Barangay Ginebra Kings
Encyclopedia
The Barangay Ginebra Kings is a professional basketball team of the Philippine Basketball Association
founded in 1979
and owned by the Ginebra San Miguel, Inc.
, a subsidiary of the San Miguel Corporation
. It is the most popular teams in the league and the entire Philippines for that matter.
After some rough times during their first few seasons, their fortunes changed when Robert Jaworski
and Francis Arnaiz
arrived in 1984, following the disbandment of the famed Toyota squad.
Jaworski, as a player-coach, then steered the franchise to four PBA titles (1986, 1988, 1991, and 1997) with the tough and physical nucleus of Chito Loyzaga, Dondon Ampalayo
, Dante Gonzalgo, Leo Isaac and Rudy Distrito, and for some times imports like Michael Hackett
and Billy Ray Bates
. He left in 1998. The team was left with the Big 3 of Bal David, Noli Locsin and Marlou Aquino
.
Siot Tanquingcen and current head coach Jong Uichico
then led the Kings to four more titles as head coaches of the squad led by Mark Caguioa
, Jayjay Helterbrand
and Eric Menk
among others.
, the team was known as Gilbey's Gin of then-owner and team founder Carlos Palanca Jr.'s La Tondeña franchise. Its first head coach was Pilo Pumaren and was bannered by former MICAA standout Willie Tanduyan and imports Larry McNeil and Dean Tolson. Gilbey's managed to place fourth in the 1979 Invitational tournament.
Willie Generalao won the Rookie of the Year
honors during the 1980
season as Gilbey's placed fourth in the All-Filipino tournament.
Gilbey's also changed its name one time as St. George Whiskies where they had a bunch of young teenagers acting as cheerleaders. http://mypba.com/forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=9&view=findpost&p=13.
In 1982
, the Gins made it to their first Finals appearance during the Open Conference. But they were swept by Toyota of coach Ed Ocampo, Robert Jaworski
, and Ramon Fernandez
.
Gilbey's made another Finals appearance in the 1983
All-Filipino but was also swept by the Crispa Redmanizers
in the first of three titles won by the Redmanizers.
Before the 1984 season
, Toyota announced its departure from the league after winning nine titles in nine seasons. As part of an agreement with new team Beer Hausen, the rights of the Toyota players was acquired by Beer Hausen. The team, owned by Lucio Tan
, was entering its first year in the PBA.
Jaworski, Francis Arnaiz
, Arnie Tuadles
and Chito Loyzaga
refused to join Beer Hausen. This further ignited the internal Toyota feud between Jaworski and Fernandez which went on for the next several years. With this development, Gilbey's accepted Jaworski and Arnaiz, Arnie Tuadles and Chito Loyzaga joined Great Taste, while the rest of the Toyota players, led by Fernandez, joined Beer Hausen.
Gilbey's suffered another loss in the championship as the Crispa Redmanizers
defeated the Gins, 4-1, giving Crispa its last PBA title.
, Gilbey's was renamed as Ginebra San Miguel. Following the addition of Robert Jaworski and Francis Arnaiz
. These were mostly Toyota fans that followed the two players, cheered themselves hoarse in the rafters were the old raucous Toyota cheering squads in the rafters of the Araneta Coliseum
.
With Jaworski and Arnaiz at the forefront, it grew as the former Toyota players tandem infected the team with the legendary Toyota fighting spirit:
Jaworski and Arnaiz turned the moribund franchise into a competitive team almost overnight when in the first conference of the 1984 season, the All-Filipino Conference, they led the team to the finals against Crispa.
However in 1985, Ginebra failed to enter the finals in each of the three conferences, showing only a strong finish in the Reinforced Conference.
Michael Hackett also saw his name in the PBA record books by scoring 103 points in Ginebra's 197-168 victory against Great Taste on November 21, 1985. This was later broken by Swift's
Tony Harris in a 1992 game against Ginebra.
Former Crispa import Billy Ray Bates
was brought in for the 1986
Open Conference. Each PBA team was allowed to get two imports for the said conference. Bates' other partner was Michael Hackett, who was the 1985
Open Conference Best Import
. It is believed that the pair was the greatest import tandem in PBA history.
The two lead Ginebra in the Finals of the tournament against Manila Beer
(formerly Beer Hausen), with Abet Guidaben
and imports Michael Young and Harold Keeling. Bates and Hackett powered Ginebra to a 4-1 win in the series to give the team its first-ever championship.
Unfortunately, Francis Arnaiz suddenly left for the United States
before Ginebra won its first championship, ending his 11-year career and tandem with Jaworski.
, Ginebra changed their name to Añejo Rum. The 65ers entered the finals via playoff game vs San Miguel with a classic finish. The Big J made a perfect pass to Romulo Mamaril and made the game winning basket. Añejo took on new team Purefoods in the Finals of the All-Filipino Conference. Añejo won the series 3-1 over the young Purefoods team led by Jerry Codiñera
, Alvin Patrimonio
, and Jojo Lastimosa
(who had a confrontation with Jaworski). During this time, Ramon Fernandez was benched by the Purefoods for alleged game-fixing. In the final game, three 65ers scored 25 points or more - Joey Loyzaga
, Dondon Ampalayo
, and Sonny Jaworski - as the 65ers did not allow the then rookie-laden Purefoods team to gain confidence. Of course, the game was close all throughout until the final 3 minutes of the game when Loyzaga and Jaworski uncorked 3-pointers that iced the win. Also known as the best All Filipino underdog team ever to grabbed the All-Filipino Title. http://mypba.com/forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=9&view=findpost&p=18
Anejo Rum clinched the 1988 PBA-IBA World Challenge Cup Title with Bobby Parks as their import by beating international teams and met Alaska Airforce in the lone final game.
In the season-ending Reinforced Conference wherein teams were allowed two imports each, Añejo again hired the great Billy Ray Bates and paired him with Kevin Gamble
. After only four games, the PBA's "greatest import ever" was sent home for good. Añejo would finish the season with the exciting and high-scoring duo of Joe Ward and Tommy Davis as imports.
On the next season, Añejo lost in five games to the grand slam
winning San Miguel Beer
in the Third Conference. In that Conference, Añejo paraded another super import in Carlos Briggs, who easily bagged the Best Import Award.
In 1990
, Añejo entered the finals of the First Conference against Benjie Paras
and the Shell Rimula X
team. In Game Six, with Shell already leading the series 3-2, Añejo protested a foul on Rey Cuenco with a few minutes left in the second quarter. This led to the infamous walk out of Añejo. The team also complained about the unfavorable officiating as the team had more fouls than Shell. In the end, the game was forfeited and awarded the title to Shell.
The result of this event gave the team a fine of more than 500,000 PHP
which was then the highest fine in league history.
, Añejo reverted back to Ginebra. They met Shell
once again in the 1991 First Conference final
. Shell goes up 3-1 in the series, needing only a win to clinch the series. But Ginebra managed a furious comeback to force a seventh game. In the final seconds of Game 7, an off-balanced shot by Rudy Distrito with a second remaining sealed Ginebra's third PBA title and completed the greatest comeback in PBA history.
Ginebra placed third in the 1992
Reinforced Conference. But at that time, the team was starting to fade.
In the 1993
pre-season, the Gins were given the second overall pick in the 1993 PBA draft behind new team Sta. Lucia Realty
which replaced Presto. They drafted former FEU power forward Victor Pablo but immediately traded him to the 7-Up Bottlers for veterans Manny Victorino and Alejo Alolor. The said trade was lambasted by most fans, and it cost Ginebra their performance for the year where they compiled a 9-26 record in all three conferences. This horrible performance gave them the top pick in the next draft.
In 1994
, in an effort to change their fortunes, the team was renamed as Tondeña 65 Rhum Masters. The team selected Noli Locsin with their first pick, and was hoped to make team better. But Tondeña's struggles continued, winning just 12 of the 32 games that year.
In 1995
, the team reverted again to Ginebra. They selected 7-0 center E.J. Feihl and also drafted Jaworski's son, Robert Jr. The drafting of Feihl surprised people. They were expecting Ginebra to either draft Kenneth Duremdes
or Jeffrey Cariaso
at that time. Jaworski later quoted, "It's not everyday that you see a 7-footer applying for the draft." Unfortunately, misfortunes still struck the team as Ginebra won only 5 of the 30 games played that year, capped by a 0-10 win-loss record during the Governor's Cup. The worst season triggered rumors that Ginebra was disbanding. But the rumor was quickly killed off after the team posted a printed advertisement in major newspapers that they were staying in the PBA. Ginebra got the top pick again in the next draft. This was the last time a PBA team with the worst record was awarded the top pick in the draft. In the succeeding drafts, the worst PBA team had to compete with the second worst team via lottery to determine the top pick in the draft.
In 1996
, Ginebra used the top overall pick to draft controversial center Marlou Aquino
from Adamson University
. Aquino was a big star in the PBL
for Nikon and Stag Pale Pilsen but was involved in a controversial scandal in terms of his academic status with Adamson, although this was later neglected when he jumped pro. Aquino showed the promise Ginebra fans expected during the All-Filipino Conference. It also showed the discovery of former University of Santo Tomas
guard Bal David
as one of the team's popular players along with Vince Hizon, Jayvee Gayoso, and Pido Jarencio.
In the Commissioner's Cup, the team paraded NBA
veteran Henry James as Ginebra wound up in an elimination game against Formula Shell. Kenny Redfield's buzzer-beating three enabled Shell to enter the finals. Ginebra finally entered the Finals of the Governor's Cup but lost to the grand slam
winning Alaska Milkmen
in five games.
Aquino's impact on Ginebra gave the team a 30-game improvement from a year ago and was named as the Rookie of the Year
.
In 1997
, Ginebra was renamed once again, this time as the Gordon's Gin Boars. Gordon's was now a contender for the league's 23rd season.
One of the most memorable shots in team history was Bal David's final second heave from half-court to defeat San Miguel by a point during the All-Filipino Cup.
Gordon's entered the Finals of the All-Filipino against the Purefoods Corned Beef Cowboys. Purefoods managed to take a 3-1 series lead. In Game Five, they were about to score a winning basket after a Gordon's turnover. But Vince Hizon blocked Dindo Pumaren's layup, as the Boars lived another day. Unfortunately, in Game Six, the strong performance of Alvin Patrimonio
and company denied Gordon's a title losing the series 4-2. The loss marked Jaworski's (player-coach) last game with the La Tondeña franchise and did not enter himself in a game since.
In the Commissioner's Cup, NBA veteran Chris King became a replacement in time for the semis of the tournament. Gordon's met sister-team San Miguel
in an elimination semifinal match. It was a true classic game that went to double overtime and saw several comebacks by Gordon's. Specially they are down by five in dying seconds of the 1st overtime, the Boars then comeback to tied the game for good. They're longest playoff survival game to clinch the 2nd final berth. The Boars won, 106-100, to meet Alaska
in the finals. Gordon's eventually defeated Alaska in six games for their first title in six years. Jaworski got into the mic and thanked the Gordon's Gin fans for their support.
