Philippine basketball is the men’s professional basketball league in the Philippines. Twelve company-branded franchised teams are in the league. The San Miguel Beermen are the winningest team. Ramon Fernandez, Robert Jaworski, and Allan Caidic are the only players to win more than one MVP award. In the past, the country has been the home of some of the world’s best basketball players. Read on to find out how these players have shaped the game and the history of Filipino basketball.

San Miguel Beermen are the winningest team
The Beermen have won the most championships in the Philippine basketball league. The team’s first championship came in 1992 when they beat the Purefoods TJ Hotdogs in a seven-game series to take home the All-Filipino championship. In 1993, the Beermen won the league championship again, but lost to the Shell Rimula X in five games. But they are far from finished.

In 1993, the Beermen won their third conference championship and their second consecutive Governors Cup. In the finals, they defeated the Swift Mighty Meaties, led by Tony Harris. The Beermen became the first to win the All-Filipino title back to back. In 1994, they reclaimed their All-Filipino title and earned the right to represent the Philippines in the Asian Games. Unfortunately, they had a rough season, as the team suffered several injuries during the rest of the season.

Last season, the Beermen were heavily favored to defend their title and added Arwind Santos and Ken Bono. However, they started slowly and went 1-8, but later acquired Chris Calaguio and FEU standout Dennis Miranda from Sta. Lucia Realtors. The Beermen went on to win five of their next six games and were the winningest team in Philippine basketball.

Allan Caidic
Allan Caidic is a native of Laguna. He first started playing basketball in the fifth grade and played for his hometown Cainta Inter Subdivision League. He then played professionally for the Ateneo Blue Eagles and the Mapua Cardinals. In college, he studied Mechanical Engineering and joined the University of the East. Under Roberto Flores, he won the PBA MVP Award in 1985.

The 2002 PBA MVP was awarded to Willie Miller, a flashy point guard known for his unpredictability and acrobatic plays. In the previous years, Johnny Abarrientos had won the MVP award. Aside from Allan Caidic, four other guards won MVP awards. In 2016, Allan Caidic became the first player in Philippine basketball history to win four MVP awards in one season.

In the 1990 PBA, Caidic set a PBA record by scoring 160 points in one game. He led Presto Tivoli to the championship title. In the same year, he was selected for the first all-pro national team under Robert Jaworski. Those players would later be sent to the Asian Games. At the games, he led the Philippines’ comeback against Japan. Despite having a broken hand, Caidic scored 52 points in the second half. Although the Philippines lost the gold medal game to China, the silver medal was won by the Philippines.

In 1998, Caidic became a playing coach for the Barangay Ginebra Kings. He replaced interim coach Rino Salazar. After he won the MVP award, Caidic was also named their coach. Caidic was named the first Filipino to win four MVP awards in PBA history. While he was playing for the National Team, he held the record for the most 3-point shots converted.

Ramon Fernandez
Fernandez averaged double figures in every statistical category during his career. In 1984, he averaged 27 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists – almost a triple-double! Moreover, Fernandez was the first player to make a three-pointer using both hands.

Fernandez led the Philippine team to silver medal in the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing, but was only five assists short of a triple-double. He was invited to play in the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games, but bowed out due to a hamstring injury. Upon his retirement, Fernandez ranked No. 1 all-time in points (18996), rebounds (8652), and defensive rebounds (7,529). He also won a record-breaking four MVP awards and was one of the few players in Philippine basketball to play more than 1,000 games.

After his time with Toyota, Fernandez moved to Beer Hausen and played for the team for one season. His tenure in Beer Hausen was short lived as Fernandez was involved in a bitter feud with his former teammate, Jaworski. But Fernandez won the league MVP trophy in 1984 with the Lucio Tan-owned franchise. However, he never led Beer Hausen to a championship, which prompted him to move on to Tanduay with Abet Guidaben. After winning his third MVP award in 1986, Fernandez led Abet Guidaben to three PBA titles in a row, including a championship in 1987.

Robert Jaworski
During his career, Jaworski had a rivalry with Ramon Fernandez that started in their last two years as Toyota players and exploded into a full-blown war after the team disbanded in 1984. The rivalry was almost as big as the Toyota-Crispa one and Jaworski’s Ginebra played against any team that Fernandez was on. The feud ended in 1989 when the two men finally played together in the same game for the first time since Toyota’s disbandment.

The 6-foot-1 guard epitomized the “never-say-die” spirit, and played for the Toyota franchise from 1977 to 1980. His unconfirmed highs were 35 and 36, according to the PBA Annual. But his gung-gungeous defense and rugged play made him a great player. His four MVP awards were a testament to his ability to overcome adversity, and his relentless effort and determination to win.

The legendary Jaworski is known for his one-handed running shot, which is a perfect example of the team’s trademark offense. He could play with his back to the basket or facing it, creating space for plays and improvising shots. During half-court games, Jaworski would drive towards the basket at will. The legend of the Philippines’ basketball team.

Other notable Philippine basketball players include Samboy Lim, Allan Caidic, Ramon Fernandez, Benjie Paras, and Rey Evangelista. As a team, the San Miguel Beermen won the 1994 All-Filipino Conference. Alvin Patrimonio, Jerry Codinera, and Johnny Abarrientos came from other teams.

The only PBA team to win four consecutive championships was San Miguel. In the 1980 Invitational Conference, the team won the championship against Toyota. The next year, the team won the Reinforced Conference, where it won nine consecutive championships. In the 1990s, the league was transferred to the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay. The team went on to win nine titles in a decade, including the grand slam in 1996.

Alvin Patrimonio
Aside from playing in the PBA, Alvin Patrimonio has also starred in films and television series. His most famous movie was Bondying, starring Jerry Codinera and Paul Alvarez. Another film of his is Last Two Minutes, starring Alvin and Kris Aquino. The film was a box office hit and inspired a sitcom on PTV-4. Patrimonio also starred in the remake of Dobol Dribol alongside Maricel Soriano. Besides basketball, he has also starred in Tasya Fantasya opposite Kris Aquino and Katrina Halili.

Among the most famous players of the PBA, Alvin Patrimonio is one of the richest and most beloved in the country. His net worth is estimated at $1.5 million. Born in Quezon City, the Philippines, Patrimonio won a record-breaking four PBA MVP awards. He also became only the second player to win back-to-back MVP awards. In addition, he also won three Best Player of Conference awards. The other three awards he won were the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award, the PBA’s NBA Championship MVP, and the NCAA’s Most Valuable Player Award.

Despite his lack of stardom, Alvin Patrimonio is still a beloved player among fans. He is second to Robert Jaworski in popularity, and even after the coliseum closes, Alvin Patrimonio signs autographs for fans. His dazzling shooting and game-winning abilities have earned him the nickname of “Captain Lionheart.”