2026 PBA ALL-STAR | TOP 10 SNUBS

It’s human nature to want more once you’ve been given something, and the PBA and its fans are no different. Some want more teams, even if the roster depth across the league becomes increasingly polarizing. Others want the Mythical Team expanded to include a Third Team, similar to how the NBA does it. And then there are fans like me, who would love to see conferences run as a double round robin, giving teams a real chance to get back at those who beat them earlier in the tournament.

When it comes to the PBA All-Star Game, some fans believe the announced lineups got it right, while others can’t help but focus on the names that were left out. With that in mind, here are the ten biggest snubs of the 2026 PBA All-Star Game.

10 | JEROM LASTIMOSA | MAGNOLIA HOTSHOTS

13.1PPG | 3.4RPG | 3.8APG | 1.3SPG

2025-26 PHL CUP W/L RECORD | 6-6 - QUARTERFINALS

It feels strange seeing Magnolia in this position. Back in the 2024 edition, the Hotshots sent six players to the All-Star Game, so having just Zavier Lucero this time around feels like we’re living in some kind of bizarro world. And honestly, Jerom Lastimosa has a legitimate case to be there as well.

His numbers may not be as eye-popping as some of the league’s top stat stuffers, but LA Tenorio clearly trusted him by limiting the minutes of the veteran point guards and giving Lastimosa more responsibility. The former Adamson Soaring Falcon finished second on the team in both points and assists, while also leading Magnolia in steals. If the Hotshots had put together a stronger Philippine Cup campaign, there’s a good chance Lastimosa would’ve earned a spot, and maybe even dragged either Mark Barroca or Ian Sangalang along with him.

9 | DALPH PANOPIO | BLACKWATER BOSSING

11.7PPG | 4.8RPG | 3.6APG | 1.9SPG

2025-26 PHL CUP W/L RECORD | 1-10 - ELIMINATION ROUND

He’s a bit overshadowed by Juan Gomez De Liano right now, and that’s understandable. Converge is being viewed as a legit contender, and Juan GDL has been piling up eye-catching numbers. Still, it would be inaccurate to say that Dalph Panopio is merely coasting through the season. If anything, you could argue that his start was even stronger than RJ Abarrientos’ first year.

Panopio also missed the team’s final two games to play a role in Gilas Pilipinas’ SEA Games win over Thailand, which didn’t help his case statistically. At this point, it’s fair to say he fits best in the 5-on-5 Young Stars side events rather than the main All-Star lineup. That said, it’s easy to imagine Panopio turning what feels like an RJ-versus-Juan GDL future point guard debate into a legitimate triple-threat conversation sooner rather than later.

8 | JERRICK AHANMISI | TERRAFIRMA DYIP

15.2PPG | 4.6RPG | 2.2APG | 0.9SPG

2025-26 PHL CUP W/L RECORD | 1-10 - ELIMINATION ROUND

Jerrick Ahanmisi ended up being the unfortunate puzzle piece in Magnolia’s move to acquire Javi Gomez De Liano, but the trade may have done wonders for his career. This has easily been his best PBA season to date. Long viewed as a four-point sentry, Ahanmisi evolved into Terrafirma’s primary offensive option.

While his numbers dipped slightly as the elimination round wore on, it was clear that the expanded role did him a lot of good. Sustaining that level of responsibility in Terrafirma could give his career a real upward push. That said, for Ahanmisi to seriously enter the All-Star conversation, Terrafirma will first need to shed its farm team label.

7 | RICCI RIVERO | PHOENIX FUEL MASTERS

16.0PPG | 5.6RPG | 1.6APG

2025-26 PHL CUP W/L RECORD | 3-8 - ELIMINATION ROUND

It’s pretty ironic that Ricci Rivero failed to get selected this season. Back in 2024, he averaged just 7.6 points per game and still made the All-Star team. This conference, he doubled that production at 16.0 points per game, yet somehow missed the cut. That’s wild, especially considering this stretch looks like it could be his true breakout season.

Ultimately, Rivero’s rise to superstar status seems tied to Phoenix’s win-loss record. There was a time when the Fuel Masters were viewed as the next independent team capable of challenging the league’s heavyweights, but things took a downturn after Matthew Wright’s departure. Rivero may have lost out on an All-Star spot this year, but if he sustains this momentum, he should be right in the thick of the Most Improved Player race.

6 | CLIFF HODGE | MERALCO BOLTS

10.7PPG | 8.2RPG | 0.9APG | 0.9BPG

2025-26 PHL CUP W/L RECORD | 9-9 - SEMIFINALS

It’s wild to realize that Cliff Hodge is already 38 years old and in his 13th year as a pro. What’s even crazier is that despite being a two-time Mythical Second Team selection, he has only appeared in the All-Star Game once, back in 2024. Yes, Meralco already has Chris Newsome and CJ Cansino in this year’s lineup, but one of the biggest reasons the Bolts are a perennial playoff team is because of Hodge’s all-around impact.