Expectations were high for the Governor's Cup, but they were eliminated by Sta. Lucia
in the quarterfinals.
In 1998
, Jaworski ran for a senatorial seat
for the elections which he won by a lot of votes. This led to a conflict between Jaworski's role in the Senate and his role as coach of Ginebra (named during the Commissioner's Cup). Assistant Rino Salazar was named as interim coach at one point. Ginebra still struggled despite the addition of Bong Alvarez to the team.
That year, Danding Cojuangco regained ownership of San Miguel Corporation
. One of the moves the team made was adding Allan Caidic
from San Miguel Beer. This caused a rift between Jaworski and the new management because he was not informed of the move. In a press conference held at the Senate, Jaworski resigned as player-coach of Ginebra.
Jaworski was considered the oldest basketball player on any roster at 52 years of age during this time before he retired.
In 1999
, the team was then officially called Barangay Ginebra Kings.
In the All-Filipino, Barangay Ginebra only managed to finish 8th in the eliminations, and needed to win twice against the first-seeded Mobiline Phone Pals of Asi Taulava
. The David & Goliath elimination game. The Kings managed to force a knockout game, winning the first game. In the decider, Barangay Ginebra came back from a 20 point deficit and Bal David's off-balance game-winner resulted in one of the biggest upsets in league history to advance to the next round. Asi Taulava
was even seen crying in disappointment after the game when he failed to stop the smaller but quicker Bal David. In the semis, they were eliminated by eventual champion Shell
that was marred by a scuffle in Game One of the series.
In the 2000 off season, Marlou Aquino
was traded to the Sta. Lucia Realtors in exchange for Jun Limpot
. The trade was considered as one of the biggest transactions done in the PBA. Another standout of Ginebra, Noli Locsin
, was later traded to Pop Cola
during the Commissioner's Cup for the Vergel Meneses
, but it still didn't help the Kings throughout the season. Allan Caidic
replaced Rino Salazar as head coach.
Barangay Ginebra was eliminated early in the quarterfinals by Tanduay
in the 2000 All-Filipino Cup, as well as the Commissioner's Cup. With Brian Green as import for the Governor's Cup, the Kings tried to repeat the same result of the 1999 All-Filipino against Mobiline. But this time though, the Phone Pals were able to beat Barangay Ginebra in the elimination game.
In 2001
, Barangay Ginebra drafted Mark Caguioa
, a virtual unknown in the Philippines basketball scene. Despite that, Caguioa showed brilliance during the All-Filipino, earning his current nickname The Spark. The Kings finished 5th in the eliminations and faced Purefoods, who had a twice-to-beat advantage, in the quarterfinals. In a repeat of events the past two years, the Kings were able to defeat the TJ Hotdogs twice, after an off-balanced game-winner by Ronald Magtulis, to enter the semifinals. The Kings faced Shell in the semifinals, and Barangay Ginebra upset the top-seeded Turbo Chargers in five games to meet sister team San Miguel
in the finals. Barangay Ginebra trailed 0-2 but won the next two games to tie the series at 2-2. In the end though, the Beermen won the series in six games.
Ginebra's success in the All-Filipino were not duplicated in the Commissioner's and Governor's Cup as they were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
After the season, the Kings acquired Eric Menk
from Tanduay to solidy their frontline for the 2002
season. Unfortunately, Menk was loaned to the Philippine team and the Kings struggled throughout the Governor's and Commissioner's Cups, once again failing to enter the semis. In the All-Filipino, Menk made his Ginebra debut but the team did not enter the quarterfinals.
Rommel Adducul
finally made his PBA debut after his years with the Metropolitan Basketball Association
. Barangay Ginebra selected the former San Sebastian College - Recoletos
Stag as the No. 2 pick in the 2003
draft. His addition though did not help Ginebra's fortune to change in the 29th season. In the All-Filipino cup, they were eliminated by eventual champions Talk 'N Text Phone Pals in the quarterfinals. They also failed to qualify for the Invitational tournament, after being eliminated by eventual champions Alaska Aces
in the qualifying rounds. In the season ending Reinforced Conference, they were knocked out by then-sister team and eventual champions Coca-Cola Tigers
in the quarterfinals.
, Caidic was moved to the position of team manager and was replaced by former San Miguel assistant coach Siot Tanquingcen and they traded jun limpot and to purefoods for andy seigle and rodney santos. Tanquingcen gave more playing time to Jayjay Helterbrand
.
On July 7, 2004, Barangay Ginebra ended a 7-year title drought when they defeated Red Bull Barako in a best of 5 finals, 3-1, capturing the transition 2004 Fiesta Conference. During that time, Torraye Braggs
with the team. It was actually a miracle as the team was only seeded 7th after the classification rounds. In the elimination wildcard phase, they came back from a 21-point deficit to beat the Sta. Lucia Realtors
. In the quarterfinal round, they had a 2-1 record, enough to make it to the semifinals. In the best of 3 semifinals, they eventually survived the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals in Game 3 on their way to the finals. The lowest seeded at 7th place in elimination round to capture the "Immortal Transition Tournament Trophy" of the PBA to move to new two-conference era per season. They are also known as the only "Wildcard Champion" [The lowest seeded (7th place in elimination round)ever to win the championship a PBA record].
On February 11, 2005, Barangay Ginebra proved that the last championship was not a fluke by winning the next conference, the 2004-2005 Philippine Cup, a conference without imports. They dethroned the defending champions Talk 'N Text Phone Pals, 4-2, in a controversial best of 7 Finals series. Game One was forfeited in favor of Ginebra when Phone Pals center Asi Taulava, who was ineligible to play, entered the game. His citizenship case was still on the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation. The Kings filed a protest prior to the start of game one. Barangay Ginebra carried the momentum and went on to win the championship. This was also the first time in franchise history that they won back-to-back championships.
Fiesta Conference broke the flawless finals record of the Bulls. And it proved to be costly too, as Red Bull would go on to defeat Ginebra in the next 3 tournaments that would follow after the Kings' back-to-back championships, denying the Kings numerous chances to rewrite history.
In the 2004-05
Fiesta Conference, Barangay Ginebra had a chance to rewrite history by winning the last possible 3-conference championship grand slam
. Unfortunately, obstacles such as import problems, injury to Jayjay Helterbrand and the suspension of future MVP
Eric Menk
due to citizenship issues, made the team struggle throughout the conference. They placed 9th of 10 teams in the conference after being swept by Red Bull Barako in the best of 3 wildcard phase of the playoffs. Red Bull Barako took 4th place after being defeated by eventual champions, and Ginebra's sister team, San Miguel Beermen
.
In the 2005-2006 Fiesta Conference, Barangay Ginebra was seeded to the semifinals after winning the 2nd seed playoff against Red Bull Barako. Original import Sean Lampley was replaced in time for the playoffs, by former Auburn University
standout Chris Porter, in order to strengthen Ginebra's quest to regain the Fiesta Conference title. But his addition was not enough to help the Kings reach the Finals.
They faced Red Bull Barako again in the semifinals, and eventually lost in the series, 4-3. But the Kings came back and tied the series, after being down 1-3. It was an emotional series, who were expecting for a repeat of the historic comeback made by the team during the 1991
First Conference.
After the series, Tanquincen apologized to the team's fans. It was also revealed that Mark Caguioa was playing hurt and had a hamstring injury throughout the series. Barangay Ginebra battled Air21 Express
in the 3rd place game but lost. In that game, a lackluster Barangay Ginebra team played, which was believed to be still emotionally down from their game 7 defeat. Red Bull Barako eventually won the championship against the Purefoods Chunkee Giants in six games.
In the 2005-2006 Philippine Cup, Barangay Ginebra finished with a 7-9 record in the classification. Being defending champions, they were considered as favorites to win the tournament. Unfortunately, injuries haunted the team as players began to fall one by one. Standouts Eric Menk and Rommel Adducul and rotation players Rodney Santos and Andy Seigle all suffered injuries during the conference. The Kings made a gallant stand in the wildcard phase as reserves Mark Macapagal,Allan Salangsang,Manny Ramos and Ervin Sotto stars. Ginebra took the sixth and final spot in the quarterfinals after defeating Air21 on June 4 with a 118-114 overtime victory as Mark Caguioa recorded a career-high 45 points.
However, the Kings still fell short as they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Red Bull, 3-2. After Ginebra led 2-1 in the series, the Bulls clinched the series by defeating the Kings by more than 25 points in the last two games. The Bulls went on to survive the Beermen
in 7 semis games, before being denied a grand slam
themselves by the Giants.
and Air21 Express. The first part of the trade saw the Express sending Ryan Bernardo and its 2007 and 2008 first-round draft picks to the Tigers for Rafi Reavis
, Billy Mamaril
and the rights to Rudy Hatfield
. The second part sent Reavis, Mamaril and Hatfield's rights from the Express to the Kings for Kalani Ferreria, Aries Dimaunahan
, Manny Ramos, and Ervin Sotto
plus the Kings two second-round draft picks that year and a future first-round pick. The third part was voided by former Commissioner Noli Eala
, which would have allowed the Express to regain its own 2007 and 2008 picks plus the Tigers' 2008 second round draft pick from Coke, in exchange for Ferreria and Ramos plus the second-round pick this year and the future first-round pick. Air21
and Coca-Cola
submitted a revised version of that part of the trade and was approved by Eala.
Under the revised version, the Express will trade Manny Ramos and Kalani Ferreria plus two second-round picks acquired from San Miguel
and Ginebra to the Tigers. The Tigers retained Air21
's 2007 and 2008 first-round picks but traded away their 2008 and 2009 first-round picks.
The trade has been questioned by many within the league as a one-sided trade. It also speculated the rumors of Coca-Cola's possible disbandment from the league, which was denied in a statement released by the president of Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines Inc.(CCBPI) and PBA board of governors for the Coca-Cola Tigers
.
Also, the coaching staff underwent a revamp with Jong Uichico, from sister team San Miguel Beer
, taking over coaching duties from Siot Tanquingcen. Tanquingcen demoted as assistant coach, along with Art Dela Cruz and Junno Sauler. Dela Cruz is also from San Miguel Beer
, having served as assistant coach, while Sauler is a holdover from Tanquingcen's coaching staff. Uichico, Tanquincen, and Dela Cruz powered San Miguel Beer in their late-90s championship run and also helped win their 17th title.
As part of their preparations for the 2006-07 PBA season
, the team competed in the 6th Shell Rimula Brunei Cup but failed to make it to the semis after losing close games. They started the PBA
pre-season tournament with a 90-75 drubbling of Purefoods, http://pba.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1162&Itemid=59 but failed to advance to the pre-season finals due to a poor 2-2 record.
