGES: 15.2PPG – 3.2RPG – 2.9APG – 0.7SPG – 789 GAMES
MILESTONES: 12000 POINTS – 2400 REBOUNDS – 2200 ASSISTS – 500 STEALS
AWARDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
3-TIME MYTHICAL FIRST TEAM
3-TIME MYTHICAL SECOND TEAM
1-TIME FINALS MVP
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
1-TIME GRAND SLAM MEMBER (ALASKA)
10-TIME CHAMPION
40 GREATEST PLAYERS IN PBA HISTORY
Starting as a ball-slamming slashing in Purefoods, Jojo Lastimosa skillfully adapted his style to become a sweet-shooting assassin during the Alaska Milkmen's championship era. Given the moniker "The Fourth Quarter Man" for his ability to elevate his game during crunch time, Lastimosa is also one of the most popular players of his era. One of his most significant achievements was orchestrating the 1996 Grand Slam. Up until his move to Pop Cola in 2000, Jolas averaged in double figures, with his first two seasons with Alaska at his best - averaging 22.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game.
By the time he retired, he had amassed a remarkable collection of individual and team accolades. Surprisingly, Lastimosa's illustrious career did not include an MVP or BPC award, which might lead one to ponder whether, despite his outstanding skills, he was often the best third or fourth option on his team, depending on the availability of Sean Chambers. This is why Lastimosa wanted out of Purefoods in the first place. Despite his skills, it would have been difficult to him the top prize if you were teammates with Alvin Patrimonio and Jerry Codinera, and eventually Johnny Abarrientos and Bong Hawkins. Worse, Alaska's SF acquisitions - Jeffrey Cariaso and Kenneth Duremdes - are top dogs in their own right as well. But in terms of consolation prizes, what better thing to have than ten championships?
25 | NELSON ASAYTONO
1989 – 2006 | 1989 PBA DRAFT – PUREFOODS – 2ND OVERALL
AVERAGES: 15.0PPG – 5.5RPG – 1.6APG – 0.5BPG – 820 GAMES
MILESTONES: 12200 POINTS – 4400 REBOUNDS – 1300 ASSISTS
AWARDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
2-TIME BEST PLAYER OF THE CONFERENCE
3-TIME MYTHICAL FIRST TEAM
4-TIME MYTHICAL SECOND TEAM
1-TIME SEASON SCORING CHAMPION
7-TIME CHAMPION
Nelson Asaytono is a player that needs little introduction especially if you are a PBA fan in the '90s. The Bull's gameplay is ramming the ball to the rim with either the most disrespectful layup or a posterizing slam. For 12 seasons, Asaytono never averaged less than 11 points and 4 rebounds per game. This is to think that he started his career as a sub for Alvin Patrimonio in Purefoods and spent the middle part of the '90s as Vergel Meneses' chief scoring partner. In 1997, The Bull averaged 23.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists for the Ron Jacobs' coached San Miguel Beermen. With 12,668 career points, Asaytono is ranked fifth all-time in the category. His two BPC awards and seven Mythical Team selections are nothing to downplay either.
There are only two players who scored 10,000 career points that never made the PBA's 40 Greatest Players list. Norman Black's exclusion is easy to explain since he's not a PBA local but Asaytono's exclusion remains a mystery. It just seems like Asaytono is both likable and unlikeable. It's a universally accepted fact that Asaytono should have been part of the 40 Greatest List but back in the day, the media votes ruined what could have been three potential MVP wins (1992, 1993, and 1997 to be exact.) People see Asaytono as the main man and yet, he either becomes the second or third option the moment a team finds a new franchise player. This happened in 1993 with the entry of Meneses to Swift/Sunkist and in 1998 and 1999 when San Miguel acquired Danny Ildefonso and Danny Seigle. It's also insane that Red Bull joined the PBA when Asaytono transformed himself into a long-distance bomber. If only Red Bull existed in the '90s, I bet Asaytono would have been the franchise player of the squad and I bet he's going to be part of every Greatest Player list right from the get-go.
