BEST PBA FINALS COACHES OF ALL-TIME | 2025 EDITION | 1 TO 10

Now we enter the home stretch. If the coaches from #11 to #20 showed us grit, resilience, and flashes of brilliance, the Top 10 represents the true giants of PBA coaching. These are the strategists who didn’t just win championships — they changed the way the game was played, built dynasties, and became synonymous with the franchises they led. From grand slam architects to culture-shaping leaders, the next batch of PBA coaches are in a league of their own. Stay tuned as we unveil the ten greatest PBA coaches of all time.

Game starts now!

10 | ROBERT JAWORSKI

TITLE TEAM/S | GINEBRA

FINALS W/L RECORD | 10 FINALS APPEARANCES | 4 - 6 | 40% WIN RATE

CHAMPIONSHIP STREAK | 1

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS | HALL OF FAME (BUT AS A PLAYER)

It’s rare for a star player to double as a head coach, but Robert Jaworski pulled it off in unforgettable fashion. After Toyota disbanded, “The Living Legend” found a new home in Ginebra and turned the franchise into a cultural phenomenon. Known for his physical and fiery leadership — sometimes with elbows, knees, and headbutts — Jaworski instilled the iconic “Never Say Die” spirit while pushing a run-and-gun style that even future coaches like Tim Cone would occasionally adopt. His brand of basketball was electrifying, making Ginebra a must-watch team even in down years. By the end of his coaching stint, Jawo had delivered four championships and led the Gins to ten finals appearances, cementing both his coaching and playing legacy.

9 | TOMMY MANOTOC

TITLE TEAM/S | U/TEX, SAN MIGUEL, CRISPA

FINALS W/L RECORD | 8 FINALS APPEARANCES | 6 - 2 | 75% WIN RATE

CHAMPIONSHIP STREAK | 3 (1983 GRAND SLAM - CRISPA)

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS | HALL OF FAME

Under his watch, the U/Tex Wranglers became the first team to break the Crispa–Toyota championship monopoly. In fact, Manotoc remains the only coach to deliver a title for U/Tex before the franchise folded in 1982. He then moved to San Miguel and quickly delivered the Beermen’s second championship. But it was with Crispa where he cemented his legacy, becoming only the second coach in PBA history to win a Grand Slam (1983). Despite having the fewest Finals appearances among the Top 10 coaches, his 75% win rate speaks volumes of his ability to deliver when it mattered most. His last PBA stint came with Mobiline during the franchise's transition from soft drinks to cellular phones, coaching a revamped squad led by 1997 top pick Andy Seigle and former Alaska grand slam stalwart Jeffrey Cariaso.

8 | DANTE SILVERIO

TITLE TEAM/S | TOYOTA

FINALS W/L RECORD | 13* FINALS APPEARANCES | 5 - 8 | 39% WIN RATE

CHAMPIONSHIP STREAK | 2

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS | HALL OF FAME

Just like you can’t talk about Crispa without Toyota, you can’t bring up Baby Dalupan without mentioning his archnemesis, Dante Silverio. Unfortunately for Silverio, he and Toyota were often on the losing end of that rivalry. Crispa collected most of the hardware while Silverio’s squad battled uphill.

That said, Silverio carved his own place in history. A former race car driver turned tactician, he was the first PBA coach to win a championship, and then the first to pull off back-to-back titles—doing it with the biggest names in Philippine basketball at the time. His Finals record comes with an asterisk: in the middle of the 1979 PBA Invitational Championship Finals, he was fired, leaving Fort Acuña to officially claim the crown.

Silverio did get another shot with Shell in 1988 and 1989, but those runs ended at the hands of the grand slam-chasing San Miguel Beermen. Even so, his influence is undeniable. Silverio may not have matched Dalupan’s dynasty, but he helped write the earliest—and fiercest—chapters of PBA history.

7 | YENG GUIAO

TITLE TEAM/S | SWIFT/SARSI, RED BULL, RAIN OR SHINE

FINALS W/L RECORD | 15 FINALS APPEARANCES | 7 - 8 | 47% WIN RATE

CHAMPIONSHIP STREAK | 1

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS | COACH OF THE YEAR (2001, 2012)

The mark of a great coach is when you can recognize his style without even seeing him on the sidelines. Whether it’s his early days with Swift, his Red Bull era, or his current Rain or Shine stint, you know when it’s a Yeng Guiao team. His signature? A no-superstar policy. Sure, there are guys to watch out for, but Yeng thrives on unpredictability—an overachiever suddenly exploding, a defensive stopper turning into a gunner, or a big man scoring from spots he has no business scoring from. In 15 Finals appearances, he has collected seven championships with rosters that, on paper, shouldn’t even work. That’s why, expletives aside, he’s one of the league’s most beloved coaches. At the core, Yeng Guiao is a mentor who rewards hunger, grit, and the players who simply want it more.