Rudy Hatfield made a league comeback and he signed with Ginebra.
Johnny Abarrientos
followed suit two weeks before the start of the season. he'll back-up starter jay-jay helterbrand.He is a tremendous addition to the Kings' re-tooled roster.
In the season opener, the Kings defeated the expansion Welcoat Dragons 102-69 on October 1. Two victories over sister team Purefoods and Air21 gave Ginebra an 3-0 record before being defeated by Red Bull on October 15.
Rommel Adducul
was later sent to the San Miguel Beermen as part of a three-team deal which involved Red Bull, a non-SMC club. http://pba.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1229&Itemid=82 Ironically, the following game saw the two sister teams face off at the Cuneta Astrodome
, in a game which the Beermen edged 101-97 in overtime, after the Beermen led by as much as 20 points during regulation. At the middle of the elimination round, they acquired the Ronald Tubid
from the Air21 Express. http://pba.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1251&Itemid=82 Midway through the elimination round, the team managers of the SMC teams were shuffled. Ginebra's team manager, Allan Caidic
was replaced by Samboy Lim
and Caidic was sent to the Coca-Cola Tigers
. The Kings advanced to the semifinals as the first seed. http://pba.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1347&Itemid=82 In the semifinals series against the Phone Pals, they won Game 5 when the series was tied 2-2, leading to the series clinching Game 6 win.
In the finals, Ginebra met San Miguel Beer and fell behind 0-2 in the series. They would win their next four games, with games 3 and 4 being blowouts, being the fifth PBA team to win the title after losing their first two games. Ginebra star Jayjay Helterbrand
sank two crucial free throws of Game 6, was named Finals MVP. While on the other hand, Mark Caguioa
, the big-time scorer, won the Best Player of the Conference award.
After they won the Philippine Cup Title, Caguioa, Helterbrand, and Menk were loaned to play for the Philippine National Team to compete in the FIBA-Asia Championship. They also lost Rudy Hatfield early in the first round due to personal problems, but their import Rod Nealy provided scoring for the Kings. Despite a depleted lineup, they still managed to finish 12-6 in 3rd seed of an outright quarterfinals berth. Due to the play of Egay Echavez,Mark Macapagal and Gec Chia who shines with the loss of Caguioa and Helterbrand, the Kings finished strong. In the quarterfinals, they faced the San Miguel Beermen again but ended the series differently. This time they took Game 1 with a 113-87 victory but San Miguel took Game 2 and won an overtime thriller 117-114 in Game 3, thwarting the Kings' chance to win a second pair of back-to-back titles.
to Coca Cola for guard Chris Pacana
and Gec Chia
to Talk 'N Text for veteran Vic Pablo. They also boosted their backcourt by drafting Macky Escalona
from Ateneo and acquiring Paul Artadi
from Air 21 after being traded by Purefoods. They also added depth by getting Willy Wilson
. Still, they lacked interior presence due to the loss of Hatfield and injuries to Rafi Reavis
and Billy Mamaril
. Despite having Helterbrand back in the lineup, they have yet returned to their competitive form because Caguioa got injured. They won the opening game against Red Bull but finished the eliminations 8-10. They ended up in the wildcard phase where they met Air21 and lose 119-110, ending its title defense.
After failing to defend their Philippine Cup crown, they signed Alex Crisano
to supplement their front court and Rahshon Turner
as their import for the 2008 PBA Fiesta Conference
. Despite a different look, the Kings had a slow start losing their first five games with both Turner and Ernest Brown
. To stop the losing streak, they replaced Brown with another recruit from the NBA Development League
, Chris Alexander whose inside scoring and rebounding helped the Kings win 10 of their next 13 games in the eliminations. The Kings ended on a high note ending the eliminations 10-8 with an outright quarterfinals berth. They faced the Sta. Lucia Realtors
in the quarterfinals and completed a 2-game sweep en route to another showdown against Red Bull. In the semis, which everyone predicted to be a 7-game showdown saw the Kings sweep the Barakos that included a 101-97 overtime victory in Game 4. So convincingly was the sweep that they shamed Red Bull all throughout the series. After the last game of the series, the Barakos went all the way to their locker room without congratulating Barangay Ginebra. This gave Ginebra its first series sweep in franchise history, and its 17th finals appearance. This also gave Jong Uichico
his 12th finals appearance (2nd with the Kings) and the third sweep in league history since the 1992 Third Conference when Swift
swept 7-Up in the finals. The Game 4 victory extended their winning streak dating back from the eliminations to 12 (the longest in franchise history).
In the finals, they met the Air21 Express
who sought to win its first franchise title. At the opener, the Kings extended their winning streak to 13 with a 105-96 victory. But in Game 2, Jayjay Helterbrand
injured his hamstring giving the momentum to the Express for a 124-90 rout, the worst loss of Uichico in his entire coaching career. As their injuries continued to pile up, they lost Game 3 and Helterbrand for the rest of the series. However, the Kings managed to tie the series with a 90-77 win in Game 4. Ronald Tubid
also returned during Game 4 from a dislocated left ankle and lift Ginebra, but lost a close 76-73 in Game 5. In Game 6, the Kings proved that they were more worthy of the title by extending the series to a Game 7 with a 80-75 victory, thanks to Alexander's 37 points (20 in the 3rd quarter) to lift the Kings despite an injury plagued lineup. In game 7, with the injury suffered by Junthy Valenzuela
(tendinitis) and Chris Alexander having cramps in the 3rd quarter, the locals led by Ronald Tubid
and Eric Menk
had a terrific performance to maintain the lead and seal the 97-84 victory, and won the series 4-3 to grab their 8th championship. With the victory, they surpassed Purefoods in titles won. Tubid and Menk was named as finals co-MVP. Jong Uichico
also won his 8th PBA title as a coach and his 2nd with the Kings. A Record crowd of 22,902 witness Kings’ coronation, the biggest in Araneta Coliseum since the legendary Crispa-Toyota days.
Junjun Cabatu
to a 2 year contract. They defeated defending Philippine Cup champions Sta. Lucia Realtors
and the team that they defeated in the previous season's 2008 PBA Fiesta Conference
Finals, the Air21 Express
. After winning the first two games, Ginebra then went on a 5-game losing streak before moving on the winners bracket with a victory over the Coca-Cola Tigers
. With a victory over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on Christmas Day, they finished the eliminations with a 10-8 card, and an outright berth to the quarterfinals. Then they faced a familiar foe, their sister squad San Miguel. And in Game 1, they lost a one point thriller. Ginebra then exploded in game 2 even after losing an 18-point lead in the end game, they tied the series to one game a piece. In Game 3, the Kings were stream rolling with a 21 point lead only to lose the game and the series as the Beermen went on to face the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in the semifinals.
In preparation for the 2009 PBA Fiesta Conference
and to fill up their injury plagued lineup, they acquired Chico Lanete
(who was acquired by Air21 from Purefoods), Doug Kramer
, and J.C. Intal from the Air21 Express
in exchange for their 2012 and 2013 draft picks. The Kings, though, lost big man Alex Crisano
after deciding to let go of their center to Barako Bull Energy Boosters in exchange for a 2010 second round pick.
Ginebra's come backing import (2007 Fiesta Cup) Rod Nealy scored 42 points, 23 rebounds, 9 assists in his first game in the conference. After which, they fell to 2-5 before the Holy Week break and they sent Nealy home. While looking for the right import, they almost got one through former Los Angeles Clippers
forward Ryan Humphrey
but he exceeded the height limit of 6'6 (he was listed 6'8). After the break, they came back strong with a win over Rain or Shine 94-89 despite an All Filipino lineup. To beef up their lineup, they acquired Cyrus Baguio
and Homer Se
from the Burger King Whoppers in a 3 way trade including Purefoods. After weeks of trying to find an import, they finally signed former Milwaukee Bucks
and Los Angeles Clippers
swingman David Noel
who was listed as 6'5" to further boost their depth as they try go deeper in the eliminations. Noel made an impressive debut with a triple double (22 pts, 17 rebs, 10 assts) in a 100-94 win over Burger King. Noel also displayed his athleticism by showing his high-flying skills in the 2009 PBA Slam Dunk Contest besting co-imports Gabe Freeman and Anthony Johnson to win the Imports category and Gabe Norwood
to win it overall joining Paul Artadi
who won the Obstacle Challenge earlier as the Kings won two of the three events. His dunks included a Michael Jordan
rock the cradle dunk, a tossed windmill, and a backflip then 360 dunk that gave him a perfect 100 from the judges including US Ambassador Kristie Kenney
, and due to the fans request, he did a familiar Julius Erving
foul line takeoff to cap the contest. In the main event of the evening which is the All-star Game between the Powerade Team Pilipinas and the Import laced PBA All-stars, Noel again won the All-star game MVP as the All-stars defeated the Nationals 97-89.
As of this moment, the Kings are 8-1 with Noel as their import and they clinched the a semifinal berth in the Conference along with the San Miguel Beermen
as they pounded the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters 114-71.
The Kings were without high-scoring Mark Caguioa
who was still recuperating from an injury in the United States. Caguioa, one of the prolific scorers in the PBA
, did not play in the previous conference and his absence hurt the team’s campaign. Junthy Valenzuela
is also on the injured list.
and Purefoods. They sent Paul Artadi
, Rafi Reavis
, and 8th draft pick Chris Timberlake
to Purefoods for Enrico Villanueva
, Rich Alvarez
, Paolo Bugia
, and Celino Cruz
. They also traded their eighteenth draft pick Orlando Daroya to Burger King for Pocholo Villanueva
, but Villanueva never made it to the team. Meanwhile, they released guard Macky Escalona
, and forward J.R. Aquino to free-agency and waived center Homer Se
. They also released guard Chris Pacana
, who was later signed by the Sta. Lucia Realtors
and placed forward Junjun Cabatu
to the practice player list. On other reports, Ginebra coach Jong Uichico
confirmed that they signed Eric Menk
to a one-year contract extension for the Kings. Ginebra then released guard Chico Lanete
and was later signed by the Burger King Whoppers
. Prior to this release, they signed Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters 18th overall pick Kevin White to a one-year deal.
In the Fiesta Conference, Rudy Hatfield
came back to the country and signed a one-year contract with Ginebra. During the mid-conference, Ginebra acquired Yancy de Ocampo
and a 2010 second-round draft pick from the Burger King Whoppers
in exchange for Rich Alvarez
and Doug Kramer
and acquired the former Metropolitan Basketball Association MVP, John Ferriols
, who was officially became an unrestricted free agent after being on the reserved list by the Alaska Aces
. Due to lack of impressive point guards in their line-up, they traded high-flying Cyrus Baguio
to the Alaska Aces and got the two-time MVP Willie Miller. Ginebra also traded Billy Mamaril
to Air21 Express for Mike Cortez
in the latter part of the conference.