Even in the previous conference, Hodge had several big scoring nights that directly carried Meralco to key wins. You can argue that if the Bolts had pushed through to the finals, his chances of making the All-Star squad would’ve been much stronger. Still, for a player with his résumé and longevity, it’s hard not to see his omission as a genuine snub.

5 | JORDAN HEADING | TNT TROPANG 5G

15.0PPG | 3.4RPG | 3.0APG

2025-26 PHL CUP W/L RECORD | 15-8 - FINALS

Jordan Heading is the only other player on this list, aside from Cliff Hodge, who saw semifinal action in the Philippine Cup. In fact, his numbers even peaked during the Finals, when the stage was at its biggest. That said, TNT already has three players in the North vs South showdown, and it’s fair to ask whether Heading truly deserved a spot over Calvin Oftana, Rey Nambatac, or RR Pogoy.

This is really the downside of playing on a talent-stacked roster. The same argument made for Heading can just as easily be applied to Hodge, Lastimosa, Bong Quinto, Troy Rosario, or Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser. When a team is loaded from top to bottom, individual contributions tend to blur together, and someone productive is almost always going to be left on the outside looking in.

4 | SEDRICK BAREFIELD | BLACKWATER BOSSING

19.2PPG | 4.0RPG | 3.4APG

2025-26 PHL CUP W/L RECORD | 1-10 - ELIMINATION ROUND

It’s kind of insane that a former NBA G League player still hasn’t attained star status in the PBA. Sedrick Barefield missed just one game this conference and was held to single digits only once, a performance he more than made up for with two 30-point outings. From a pure scoring standpoint, he’s clearly top-tier.

The problem, though, is context. His team rarely makes it past the elimination round, and that has a way of overshadowing even the most consistent individual numbers. That’s likely the biggest reason he missed out on an All-Star spot. Still, if there’s one team built to thrive in import-laden conferences, it’s them. If Barefield can help lift his squad to a better standing over the rest of the season, this conversation could look very different next year.

3 | PAOLO HERNANDEZ | TERRAFIRMA DYIP

13.7PPG | 5.1RPG | 2.6APG | 1.6SPG

2025-26 PHL CUP W/L RECORD | 1-10 - ELIMINATION ROUND

One good thing about playing for a farm team is that it forces a player to find out, very quickly, whether he truly belongs at this level. For an unheralded forward like Paolo Hernandez, he answered that question loud and clear. Yes, Terrafirma remains a franchise that feels like it could dissolve the moment an interested company comes knocking, but the former Mapua standout carved out a role as a Junthy-like workhorse, impacting the game on both ends of the floor.

An All-Star berth might still be a long shot for Hernandez, but the trajectory is there. If Terrafirma somehow lands a quality import and strings together a competitive run, his chances improve dramatically. At the very least, he’s put himself firmly on the radar as a potential harvest candidate sooner rather than later.

2 | JASON PERKINS | PHOENIX FUEL MASTERS

18.4PPG | 6.1RPG | 2.5APG

2025-26 PHL CUP W/L RECORD | 3-8 - ELIMINATION ROUND

It’s hard to pin down where the Phoenix Fuel Masters really sit in the PBA’s current pecking order. Among the independent teams, they’re clearly a step behind Converge and Rain or Shine. At the same time, it feels unfair to lump them in with Blackwater or Terrafirma, especially considering Phoenix has had respectable playoff runs in recent seasons. Still, they don’t generate the same kind of buzz as a team like Titan Ultra, and that lack of noise may have worked against them.

That context might explain the omission of Jason Perkins, who at this point is arguably the Fuel Masters’ all-time leader in almost every category not already claimed by Matthew Wright. As always, Perkins played high-level basketball while carrying Phoenix on both ends of the floor. Based on his production alone, the two-time All-Star had a legitimate case to be included, making his absence from this year’s roster a tough one to swallow.

1 | JOSHUA MUNZON | TITAN ULTRA GIANT RISERS

21.6PPG | 3.7RPG | 4.9APG | 1.8SPG

2025-26 PHL CUP W/L RECORD | 4-7 - ELIMINATION ROUND

I’d argue that Joshua Munzon is the biggest omission from this year’s All-Star lineups. He finished third in the Philippine Cup in scoring, and even that ranking comes with an asterisk since RK Ilagan, who averaged 22.0 points per game, appeared in just two contests. Munzon’s impact went beyond scoring, too. He ended the conference third in steals at 1.82 per game, again with the same asterisk because the top ball hawk was, once more, Ilagan.

Yes, there was that one game where Munzon struggled mightily in the clutch, and that tends to stick in people’s minds. But taken as a whole, it was Munzon and Calvin Abueva who consistently played lights out for Titan Ultra. And ironically, that might have worked against him. Munzon has spent much of his career with what are essentially virtual SMC farm teams in Terrafirma and NorthPort, and they’ve yet to truly cash in on his prime. In an event where fan voting and popularity still matter, that lack of visibility may have ultimately cost him an All-Star nod.

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So that wraps up my list of the biggest snubs from the 2026 PBA All-Star selections. Who do you think I left out, and which of these players deserves to get the call if replacements are needed?