6 | JONG UICHICO

TITLE TEAM/S | SAN MIGUEL, GINEBRA

FINALS W/L RECORD | 14 FINALS APPEARANCES | 9 - 5 | 64% WIN RATE

CHAMPIONSHIP STREAK | 3

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS | COACH OF THE YEAR (2000, 2007)

One of Ron Jacobs’ greatest contributions to Philippine basketball was his willingness to share knowledge with future coaches. Among his proteges, Jong Uichico stands out the most. Though he never played in the PBA, Uichico was part of the RP national team under Jacobs’ mentorship, and when Jacobs stepped down as San Miguel’s head coach in 1998, Uichico became his successor. While it’s true that he inherited a talent-rich Beermen squad, Uichico proved he could sustain and maximize their potential, leading them to five titles from 1999 to 2001, including a rare three-peat. He would go on to capture four more championships, three with Barangay Ginebra. Today, Uichico is calling the shots for the NLEX Road Warriors, still in pursuit of that elusive first championship.

5 | LEO AUSTRIA

TITLE TEAM/S | SAN MIGUEL

FINALS W/L RECORD | 11 FINALS APPEARANCES | 10 - 1 | 91% WIN RATE

CHAMPIONSHIP STREAK | 2

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS | COACH OF THE YEAR (2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2019)

Leo Austria is the only fourth-round pick ever to win Rookie of the Year, and while his early coaching stints with Shell and Welcoat were forgettable, his place on this list is secured by what he accomplished with San Miguel. After guiding the Beermen to an ABL title in 2013, Austria went on to capture 10 PBA championships, cementing himself as one of the most successful coaches of his generation. Sure, June Mar Fajardo was the common denominator, but to reduce Austria’s success to mere luck would be unfair. We’ve seen countless “super teams” implode because a coach couldn’t balance egos or impose structure — Austria did both, and with the pressure of managing San Miguel Corporation’s flagship franchise no less. His ability to get former all-stars and starters to buy into his system set him apart, and his infamous “Death Five” lineup remains a symbol of his dominance. Blessed with talent, yes — but a 91% finals win rate proves he maximized it better than most. At this point, the only thing left to see is how he’d fare if ever given the reins of the national team.

4 | CHOT REYES

TITLE TEAM/S | PUREFOODS, COCA-COLA, TALK N TEXT

FINALS W/L RECORD | 21 FINALS APPEARANCES | 11 - 10 | 52% WIN RATE

CHAMPIONSHIP STREAK | 2

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS | COACH OF THE YEAR (1993, 2002, 2003, 2008-09, 2010-11, 2021)

Love him or hate him, few coaches can match the legacy of Chot Reyes. He started as Tim Cone’s deputy in Alaska before making history right away with Purefoods, winning a championship in his first conference as head coach in 1993. He later reunited with former Alaska players at Coca-Cola and delivered two more titles in 2002 and 2003.

Of course, Chot is also remembered as the most polarizing Gilas Pilipinas coach of all time, but in the PBA, his claim to fame is steering TNT to two almost–grand slam runs. Sure, both fell short in painful fashion, and critics point out that his recent run leaned heavily on Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, but simply being in that position twice is rare air.

Beyond that, Reyes owns a record seven All-Filipino championships and has won a league-best six Coach of the Year awards—one more than Tim Cone. Unlike import-laden conferences where a single dominant reinforcement can tilt the balance, winning in an All-Filipino setup is pure coaching, strategy, and player development. With how TNT has been performing lately, a seventh might even be on the horizon.

3 | NORMAN BLACK

TITLE TEAM/S | SAN MIGUEL, STA. LUCIA, TALK N TEXT

FINALS W/L RECORD | 21 FINALS APPEARANCES | 11 - 10 | 52% WIN RATE

CHAMPIONSHIP STREAK | 4 (1989 GRAND SLAM)

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS | COACH OF THE YEAR (2023-24)

Like most imports, Norman Black came to the Philippines with a hired-gun mentality. However, he became much more than that. Not only is he remembered as one of the greatest imports in league history, but he also transitioned into one of the most successful coaches the PBA has ever seen.