The Kings' first import was Awvee Storey but he was then replaced by Mildon Ambres because of his inconsistencies. Ambres' performance was also not far from Storey's output; the team again made an import change. Denham Brown, a Seattle SuperSonics draftee, and a standout from the NBDL squad Iowa Energy, also struggled in five games when he played for the team during the last round of the eliminations.
Ginebra looked for winning combinations with the new players in their lineup. But, they still failed to secure a playoff berth for the semifinals. Being tied with the Elasto Painters, they played for one-game playoff for the last quarterfinals berth. The result was, the Kings defeated Rain or Shine, 115-88, in the lopsided win. Barangay Ginebra then renewed its historic battle with fourth-seeded Alaska Aces in the quarterfinals. This was a rematch between the two teams that tangled in the semifinals of the 2009 Philippine Cup. Alaska took a 2-0 lead. Diamon Simpson powered his way to a 20-20 game in the first game and Barangay Ginebra as the Aces topped the Kings, 76-72, in the opener of this quarterfinals. In game 2 Alaska showed poise at crunch time. The Aces came up with big plays down the stretch while the Kings could not, enabling the Aces to escape with an 84-82 win. Simpson capped a 30-point game with his 17th rebound that sealed the game just before the final buzzer. Eric Menk
and import Chris Daniels provided scoring but their backcourt were again invisible, with Mark Caguioa
, Willie Miller
, Mike Cortez
, and Jayjay Helterbrand
struggling in the game. In game 3 Ginebra came with a breakthrough win that fanned the hopes of the team. Not one but several Kings heeded the call and resulted in a 91-87 win over the Alaska Aces that kept the Kings' hope for the quarterfinals series. JC Intal
, who came off the bench exploded for 20 points, delivering what Mark Caguioa and Wille Mller could not while providing both inspiration and boost to the team’s cause of eluding Alaska’s broom. The Kings forced a rubber match when they got balanced scoring from their roster with a 94-90 win over Alaska in Game 4. JC Intal and Ronald Tubid
hit consecutive three-pointers in the final three minutes while Sunday Salvacion
came through with the game-sealing free throws with 2.6 seconds left in Game 4. Ginebra failed to win the quarterfinal series with a heartbreaking 91-93 loss with Aces. In game 5, Tenorio
drilled a difficult triple at the buzzer which seemed enough to propel the Aces to a victory and erected a six-point lead, 90-84, with just 2:15 left in the match. Willie Miller scored on a layup off a broken play as Ginebra cut the Alaska lead to four 90-86 with 1:27 to go in the game. Miller then followed up a missed layup by his teammate to push Ginebra even closer, 90-88, with 31 seconds left. Eric Menk then intercepted a long pass by Simpson, grabbing the ball at midcourt then zipped the ball over to an open Jayjay Helterbrand
who drilled a three-pointer as the Kings pulled ahead of Alaska, 90-91, with 28 seconds left. But Ginebra, unable to pull a tough defensive play, when Diamon Simpson scored from underneath to push Alaska ahead for good, 92-91, with just 5 seconds left to play. Cyrus Baguio
then double-teamed an attacking Eric Menk and stole the ball from Menk that finalized the score on a split from the line, 93-91.
then returned to Ginebra after a stint with Air21 in exchange for a future draft pick.
Three-time champion coach Siot Tanquingcen, rejoined the coaching staff of the Kings.
To start building its future, with 11 players who were age 30 and over, Ginebra picked 3 rookies. They drafted 2009 NCAA season MVP John Wilson
from Jose Rizal University
and 2009 NCAA Finals MVP Jimbo Aquino from San Sebastian College in the first round and University of the East's
Robert Labagala
in the second round of the 2010 PBA Draft
. They also released Paolo Bugia
, John Ferriols
, Kevin White and Junjun Cabatu
and traded Sunday Salvacion
to the Barako Bull Energy Boosters for a future first round draft pick. They signed its 3 rookies after a week, giving the Kings a mixture of youth and experienced backcourt. Wilson and Aquino were given similar two-year contracts worth P5.7 million, while Labagala got a one-year deal worth P800,000 thousand. on July 18, 2011 Two-time Most Valuable Player Willie Miller was Traded to Air21 in exchange for Niño Canaleta and 2012 future pick.
, but only kept Cervantes due to the guard heavy roster. Jayjay Helterbrand signed only a one - conference contract extension, due to his desire to find out if he "still has it" and if he does not, he announced he will retire after the conference.
Ginebra drew flak this season for starting the younger, inexpereinced guards such as John Wilson and Rob Labagala instead of holdovers Mark Caguioa and Jayjay Helterbrand, a move intended by coach Siot to speed up the development of the younger guns of Ginebra. Because of this, Ginebra managed to barely escape two rival teams successively, as well as experience a two-game losing streak right after.
On November 16, the Philippine Basketball Association
commissioner Chito Salud
approved a trade that sent Allein Maliksi and former Rookie of the Year Rico Maierhofer
to Barangay Ginebra Kings, while Jimbo Aquino and 2013 1st round pick of Ginebra will be given to Barako Bull Energy, and 2002 PBA
1st overall pick Yancy de Ocampo
and the 2012 2nd round pick of Ginebra will go to B-Meg Llamados.
!width="40"|Pos.
! style="width:165px;"|Starter
! style="width:165px;"|Bench
! style="width:165px;"|Bench
! style="width:165px;"|Reserve
! style="width:165px;"|Inactive
|- style="height:40px; background:white; color:black"
! style="background:#efe196" | C
| Enrico Villanueva
|| Billy Mamaril
|| Eric Menk
|| style="background:#b9e3ca" | ||style="background:#efe196" | ||
|- style="height:40px; background:white; color:black"
! style="background:#efe196" | PF
| Willy Wilson
|| Rico Maierhofer
|| Reil Cervantes ||
|- style="height:40px; background:white; color:black"
! style="background:#efe196" | SF
| Niño Canaleta
|| JC Intal
|| Allein Maliksi ||style="background:#b9e3ca" | || style="background:#efe196" |
|- style="height:40px; background:white; color:black"
! style="background:#efe196" | SG
| Mark Caguioa
|| Ronald Tubid
|| John Wilson || style="background:#b9e3ca" | || style="background:#efe196" |
|- style="height:40px; background:white; color:black"
! style="background:#efe196" | PG
| Jayjay Helterbrand
|| Mike Cortez
|| Robert Labagala
|| || style="background:#efe196" |
|}
PBA Best Player of the Conference Award
PBA Rookie of the Year Award
PBA Mythical First Team
PBA Mythical Second Team
PBA All-Defensive Team
PBA Most Improved Player
PBA Energy Player Award
PBA Best Import
PBA Best Player of the Conference
PBA Finals MVP
PBA Coach of the Year
PBA Comeback Player of the Year
PBA Mr. Quality Minutes
PBA Defensive Player of the Year
Humanitarian/Citizenship Award
PBA Sportsmanship Award
PBA All - Star MVP
PBA ALL Star Selection
PBA All Star Coach
PBA Rookies vs Sophomores Blitz Game MVP
PBA Rookies vs Sophomores Blitz Game Selection
Philippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...
founded in 1979
1979 PBA season
The 1979 PBA Season was the fifth season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Trivia:*The PBA's fifth season saw three different teams emerging champions in each conference....
and owned by the Ginebra San Miguel, Inc.
Ginebra San Miguel
Ginebra San Miguel, Inc. is a Philippines-based diversified alcoholic beverage company owned by San Miguel Corporation, then called La Tondeña Distillers, Inc. from 1987 to 2003. Founded originally by the late Carlos Palanca, Sr. as La Tondeña, Inc...
, a subsidiary of the San Miguel Corporation
San Miguel Corporation
Established in 1890 as a brewery, San Miguel Corporation is Southeast Asia's largest publicly listed food, beverage and packaging company with over 17,000 employees in over 100 major facilities throughout the Asia-Pacific....
. It is the most popular teams in the league and the entire Philippines for that matter.
After some rough times during their first few seasons, their fortunes changed when Robert Jaworski
Robert Jaworski
Robert Salazar Jaworski , also known as Sonny Jaworski, Bobby Jaworski, Robert Jaworski, Sr. or simply Jawo, is a former Philippine senator, basketball coach and Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association and PBA basketball player.Known as The Big J and called The Living Legend...
and Francis Arnaiz
Francis Arnaiz
Francis C. Arnaiz is a former Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. He played for Toyota and Ginebra San Miguel from 1975-1986...
arrived in 1984, following the disbandment of the famed Toyota squad.
Jaworski, as a player-coach, then steered the franchise to four PBA titles (1986, 1988, 1991, and 1997) with the tough and physical nucleus of Chito Loyzaga, Dondon Ampalayo
Dondon Ampalayo
Cresencio "Dondon" Ampalayo , is a retired Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. He won the PBA Rookie of the Year in 1986 while suiting up for Ginebra San Miguel...
, Dante Gonzalgo, Leo Isaac and Rudy Distrito, and for some times imports like Michael Hackett
Michael Hackett
Michael Hackett is a retired American professional basketball player. He attended Jacksonville University where he was considered by University of Alabama at Birmingham coach Gene Bartow as "The best 6-5 player in America."'Little' Mike Hackett is Big Man on Jacksonville's Improving Team, The...
and Billy Ray Bates
Billy Ray Bates
Billy Ray Bates is a retired American professional basketball player. Bates played shooting guard at McAdams High in Mississippi and attended Kentucky State University....
. He left in 1998. The team was left with the Big 3 of Bal David, Noli Locsin and Marlou Aquino
Marlou Aquino
Marlou B. Aquino is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association who last played for the Meralco Bolts. Known by his moniker The Skyscraper, he is also known, along with Dennis Espino, as one-half of the so-called Twin Towers of the disbanded Sta...
.
Siot Tanquingcen and current head coach Jong Uichico
Jong Uichico
Joseph Enrique Uichico, better known as Jong Uichico, is a Filipino professional basketball head coach for the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association. Uichico is a former Philippines national basketball team Youth member and a former player and head coach of the La Salle...
then led the Kings to four more titles as head coaches of the squad led by Mark Caguioa
Mark Caguioa
Mark Anthony Abaño Caguioa is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association who plays for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
, Jayjay Helterbrand
Jayjay Helterbrand
Anthony Jason James Helterbrand , better known as Jayjay Helterbrand, is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
and Eric Menk
Eric Menk
Eric Conrad Menk is a Filipino-American professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
among others.
1979-1984: Gilbey's Gin
Joining the league in 19791979 PBA season
The 1979 PBA Season was the fifth season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Trivia:*The PBA's fifth season saw three different teams emerging champions in each conference....
, the team was known as Gilbey's Gin of then-owner and team founder Carlos Palanca Jr.'s La Tondeña franchise. Its first head coach was Pilo Pumaren and was bannered by former MICAA standout Willie Tanduyan and imports Larry McNeil and Dean Tolson. Gilbey's managed to place fourth in the 1979 Invitational tournament.