24 | ERIC MENK
1999 – 2016 | ELEVATED – TANDUAY
AVERAGES: 12.0PPG – 8.1RPG – 1.7APG – 0.4BPG – 552 GAMES
MILESTONES: 6600 POINTS – 4400 REBOUNDS
AWARDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
1-TIME MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
3-TIME BEST PLAYER OF THE CONFERENCE
1-TIME MYTHICAL FIRST TEAM
1-TIME MYTHICAL SECOND TEAM
3-TIME FINALS MVP
2-TIME SEASON SCORING CHAMPION
4-TIME CHAMPION
40 GREATEST PLAYERS IN PBA HISTORY
When the Tanduay Rhum Masters made their return to the PBA after a super successful stint in the PBL, they went all-out by bringing Eric Menk back into the fold. Major Pain is not flashy but you'll just get shocked when you see the stat sheets and he put on 20 points and 10 rebounds. It's an easy assumption that Tanduay would have had a multitude of championships if the team wasn't engulfed in controversy with Menk as the team's leader as even with Sonny Alvarado and Rudy Hatfield on board, he was still getting boss-like numbers. When Tanduay left and went full Thanos to reshape the league, Menk ended up in Ginebra and he just continued his dominance. In fact, in 2004-05, E-Menk became the first Gin King to win the MVP award.
Menk boasts a bunch of accolades, but it's also absurd to think that he's only a two-time Mythical Team member. Menk and Jayjay Helterbrand are the only MVPs to have two Mythical Team selections but while Helterskelter is a pass-first facilitator, Menk is Ginebra's main man. Citizenship issues messed up his first few years and injuries would eventually send his numbers crashing down. He had five seasons where he played 30 games or less and he had to sit out the 2012-13 PBA season to play in the ABL because, with 1.7 points and 2.6 rebounds in seven games, it was hard for the team to keep him. The end of his career sucks because if you saw his brand of basketball at the start of his career when for seven straight seasons, he finished a season with a double-double and with averages of at least 18 points and 12 rebounds per game, you'd get why he is this high on the list.
23 | DANNY SEIGLE
1999 – 2017 | DIRECT HIRE – SAN MIGUEL
AVERAGES: 14.8PPG – 5.6RPG – 1.7APG – 0.5BPG – 566 GAMES
MILESTONES: 8300 POINTS – 3100 REBOUNDS
AWARDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
2-TIME BEST PLAYER OF THE CONFERENCE
3-TIME MYTHICAL FIRST TEAM
1-TIME MYTHICAL SECOND TEAM
4-TIME FINALS MVP
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
8-TIME CHAMPION
While I get the sentiment with Nelson Asaytono's 40 Greatest Players list exclusion, I think people are sleeping on the fact that Danny Seigle's snub is just as bad, if not worse. Dynamite Danny should have been an MVP in at least one of his first three seasons had it not for the Fil-Sham controversies. Danny Seigle could have been the league's second rookie MVP and, ironically, he lost to Benjie Paras, the original Rookie MVP, and the first player to win his second MVP award after winning it a decade earlier. Dynamite Danny was also well on his way to achieving greatness as San Miguel's premier scoring machine at the height of his superstardom. During his first three seasons in the league, Seigle averaged 19.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists as an oversized small forward. Winning an MVP award would have ensured Seigle's place as one of the league's all-time greats.
Regrettably, his career took an unfortunate turn due to a devastating injury sustained while preparing for the 2002 Busan Asiad against Qatar. This injury not only played a significant role in the events during the Philippines' battle with South Korea but also sidelined him for an extended period. It was during his two-year hiatus that people began to believe in a San Miguel curse haunting shooting guards and small forwards. His injury also prompted San Miguel to bolster their roster, with their championship-winning core transitioning to the second unit. While Seigle would bounce back from his career-threatening injury and had at least four seasons where he averaged 15 points or more, his awards weren't as many as it was during his early years.