Against all odds, and with the unique responsibility of serving both as an import and coach, Black became the third mentor in PBA history to win a Grand Slam when he steered the San Miguel Beermen to the feat in 1989. He would later cap his stint with San Miguel with nine championships—a mark only recently surpassed by Leo Austria.

Black also made history by delivering Sta. Lucia Realtors their first-ever championship and later built a dynasty with the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the UAAP before returning to the pros. His comeback with Talk ’N Text resulted in multiple titles, proving his adaptability in different eras of the game.

And while his Meralco Bolts years were defined by heartbreaks at the hands of Barangay Ginebra in the Governors’ Cup, Black laid the foundation of the team’s culture and system. When the Bolts finally broke through for their first PBA championship, Luigi Trillo was at the helm, but Black’s influence was undeniable—so much so that he was awarded Coach of the Year for his steadying presence and contributions.

2 | BABY DALUPAN

TITLE TEAM/S | CRISPA, GREAT TASTE, PUREFOODS

FINALS W/L RECORD | 26 FINALS APPEARANCES | 15 - 11 | 58% WIN RATE

CHAMPIONSHIP STREAK | 6 (1976 GRAND SLAM)

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS | HALL OF FAME

When it comes to legendary Philippine basketball coaches, Baby Dalupan is right up there. In fact, there was a time when “The Maestro” was the very yardstick of what a PBA coach should be. He led Crispa to six straight championships from 1975 to 1977, highlighted by a 1976 Grand Slam, and later steered Great Taste to four consecutive titles in the mid-80s. What set Dalupan apart was not just his tactics, but his ability to manage egos—whether it was a Crispa squad that had five MVPs in its starting unit or the star-studded Coffee Makers brimming with talent. Even in the twilight of his career, he capped things off by guiding a young Purefoods team to its first championship in 1990.

In total, Dalupan collected 15 PBA titles—nine with Crispa, five with Great Taste, and one with Purefoods. The only reason he was never recognized as Coach of the Year is that the award didn’t exist until after he retired. And maybe that’s the best way to sum up his legacy: you didn’t measure Dalupan against other coaches—the coaches who came after were measured against him.

1 | TIM CONE

TITLE TEAM/S | ALASKA, SAN MIG SUPER COFFEE, GINEBRA

FINALS W/L RECORD | 40 FINALS APPEARANCES | 25 - 15 | 63% WIN RATE

CHAMPIONSHIP STREAK | 4 (1996 GRAND SLAM, 2013-14 GRAND SLAM)

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS | COACH OF THE YEAR (1994, 1996, 2013-14, 2020, 2022-23)

Of course, Tim Cone has to be at the top. With 40 finals appearances, 25 championships, and two grand slams, how can anyone argue otherwise? Unlike most coaches who had short bursts of dominance, Cone has been winning consistently for three decades. Sure, he gets flak for leaning heavily on the triangle offense—a system some felt was too complex—but he made it work when it mattered most.

At Alaska, he piled up 13 titles, making him the only coach in PBA history to guide a single franchise to double-digit championships. Dalupan’s Crispa and Black’s San Miguel maxed out at nine. On top of that, every team Cone coached—Alaska, San Mig Coffee, and Ginebra—won at least five championships under him, another feat no one else has matched.

From being a young play-by-play guy to becoming the most decorated coach in Philippine basketball, Tim Cone’s journey is nothing short of legendary. And while he will always defer to “The Maestro” Baby Dalupan out of respect, in terms of both quality and quantity of success, no one has done it better than Tim Cone.

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At the end of the day, ranking the best PBA Finals coaches of all time will always be subjective. Each name on this list carved their place in history not just by winning, but by molding teams that could rise when the stakes were highest. From the tactical mastery of Tim Cone, the pioneering genius of Baby Dalupan, to the fiery leadership of Jaworski and Yeng Guiao—these coaches redefined what it means to win when everything is on the line.

For this list, I mostly based my criteria on how many championships they won as well as the Finals appearances they were able to grab. I also took into consideration the titles they won in All-Filipino conferences, since in the PBA annals, winning these championships is placed higher than conferences with imports.

But of course, this is just my take. Do you agree with my list? Or do you think another coach deserves a spot in the Top 10? Drop your thoughts—I’d love to hear your own picks for the greatest Finals coaches in PBA history.

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