Willie Generalao won the Rookie of the Year
Philippine Basketball Association Rookie of the Year award
-List of awardees:...
honors during the 1980
1980 PBA season
The 1980 PBA season was the sixth season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Season Highlights:The season was best remembered for the famous " Last 16 seconds" of the First Conference championship between U/tex Wranglers and Toyota Tamaraws...
season as Gilbey's placed fourth in the All-Filipino tournament.
Gilbey's also changed its name one time as St. George Whiskies where they had a bunch of young teenagers acting as cheerleaders. http://mypba.com/forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=9&view=findpost&p=13.
In 1982
1982 PBA season
The 1982 PBA season was the eighth season of the Philippine Basketball Association . It was the very first season that the league implement the best-of-seven format in the Reinforced Filipino Conference which was the first tournament.-Champions:...
, the Gins made it to their first Finals appearance during the Open Conference. But they were swept by Toyota of coach Ed Ocampo, Robert Jaworski
Robert Jaworski
Robert Salazar Jaworski , also known as Sonny Jaworski, Bobby Jaworski, Robert Jaworski, Sr. or simply Jawo, is a former Philippine senator, basketball coach and Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association and PBA basketball player.Known as The Big J and called The Living Legend...
, and Ramon Fernandez
Ramón Fernández
Ramon S. Fernandez is generally regarded as the greatest basketball player produced by the Philippine Basketball Association. Fernandez won four Most Valuable Player awards and a record of 19 PBA championships bagged...
.
Gilbey's made another Finals appearance in the 1983
1983 PBA season
The 1983 PBA season was the ninth season of the Philippine Basketball Association . The famed Crispa Redmanizers won its Second Grandslam after first doing the trick in 1976...
All-Filipino but was also swept by the Crispa Redmanizers
Crispa Redmanizers
The Crispa Redmanizers was a basketball team in the Manila Industrial Commercial Athletic Association , the Philippine Basketball Association and the Philippine Amateur Basketball League from the 1960s to the early 1990s.- Profile and history :...
in the first of three titles won by the Redmanizers.
Before the 1984 season
1984 PBA season
The 1984 PBA season was the 10th season of the Philippine Basketball Association . The season marked the first season without the famed Toyota squad and the final season of the 13-time league champion Crispa Redmanizers.-Champions:...
, Toyota announced its departure from the league after winning nine titles in nine seasons. As part of an agreement with new team Beer Hausen, the rights of the Toyota players was acquired by Beer Hausen. The team, owned by Lucio Tan
Lucio Tan
Lucio Tan is a prominent Chinese Filipino business magnate and is one of the most prominent business magnates in the Philippines...
, was entering its first year in the PBA.
Jaworski, Francis Arnaiz
Francis Arnaiz
Francis C. Arnaiz is a former Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. He played for Toyota and Ginebra San Miguel from 1975-1986...
, Arnie Tuadles
Arnie Tuadles
Arnulfo "Arnie" Tuadles was a Filipino basketball player who once played for the fabled Philippine Basketball Association team Toyota Super Corollas. He began his career brightly as a stalwart in the MICAA, playing for the Manilabank Golden Bankers in the mid-70s before peddling his wares with the...
and Chito Loyzaga
Chito Loyzaga
Joaquin C. Loyzaga is a former Filipino basketball player. He played college ball for San Beda College before eventually going on to play professional basketball in the Philippine Basketball Association, where he became a many-time member of the All-Defensive team. Loyzaga played for Tanduay,...
refused to join Beer Hausen. This further ignited the internal Toyota feud between Jaworski and Fernandez which went on for the next several years. With this development, Gilbey's accepted Jaworski and Arnaiz, Arnie Tuadles and Chito Loyzaga joined Great Taste, while the rest of the Toyota players, led by Fernandez, joined Beer Hausen.
Gilbey's suffered another loss in the championship as the Crispa Redmanizers
Crispa Redmanizers
The Crispa Redmanizers was a basketball team in the Manila Industrial Commercial Athletic Association , the Philippine Basketball Association and the Philippine Amateur Basketball League from the 1960s to the early 1990s.- Profile and history :...
defeated the Gins, 4-1, giving Crispa its last PBA title.
1985-1988: Ginebra San Miguel
By 19851985 PBA season
The 1985 PBA season was the 11th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Notable Events:*The season marked the first time without the famed Crispa Redmanizers participating in the league, a new team, Shell Azodrin took over the franchise of the disbanded Crispa.*The PBA found a new home...
, Gilbey's was renamed as Ginebra San Miguel. Following the addition of Robert Jaworski and Francis Arnaiz
Francis Arnaiz
Francis C. Arnaiz is a former Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. He played for Toyota and Ginebra San Miguel from 1975-1986...
. These were mostly Toyota fans that followed the two players, cheered themselves hoarse in the rafters were the old raucous Toyota cheering squads in the rafters of the Araneta Coliseum
Araneta Coliseum
The Smart Araneta Coliseum, known as The Big Dome is an indoor multi-purpose sports arena located in the Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines...
.
With Jaworski and Arnaiz at the forefront, it grew as the former Toyota players tandem infected the team with the legendary Toyota fighting spirit:
- The biggest manifestation was when, Jaworski came back from the nearby Medical City with seven stitches in his lip to lead the Gins to a come-from-behind victory against NCC. Jaworski incurred this from a wayward elbow inflicted by Jeff Moore in the second quarter. But with them behind by 15 points going into the final seven minutes of the game, Jaworski re-entered the court and sparked a frenzy that to date, has yet been matched. The NCC team simply froze upon the sight of the Big J and didn't know what hit them, eventually losing to the Gins.http://mypba.com/forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=9&view=findpost&p=13
Jaworski and Arnaiz turned the moribund franchise into a competitive team almost overnight when in the first conference of the 1984 season, the All-Filipino Conference, they led the team to the finals against Crispa.
However in 1985, Ginebra failed to enter the finals in each of the three conferences, showing only a strong finish in the Reinforced Conference.
Michael Hackett also saw his name in the PBA record books by scoring 103 points in Ginebra's 197-168 victory against Great Taste on November 21, 1985. This was later broken by Swift's
Pop Cola Panthers
The Pop Cola Panthers is a former Philippine Basketball Association team from 1990-2001 under the ownership of Cosmos Bottling Corporation, a subsidiary of RFM Corporation. Cosmos was sold to Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Inc., then-owned by San Miguel Corporation in 2001 which also includes the...
Tony Harris in a 1992 game against Ginebra.
Former Crispa import Billy Ray Bates
Billy Ray Bates
Billy Ray Bates is a retired American professional basketball player. Bates played shooting guard at McAdams High in Mississippi and attended Kentucky State University....
was brought in for the 1986
1986 PBA season
The 1986 PBA season was the 12th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Notable Events:*Alaska Milk marked its first participation in the league...
Open Conference. Each PBA team was allowed to get two imports for the said conference. Bates' other partner was Michael Hackett, who was the 1985
1985 PBA season
The 1985 PBA season was the 11th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Notable Events:*The season marked the first time without the famed Crispa Redmanizers participating in the league, a new team, Shell Azodrin took over the franchise of the disbanded Crispa.*The PBA found a new home...
Open Conference Best Import
Philippine Basketball Association Best Player of the Conference Award
The Philippine Basketball Association's Best Player of the Conference Award is given to the best local player at the end of each conference...
. It is believed that the pair was the greatest import tandem in PBA history.
The two lead Ginebra in the Finals of the tournament against Manila Beer
Manila Beer Brewmasters
Manila Beer was a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association from 1984-1986. It was formed after Delta Motors, owner of league pioneer Toyota sold the franchise to Basic Holdings, Inc, the company that owns Asia Brewery which in turn manufactures Manila Beer and Beer...
(formerly Beer Hausen), with Abet Guidaben
Abet Guidaben
Alberto "Abet" Guidaben is a former Philippine Basketball Association basketball player. He was part of the fabled Crispa Redmanizers ballclub that won two Grand Slams, in 1976 and 1983...
and imports Michael Young and Harold Keeling. Bates and Hackett powered Ginebra to a 4-1 win in the series to give the team its first-ever championship.
Unfortunately, Francis Arnaiz suddenly left for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
before Ginebra won its first championship, ending his 11-year career and tandem with Jaworski.
1988-1991: Añejo Rum 65ers
In 19881988 PBA season
The 1988 PBA season was the 14th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Notable Events:*After Tanduay filed a leave of absence, some remnants were absorbed, along with several amateur prospects by Purefoods Corporation....
, Ginebra changed their name to Añejo Rum. The 65ers entered the finals via playoff game vs San Miguel with a classic finish. The Big J made a perfect pass to Romulo Mamaril and made the game winning basket. Añejo took on new team Purefoods in the Finals of the All-Filipino Conference. Añejo won the series 3-1 over the young Purefoods team led by Jerry Codiñera
Jerry Codiñera
Jerry Codiñera is a retired professional basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association. He is nicknamed the "Defense Minister" for his prowess at the defensive end. He is also a member of the 25 Best Players of all Time of PBA and Philippine men's national basketball team of the 1994...
, Alvin Patrimonio
Alvin Patrimonio
Alvin Vergara Patrimonio , nicknamed "The Captain" and "Captain Lionheart" is a retired Filipino professional basketball player from the Philippine Basketball Association and is the current team manager of his former team, the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants.Patrimonio holds several PBA records...
, and Jojo Lastimosa
Jojo Lastimosa
Isabelo Lastimosa, Jr. , better known as Jojo Lastimosa and by his nickname "Jolas", is a former Filipino professional basketball player from Cagayan de Oro City who played in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Purefoods TJ Hotdogs, the Alaska Aces and the Pop Cola Panthers from 1988-2003...
(who had a confrontation with Jaworski). During this time, Ramon Fernandez was benched by the Purefoods for alleged game-fixing. In the final game, three 65ers scored 25 points or more - Joey Loyzaga
Joey Loyzaga
Ernesto Jose C. Loyzaga , better known as Joey Loyzaga, is a former Filipino basketball player. He played college ball for San Beda College before eventually going on to play professional basketball in the Philippine Basketball Association. Loyzaga played for Magnolia, Swift, Shell, Ginebra, and...
, Dondon Ampalayo
Dondon Ampalayo
Cresencio "Dondon" Ampalayo , is a retired Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. He won the PBA Rookie of the Year in 1986 while suiting up for Ginebra San Miguel...
, and Sonny Jaworski - as the 65ers did not allow the then rookie-laden Purefoods team to gain confidence. Of course, the game was close all throughout until the final 3 minutes of the game when Loyzaga and Jaworski uncorked 3-pointers that iced the win. Also known as the best All Filipino underdog team ever to grabbed the All-Filipino Title. http://mypba.com/forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=9&view=findpost&p=18
Anejo Rum clinched the 1988 PBA-IBA World Challenge Cup Title with Bobby Parks as their import by beating international teams and met Alaska Airforce in the lone final game.