22 | VERGEL MENESES
1992 – 2006 | 1992 PBA DRAFT – PRESTO – 1ST OVERALL
AVERAGES: 16.0PPG – 3.2RPG – 3.6APG – 0.5BPG – 590 GAMES
MILESTONES: 9400 POINTS – 1800 REBOUNDS – 2100 ASSISTS
AWARDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
1-TIME MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
3-TIME BEST PLAYER OF THE CONFERENCE
2-TIME MYTHICAL FIRST TEAM
1-TIME MYTHICAL SECOND TEAM
1-TIME SEASON SCORING CHAMPION
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
4-TIME ALL-STAR MVP
3-TIME CHAMPION
40 GREATEST PLAYERS IN PBA HISTORY
Vergel Meneses is unquestionably one of the most electrifying high-flyers to ever grace the PBA. Blessed with the ability to soar and make shots that seemed impossible, The Aerial Voyager is also a gifted passer. I know I don't really care about the PBA All-Star Game because of the amount of undeserving players taking part in the event but you can't deny the fact that Meneses is the only player to win the All-Star MVP award four times. From 1992 to 2003, he averaged more than 11 points per game. His best PBA season is most definitely the 1995 one because aside from winning the MVP award, he also won two BPC awards and almost led the Sunkist Orange Juicers to a grand slam.
If there was a blemish on Meneses' career, it would be his journeyman status. While he was the focal point of every team he played for, Meneses found himself playing for teams that were often struggling. His last year with Pop Cola in 1998 is the only time, since 1995, that the team he played for reached a .500 win-loss record. Coinciding with this distinction, Meneses never got a championship or individual title after 1995 apart from the All-Star MVP awards. During his tenure with Ginebra, when the team made it to the 2001 All-Filipino Finals, their overall record was 25-27. Throughout this period, Meneses spent seven seasons playing for teams with 20 wins or less. During that Finals series, it was the first time he spent significant time on the bench in the fourth quarter due to the emergence of a certain Mark Caguioa. Before that, Meneses managed to withstand every new player who was eager to take his spot like Kenneth Duremdes, Dwight Lago, and Brixter Encarnacion. While Meneses managed to revive his career when he joined FedEx, this move marked the beginning of the end of his superstar status.
21 | KELLY WILLIAMS
2006 – 2023 | 2006 PBA DRAFT – STA. LUCIA – 1ST OVERALL
AVERAGES: 9.9PPG – 7.3RPG – 1.3APG – 0.9SPG – 649 GAMES
MILESTONES: 6400 POINTS – 4700 REBOUNDS – 500 STEALS
AWARDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
1-TIME MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
1-TIME BEST PLAYER OF THE CONFERENCE
3-TIME MYTHICAL FIRST TEAM
4-TIME MYTHICAL SECOND TEAM
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
8-TIME CHAMPION
40 GREATEST PLAYERS IN PBA HISTORY
The Sta. Lucia Realtors had this thing in which they had the best up-and-coming stars but because of the team's inability to play in the finals, they were seen as missed opportunities. This all came to a halt with the arrival of Kelly Williams. Needless to say, Williams transformed SLR into a championship squad. Machine Gun Kelly electrified crowds with his slam dunks and clutch bombs. Arguably one of the best in-game dunkers in league history, K-Will played a pivotal role in Sta. Lucia's success during the 2007-08 PBA Season, secured the team its second and last championship and earned him an MVP award, a BPC award, and a Mythical Team selection. In his first four seasons in the league, Williams averaged 16.8 points and 10.2 rebounds.
When he was the star of the Sta. Lucia Realtors, Kelly Williams was an offensive powerhouse. These numbers drastically declined during his years in Talk N Text. In fact, Williams never averaged in double digits as a full-season member of the TNT roster. While with TNT, the team resembled a Filipino national team clone and consistently contended for championships. Williams adapted his role, focusing on other aspects of the game beyond scoring. His move to the Tropang Texters marked the conclusion of his MVP-caliber phase, although he continued to earn Mythical Second Team selections during a particular stretch.
Injuries are also a problem in his career. Williams has had "Jordanesque" levels of retirement (or leaves of absence) ranging from thrombocytopenia to fear of the pandemic. But here's the thing why I said "best careers" rather than "best players." Most of the names listed at this juncture either left early with a few playable years left or got unceremoniously dropped because of age, injuries, and journeyman status. If Williams retired today, he most definitely exhausted his skills and the TNT management will most definitely retire his number.