In the season-ending Reinforced Conference wherein teams were allowed two imports each, Añejo again hired the great Billy Ray Bates and paired him with Kevin Gamble
Kevin Gamble
Kevin Douglas Gamble is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. At 6'5" he played as both a shooting guard and small forward...
. After only four games, the PBA's "greatest import ever" was sent home for good. Añejo would finish the season with the exciting and high-scoring duo of Joe Ward and Tommy Davis as imports.
On the next season, Añejo lost in five games to the grand slam
Grand Slam (PBA)
The Grand Slam in the Philippine Basketball Association refers to a PBA team who has won all three conferences in a single season. After the PBA reduced the number of conferences from three to two beginning in 2004, the term became quite obsolete to some...
winning San Miguel Beer
San Miguel Beermen
The Petron Blaze Boosters is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team has been a member of the league since its inception in 1975 and hold the most PBA titles with 19.The team is owned by the Petron Corporation, a subsidiary of the Philippines' largest food...
in the Third Conference. In that Conference, Añejo paraded another super import in Carlos Briggs, who easily bagged the Best Import Award.
In 1990
1990 PBA season
The 1990 PBA season was the 16th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Season Highlights:*The PBA increased its membership from 6 teams to 8, with the entry of expansion teams, RFM/Cosmos Bottling, Inc. and Pepsi-Cola...
, Añejo entered the finals of the First Conference against Benjie Paras
Benjie Paras
Venancio Johnson Paras, Jr. , better known as Benjie Paras, is a Filipino professional basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association turned actor. He is the only PBA player to win both Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player honors, in a single season...
and the Shell Rimula X
Shell Turbo Chargers
The Shell Turbo Chargers is a former Philippine Basketball Association team under the ownership of Pilipinas Shell Corporation. Shell has been a member of the PBA since 1985 until 2005 when the team filed for a leave of absence after the season. Shell sold its franchise to PBL team Welcoat Paints...
team. In Game Six, with Shell already leading the series 3-2, Añejo protested a foul on Rey Cuenco with a few minutes left in the second quarter. This led to the infamous walk out of Añejo. The team also complained about the unfavorable officiating as the team had more fouls than Shell. In the end, the game was forfeited and awarded the title to Shell.
The result of this event gave the team a fine of more than 500,000 PHP
Philippine peso
The peso is the currency of the Philippines. It is subdivided into 100 centavos . Before 1967, the language used on the banknotes and coins was English and so "peso" was the name used...
which was then the highest fine in league history.
1991-1996: Back to Ginebra San Miguel
In 19911991 PBA season
The 1991 PBA season was the 17th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Season Highlights:*The PBA Rookie draft, was aired on TV lived for the first time in league history....
, Añejo reverted back to Ginebra. They met Shell
Shell Turbo Chargers
The Shell Turbo Chargers is a former Philippine Basketball Association team under the ownership of Pilipinas Shell Corporation. Shell has been a member of the PBA since 1985 until 2005 when the team filed for a leave of absence after the season. Shell sold its franchise to PBL team Welcoat Paints...
once again in the 1991 First Conference final
1991 PBA First Conference Finals
The 1991 PBA First Conference Finals is the best-of-7 basketball championship series of the 1991 PBA First Conference, and the conclusion of the conference's playoffs. Ginebra San Miguel and the Shell Rimula X played for the 50th championship contested by the league...
. Shell goes up 3-1 in the series, needing only a win to clinch the series. But Ginebra managed a furious comeback to force a seventh game. In the final seconds of Game 7, an off-balanced shot by Rudy Distrito with a second remaining sealed Ginebra's third PBA title and completed the greatest comeback in PBA history.
Ginebra placed third in the 1992
1992 PBA season
The 1992 PBA season was the 18th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Notable occurrences:*PBA Commissioner Rudy Salud, stepped down from his post, after four successful years of guiding the league at its highest level, PBA chairman Rey Marquez succeeded Atty.Salud as the new PBA...
Reinforced Conference. But at that time, the team was starting to fade.
In the 1993
1993 PBA season
The 1993 PBA season was the 19th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Notable events:*The league moves to its new home, the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.*The league unveils their new logo during the opening ceremonies.*Sta...
pre-season, the Gins were given the second overall pick in the 1993 PBA draft behind new team Sta. Lucia Realty
Sta. Lucia Realtors
The Sta. Lucia Realtors was a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association.The Universal Robina Corporation team is one of the founding members of the PBA. Formerly known as Great Taste and Presto-Tivoli Ice Cream, they have won a total of 6 championships. Sta...
which replaced Presto. They drafted former FEU power forward Victor Pablo but immediately traded him to the 7-Up Bottlers for veterans Manny Victorino and Alejo Alolor. The said trade was lambasted by most fans, and it cost Ginebra their performance for the year where they compiled a 9-26 record in all three conferences. This horrible performance gave them the top pick in the next draft.
In 1994
1994 PBA season
The 1994 PBA season was the 20th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Season Highlights:The San Miguel Beermen won the All-Filipino championship over Coney Island and represented the country in the 1994 Asian Games. Amateur standouts Marlou Aquino and Kenneth Duremdes join the RP-San...
, in an effort to change their fortunes, the team was renamed as Tondeña 65 Rhum Masters. The team selected Noli Locsin with their first pick, and was hoped to make team better. But Tondeña's struggles continued, winning just 12 of the 32 games that year.
In 1995
1995 PBA season
The 1995 PBA season was the 21st season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Season Highlights:*The PBA returned to the Araneta Coliseum, after a decade of absence, with the scheduled games on Friday being held at the Big Dome....
, the team reverted again to Ginebra. They selected 7-0 center E.J. Feihl and also drafted Jaworski's son, Robert Jr. The drafting of Feihl surprised people. They were expecting Ginebra to either draft Kenneth Duremdes
Kenneth Duremdes
Kenneth Duremdes is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association who currently plays for the Powerade Tigers...
or Jeffrey Cariaso
Jeffrey Cariaso
Jeffrey J. Cariaso is a retired Filipino professional basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association. He is the former starting off-guard for the Alaska Aces.-Alaska:...
at that time. Jaworski later quoted, "It's not everyday that you see a 7-footer applying for the draft." Unfortunately, misfortunes still struck the team as Ginebra won only 5 of the 30 games played that year, capped by a 0-10 win-loss record during the Governor's Cup. The worst season triggered rumors that Ginebra was disbanding. But the rumor was quickly killed off after the team posted a printed advertisement in major newspapers that they were staying in the PBA. Ginebra got the top pick again in the next draft. This was the last time a PBA team with the worst record was awarded the top pick in the draft. In the succeeding drafts, the worst PBA team had to compete with the second worst team via lottery to determine the top pick in the draft.
In 1996
1996 PBA season
-Finals results:*PBA Governors Cup Finals: Alaska Milkmen def. Ginebra San Miguel , 4 games to 1.*Third place: Formula Shell -Finals results:*PBA Governors Cup Finals: (1) Alaska Milkmen (8-3) def. (4) Ginebra San Miguel (7-4), 4 games to 1.*Third place: Formula Shell -Finals results:*PBA...
, Ginebra used the top overall pick to draft controversial center Marlou Aquino
Marlou Aquino
Marlou B. Aquino is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association who last played for the Meralco Bolts. Known by his moniker The Skyscraper, he is also known, along with Dennis Espino, as one-half of the so-called Twin Towers of the disbanded Sta...
from Adamson University
Adamson University
Adamson University is a private university Catholic university in Manila, Philippines, founded on June 30, 1932 by Greek immigrant George Lucas Adamson as the Adamson School of Industrial Chemistry...
. Aquino was a big star in the PBL
Philippine Basketball League
The Philippine Basketball League is a commercial semi-professional basketball league in the Philippines. The league is composed of several commercial teams with several collegiate and provincial stars.-History:...
for Nikon and Stag Pale Pilsen but was involved in a controversial scandal in terms of his academic status with Adamson, although this was later neglected when he jumped pro. Aquino showed the promise Ginebra fans expected during the All-Filipino Conference. It also showed the discovery of former University of Santo Tomas
University of Santo Tomas
The Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines , is a private Roman Catholic university run by the Order of Preachers in Manila. Founded on April 28, 1611 by archbishop of Manila Miguel de Benavides, it has the oldest extant university charter in the...
guard Bal David
Bal David
Bal Viray David Jr is a retired professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association . He played as point guard for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
as one of the team's popular players along with Vince Hizon, Jayvee Gayoso, and Pido Jarencio.
In the Commissioner's Cup, the team paraded NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
veteran Henry James as Ginebra wound up in an elimination game against Formula Shell. Kenny Redfield's buzzer-beating three enabled Shell to enter the finals. Ginebra finally entered the Finals of the Governor's Cup but lost to the grand slam
Grand Slam (PBA)
The Grand Slam in the Philippine Basketball Association refers to a PBA team who has won all three conferences in a single season. After the PBA reduced the number of conferences from three to two beginning in 2004, the term became quite obsolete to some...
winning Alaska Milkmen
Alaska Aces (PBA)
The Alaska Aces is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association since 1986 under the ownership of the Alaska Milk Corporation and the owner of 13 PBA championships with the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference as their latest...
in five games.
Aquino's impact on Ginebra gave the team a 30-game improvement from a year ago and was named as the Rookie of the Year
Philippine Basketball Association Rookie of the Year award
-List of awardees:...
.
1997-1998: Gordon's Gin Boars
1997 PBA season
The 1997 PBA season was the 23rd season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Notable occurrences:*The entry of Fil-Americans in the PBA, for the first time in league history, the top two picks of the Annual Rookie draft was born outside the Philippines, the 6-9 Andrew John Seigle, a discovery...
, Ginebra was renamed once again, this time as the Gordon's Gin Boars. Gordon's was now a contender for the league's 23rd season.
One of the most memorable shots in team history was Bal David's final second heave from half-court to defeat San Miguel by a point during the All-Filipino Cup.
Gordon's entered the Finals of the All-Filipino against the Purefoods Corned Beef Cowboys. Purefoods managed to take a 3-1 series lead. In Game Five, they were about to score a winning basket after a Gordon's turnover. But Vince Hizon blocked Dindo Pumaren's layup, as the Boars lived another day. Unfortunately, in Game Six, the strong performance of Alvin Patrimonio
Alvin Patrimonio
Alvin Vergara Patrimonio , nicknamed "The Captain" and "Captain Lionheart" is a retired Filipino professional basketball player from the Philippine Basketball Association and is the current team manager of his former team, the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants.Patrimonio holds several PBA records...
and company denied Gordon's a title losing the series 4-2. The loss marked Jaworski's (player-coach) last game with the La Tondeña franchise and did not enter himself in a game since.
In the Commissioner's Cup, NBA veteran Chris King became a replacement in time for the semis of the tournament. Gordon's met sister-team San Miguel
San Miguel Beermen
The Petron Blaze Boosters is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team has been a member of the league since its inception in 1975 and hold the most PBA titles with 19.The team is owned by the Petron Corporation, a subsidiary of the Philippines' largest food...
in an elimination semifinal match. It was a true classic game that went to double overtime and saw several comebacks by Gordon's. Specially they are down by five in dying seconds of the 1st overtime, the Boars then comeback to tied the game for good. They're longest playoff survival game to clinch the 2nd final berth. The Boars won, 106-100, to meet Alaska
Alaska Aces (PBA)
The Alaska Aces is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association since 1986 under the ownership of the Alaska Milk Corporation and the owner of 13 PBA championships with the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference as their latest...
in the finals. Gordon's eventually defeated Alaska in six games for their first title in six years. Jaworski got into the mic and thanked the Gordon's Gin fans for their support.
Expectations were high for the Governor's Cup, but they were eliminated by Sta. Lucia
Sta. Lucia Realtors
The Sta. Lucia Realtors was a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association.The Universal Robina Corporation team is one of the founding members of the PBA. Formerly known as Great Taste and Presto-Tivoli Ice Cream, they have won a total of 6 championships. Sta...
in the quarterfinals.
In 1998
1998 PBA season
The 1998 PBA season was the 24th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Season Highlights:*The PBA is in their toughest challenge for the year, with the formation of a new league called Metropolitan Basketball Association, backed by the giant network ABS-CBN, is perceived to be a threat...
, Jaworski ran for a senatorial seat
Senate of the Philippines
The Senate of the Philippines is the upper chamber of the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, the Congress of the Philippines...
for the elections which he won by a lot of votes. This led to a conflict between Jaworski's role in the Senate and his role as coach of Ginebra (named during the Commissioner's Cup). Assistant Rino Salazar was named as interim coach at one point. Ginebra still struggled despite the addition of Bong Alvarez to the team.
That year, Danding Cojuangco regained ownership of San Miguel Corporation
San Miguel Corporation
Established in 1890 as a brewery, San Miguel Corporation is Southeast Asia's largest publicly listed food, beverage and packaging company with over 17,000 employees in over 100 major facilities throughout the Asia-Pacific....
. One of the moves the team made was adding Allan Caidic
Allan Caidic
Alan Vito Flores Caidic is a retired professional basketball player from the Philippines and is currently an assistant coach of the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the PBA...
from San Miguel Beer. This caused a rift between Jaworski and the new management because he was not informed of the move. In a press conference held at the Senate, Jaworski resigned as player-coach of Ginebra.
Jaworski was considered the oldest basketball player on any roster at 52 years of age during this time before he retired.
1999-present: Barangay Ginebra Kings
1999 PBA season
The 1999 PBA season was the 25th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Notable occurrences:*The league transferred from the Cuneta Astrodome to the PhilSports Arena as their main playing venue....
, the team was then officially called Barangay Ginebra Kings.
In the All-Filipino, Barangay Ginebra only managed to finish 8th in the eliminations, and needed to win twice against the first-seeded Mobiline Phone Pals of Asi Taulava
Asi Taulava
Pauliasi M. Taulava also known as Asi Taulava is a American-born Filipino-Tongan professional basketball player playing in the Philippines for the Meralco Bolts in the Philippine Basketball Association....
. The David & Goliath elimination game. The Kings managed to force a knockout game, winning the first game. In the decider, Barangay Ginebra came back from a 20 point deficit and Bal David's off-balance game-winner resulted in one of the biggest upsets in league history to advance to the next round. Asi Taulava
Asi Taulava
Pauliasi M. Taulava also known as Asi Taulava is a American-born Filipino-Tongan professional basketball player playing in the Philippines for the Meralco Bolts in the Philippine Basketball Association....
was even seen crying in disappointment after the game when he failed to stop the smaller but quicker Bal David. In the semis, they were eliminated by eventual champion Shell
Shell Turbo Chargers
The Shell Turbo Chargers is a former Philippine Basketball Association team under the ownership of Pilipinas Shell Corporation. Shell has been a member of the PBA since 1985 until 2005 when the team filed for a leave of absence after the season. Shell sold its franchise to PBL team Welcoat Paints...
that was marred by a scuffle in Game One of the series.
In the 2000 off season, Marlou Aquino
Marlou Aquino
Marlou B. Aquino is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association who last played for the Meralco Bolts. Known by his moniker The Skyscraper, he is also known, along with Dennis Espino, as one-half of the so-called Twin Towers of the disbanded Sta...
was traded to the Sta. Lucia Realtors in exchange for Jun Limpot
Jun Limpot
Zandro P. Limpot, Jr. , also known as "The Main Man" Jun Limpot, is a former Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association.- Career :...
. The trade was considered as one of the biggest transactions done in the PBA. Another standout of Ginebra, Noli Locsin
Noli Locsin
Manuel Luis Locsin , better known as Noli Locsin, is a retired Filipino professional basketball player. He spent most of his career for the Ginebra San Miguel franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association...
, was later traded to Pop Cola
Pop Cola Panthers
The Pop Cola Panthers is a former Philippine Basketball Association team from 1990-2001 under the ownership of Cosmos Bottling Corporation, a subsidiary of RFM Corporation. Cosmos was sold to Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Inc., then-owned by San Miguel Corporation in 2001 which also includes the...
during the Commissioner's Cup for the Vergel Meneses
Vergel Meneses
Vergel Meneses - nicknamed "The Aerial Voyager" - is a retired Filipino professional basketball player who last played for the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals in the Philippine Basketball Association. He was also a former PBA Most Valuable Player and a many-time member of the Philippine National team...
, but it still didn't help the Kings throughout the season. Allan Caidic
Allan Caidic
Alan Vito Flores Caidic is a retired professional basketball player from the Philippines and is currently an assistant coach of the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the PBA...
replaced Rino Salazar as head coach.
Barangay Ginebra was eliminated early in the quarterfinals by Tanduay
Tanduay Rhum Masters
The Tanduay Rhum Masters is a former Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association , Philippine Basketball Association and Philippine Basketball League basketball team.-History:...
in the 2000 All-Filipino Cup, as well as the Commissioner's Cup. With Brian Green as import for the Governor's Cup, the Kings tried to repeat the same result of the 1999 All-Filipino against Mobiline. But this time though, the Phone Pals were able to beat Barangay Ginebra in the elimination game.
In 2001
2001 PBA season
The 2001 PBA season was the 27th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Notable occurrences:*During the preseason, Tanduay made soundwaves in the PBA when they signed Danny Ildefonso of corporate rival San Miguel Beermen a whopping 16-year, 98 million peso offersheet...
, Barangay Ginebra drafted Mark Caguioa
Mark Caguioa
Mark Anthony Abaño Caguioa is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association who plays for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
, a virtual unknown in the Philippines basketball scene. Despite that, Caguioa showed brilliance during the All-Filipino, earning his current nickname The Spark. The Kings finished 5th in the eliminations and faced Purefoods, who had a twice-to-beat advantage, in the quarterfinals. In a repeat of events the past two years, the Kings were able to defeat the TJ Hotdogs twice, after an off-balanced game-winner by Ronald Magtulis, to enter the semifinals. The Kings faced Shell in the semifinals, and Barangay Ginebra upset the top-seeded Turbo Chargers in five games to meet sister team San Miguel
San Miguel Beermen
The Petron Blaze Boosters is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team has been a member of the league since its inception in 1975 and hold the most PBA titles with 19.The team is owned by the Petron Corporation, a subsidiary of the Philippines' largest food...
in the finals. Barangay Ginebra trailed 0-2 but won the next two games to tie the series at 2-2. In the end though, the Beermen won the series in six games.
Ginebra's success in the All-Filipino were not duplicated in the Commissioner's and Governor's Cup as they were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
After the season, the Kings acquired Eric Menk
Eric Menk
Eric Conrad Menk is a Filipino-American professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
from Tanduay to solidy their frontline for the 2002
2002 PBA season
-Notable occurrences:*The Tanduay Rhum Masters left the league after three seasons. Their franchise was taken over by the FedEx Express.*Republic Flour Mills sold its subsidiary COSMOS Bottlers Corporation to food company giant San Miguel Corporation. The move also absorbed the Pop Cola Panthers,...
season. Unfortunately, Menk was loaned to the Philippine team and the Kings struggled throughout the Governor's and Commissioner's Cups, once again failing to enter the semis. In the All-Filipino, Menk made his Ginebra debut but the team did not enter the quarterfinals.
Rommel Adducul
Rommel Adducul
Romel Adducul is a professional basketball player from the Philippines who currently plays in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Powerade Tigers....
finally made his PBA debut after his years with the Metropolitan Basketball Association
Metropolitan Basketball Association
The Metropolitan Basketball Association or Metroball was a professional basketball league in the Philippines founded in 1998.The MBA overtook the Philippine Basketball Association's plans on regionalization when the league adopted a home-and-away format where teams, instead of representing...
. Barangay Ginebra selected the former San Sebastian College - Recoletos
San Sebastian College - Recoletos
San Sebastian College – Recoletos de Manila or commonly known by their nickname Bastê, is a Catholic institution of higher learning in the Philippines...
Stag as the No. 2 pick in the 2003
2003 PBA season
The 2003 PBA Season was the 29th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Notable occurrences:*The NBN/IBC consortium took over the league's TV coverage after winning the TV rights over the league's longtime TV partner Vintage Television in December 2002.*Noli Eala became the league's...
draft. His addition though did not help Ginebra's fortune to change in the 29th season. In the All-Filipino cup, they were eliminated by eventual champions Talk 'N Text Phone Pals in the quarterfinals. They also failed to qualify for the Invitational tournament, after being eliminated by eventual champions Alaska Aces
Alaska Aces (PBA)
The Alaska Aces is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association since 1986 under the ownership of the Alaska Milk Corporation and the owner of 13 PBA championships with the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference as their latest...
in the qualifying rounds. In the season ending Reinforced Conference, they were knocked out by then-sister team and eventual champions Coca-Cola Tigers
Coca-Cola Tigers
The Powerade Tigers is a professional basketball team of the Philippine Basketball Association founded in 2002 when the then-San Miguel Corporation-owned Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines bought the RFM-owned Cosmos Bottling Corporation. In 2006, the Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Company under the Coca-Cola...
in the quarterfinals.
2004-2005: Back-to-back titles
Before the 2004 PBA Fiesta Conference2004 PBA Fiesta Conference
The 2004 PBA Fiesta Conference, or known as the 2004 Gran Matador Brandy-PBA Fiesta Conference for sponsorship reasons, was tournament held by the Philippine Basketball Association and the first ever edition of the PBA Fiesta Conference....
, Caidic was moved to the position of team manager and was replaced by former San Miguel assistant coach Siot Tanquingcen and they traded jun limpot and to purefoods for andy seigle and rodney santos. Tanquingcen gave more playing time to Jayjay Helterbrand
Jayjay Helterbrand
Anthony Jason James Helterbrand , better known as Jayjay Helterbrand, is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
.
On July 7, 2004, Barangay Ginebra ended a 7-year title drought when they defeated Red Bull Barako in a best of 5 finals, 3-1, capturing the transition 2004 Fiesta Conference. During that time, Torraye Braggs
Torraye Braggs
Torraye Braggs is an American professional basketball player, formerly of the NBA.After a college career at Xavier University, Braggs was drafted by the Utah Jazz in the second round of the 1998 NBA Draft, and had short stints in the NBA, with the Houston Rockets and the Washington Wizards ,...
with the team. It was actually a miracle as the team was only seeded 7th after the classification rounds. In the elimination wildcard phase, they came back from a 21-point deficit to beat the Sta. Lucia Realtors
Sta. Lucia Realtors
The Sta. Lucia Realtors was a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association.The Universal Robina Corporation team is one of the founding members of the PBA. Formerly known as Great Taste and Presto-Tivoli Ice Cream, they have won a total of 6 championships. Sta...
. In the quarterfinal round, they had a 2-1 record, enough to make it to the semifinals. In the best of 3 semifinals, they eventually survived the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals in Game 3 on their way to the finals. The lowest seeded at 7th place in elimination round to capture the "Immortal Transition Tournament Trophy" of the PBA to move to new two-conference era per season. They are also known as the only "Wildcard Champion" [The lowest seeded (7th place in elimination round)ever to win the championship a PBA record].
On February 11, 2005, Barangay Ginebra proved that the last championship was not a fluke by winning the next conference, the 2004-2005 Philippine Cup, a conference without imports. They dethroned the defending champions Talk 'N Text Phone Pals, 4-2, in a controversial best of 7 Finals series. Game One was forfeited in favor of Ginebra when Phone Pals center Asi Taulava, who was ineligible to play, entered the game. His citizenship case was still on the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation. The Kings filed a protest prior to the start of game one. Barangay Ginebra carried the momentum and went on to win the championship. This was also the first time in franchise history that they won back-to-back championships.
2005-06: Ginebra-Red Bull playoff duel
The Kings' victory over Red Bull in the 20042004-05 PBA season
The 2004-05 PBA season is the 30th season of the Philippine Basketball Association. Instead of the usual calendar year of February-December, the league changed its schedule to the current October-July format, while limiting the number of conferences from three to two...
Fiesta Conference broke the flawless finals record of the Bulls. And it proved to be costly too, as Red Bull would go on to defeat Ginebra in the next 3 tournaments that would follow after the Kings' back-to-back championships, denying the Kings numerous chances to rewrite history.
In the 2004-05
2004-05 PBA season
The 2004-05 PBA season is the 30th season of the Philippine Basketball Association. Instead of the usual calendar year of February-December, the league changed its schedule to the current October-July format, while limiting the number of conferences from three to two...
Fiesta Conference, Barangay Ginebra had a chance to rewrite history by winning the last possible 3-conference championship grand slam
Grand Slam (PBA)
The Grand Slam in the Philippine Basketball Association refers to a PBA team who has won all three conferences in a single season. After the PBA reduced the number of conferences from three to two beginning in 2004, the term became quite obsolete to some...
. Unfortunately, obstacles such as import problems, injury to Jayjay Helterbrand and the suspension of future MVP
Philippine Basketball Association Most Valuable Player award
The Philippine Basketball Association awards the Most Valuable Player award at the end of the season. The winner is selected via votes from the press, players, coaches and top PBA officials....
Eric Menk
Eric Menk
Eric Conrad Menk is a Filipino-American professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
due to citizenship issues, made the team struggle throughout the conference. They placed 9th of 10 teams in the conference after being swept by Red Bull Barako in the best of 3 wildcard phase of the playoffs. Red Bull Barako took 4th place after being defeated by eventual champions, and Ginebra's sister team, San Miguel Beermen
San Miguel Beermen
The Petron Blaze Boosters is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team has been a member of the league since its inception in 1975 and hold the most PBA titles with 19.The team is owned by the Petron Corporation, a subsidiary of the Philippines' largest food...
.
In the 2005-2006 Fiesta Conference, Barangay Ginebra was seeded to the semifinals after winning the 2nd seed playoff against Red Bull Barako. Original import Sean Lampley was replaced in time for the playoffs, by former Auburn University
Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
standout Chris Porter, in order to strengthen Ginebra's quest to regain the Fiesta Conference title. But his addition was not enough to help the Kings reach the Finals.
They faced Red Bull Barako again in the semifinals, and eventually lost in the series, 4-3. But the Kings came back and tied the series, after being down 1-3. It was an emotional series, who were expecting for a repeat of the historic comeback made by the team during the 1991
1991 PBA season
The 1991 PBA season was the 17th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Season Highlights:*The PBA Rookie draft, was aired on TV lived for the first time in league history....
First Conference.
After the series, Tanquincen apologized to the team's fans. It was also revealed that Mark Caguioa was playing hurt and had a hamstring injury throughout the series. Barangay Ginebra battled Air21 Express
Air21 Express
The Barako Bull Energy is a Philippine Basketball Association team that began in 2002.Barako Bull is owned by Energy Food and Drinks Inc., a subsidiary of the Linaheim Corporate Services, owners of the defunct Laguna Lakers of the Metropolitan Basketball Association...
in the 3rd place game but lost. In that game, a lackluster Barangay Ginebra team played, which was believed to be still emotionally down from their game 7 defeat. Red Bull Barako eventually won the championship against the Purefoods Chunkee Giants in six games.
In the 2005-2006 Philippine Cup, Barangay Ginebra finished with a 7-9 record in the classification. Being defending champions, they were considered as favorites to win the tournament. Unfortunately, injuries haunted the team as players began to fall one by one. Standouts Eric Menk and Rommel Adducul and rotation players Rodney Santos and Andy Seigle all suffered injuries during the conference. The Kings made a gallant stand in the wildcard phase as reserves Mark Macapagal,Allan Salangsang,Manny Ramos and Ervin Sotto stars. Ginebra took the sixth and final spot in the quarterfinals after defeating Air21 on June 4 with a 118-114 overtime victory as Mark Caguioa recorded a career-high 45 points.
However, the Kings still fell short as they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Red Bull, 3-2. After Ginebra led 2-1 in the series, the Bulls clinched the series by defeating the Kings by more than 25 points in the last two games. The Bulls went on to survive the Beermen
San Miguel Beermen
The Petron Blaze Boosters is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team has been a member of the league since its inception in 1975 and hold the most PBA titles with 19.The team is owned by the Petron Corporation, a subsidiary of the Philippines' largest food...
in 7 semis games, before being denied a grand slam
Grand Slam (PBA)
The Grand Slam in the Philippine Basketball Association refers to a PBA team who has won all three conferences in a single season. After the PBA reduced the number of conferences from three to two beginning in 2004, the term became quite obsolete to some...
themselves by the Giants.
2006-07 Season: Sister Act (Ginebra vs. San Miguel)
In the off season, the Kings were involved in the controversial three-way-team trade with Coca-Cola TigersCoca-Cola Tigers
The Powerade Tigers is a professional basketball team of the Philippine Basketball Association founded in 2002 when the then-San Miguel Corporation-owned Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines bought the RFM-owned Cosmos Bottling Corporation. In 2006, the Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Company under the Coca-Cola...
and Air21 Express. The first part of the trade saw the Express sending Ryan Bernardo and its 2007 and 2008 first-round draft picks to the Tigers for Rafi Reavis
Rafi Reavis
Rafael Pangilinan "Rafi" Reavis is a Filipino-American professional basketball player currently playing for the B-Meg Llamados in the Philippine Basketball Association. He is well-known for his good shotblocking abilities...
, Billy Mamaril
Billy Mamaril
John Billy Mamaril is a Filipino professional basketball player currently playing for the Barangay Ginebra Kings. He plays the forward and center positions...
and the rights to Rudy Hatfield
Rudy Hatfield
Rudolf Conse Hatfield II , better known as Rudy Hatfield, is a retired American-Filipino professional basketball player who last played for the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association....
. The second part sent Reavis, Mamaril and Hatfield's rights from the Express to the Kings for Kalani Ferreria, Aries Dimaunahan
Aries Dimaunahan
Aristeo Dimaunahan better known as Aris Dimaunahan is a Filipino professional basketball player who last played for the Alaska Aces in the Philippine Basketball Association.- Biography :...
, Manny Ramos, and Ervin Sotto
Ervin Sotto
Ervin Sotto is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Alaska Aces in the Philippine Basketball Association. He was the seventh overall pick in the 2004 PBA Draft by the Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs...
plus the Kings two second-round draft picks that year and a future first-round pick. The third part was voided by former Commissioner Noli Eala
Noli Eala
Jose Emmanuel M. Eala, better known as Noli Eala, was the sixth commissioner of the Philippine Basketball Association from 2003 to 2007. Before he became the commissioner of the league, he was a play-by-play commentator of Viva-Vintage Sports, which broadcasts the PBA Games, from the early 1990s...
, which would have allowed the Express to regain its own 2007 and 2008 picks plus the Tigers' 2008 second round draft pick from Coke, in exchange for Ferreria and Ramos plus the second-round pick this year and the future first-round pick. Air21
Air21 Express
The Barako Bull Energy is a Philippine Basketball Association team that began in 2002.Barako Bull is owned by Energy Food and Drinks Inc., a subsidiary of the Linaheim Corporate Services, owners of the defunct Laguna Lakers of the Metropolitan Basketball Association...
and Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola Tigers
The Powerade Tigers is a professional basketball team of the Philippine Basketball Association founded in 2002 when the then-San Miguel Corporation-owned Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines bought the RFM-owned Cosmos Bottling Corporation. In 2006, the Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Company under the Coca-Cola...
submitted a revised version of that part of the trade and was approved by Eala.
Under the revised version, the Express will trade Manny Ramos and Kalani Ferreria plus two second-round picks acquired from San Miguel
San Miguel Beermen
The Petron Blaze Boosters is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team has been a member of the league since its inception in 1975 and hold the most PBA titles with 19.The team is owned by the Petron Corporation, a subsidiary of the Philippines' largest food...
and Ginebra to the Tigers. The Tigers retained Air21
Air21 Express
The Barako Bull Energy is a Philippine Basketball Association team that began in 2002.Barako Bull is owned by Energy Food and Drinks Inc., a subsidiary of the Linaheim Corporate Services, owners of the defunct Laguna Lakers of the Metropolitan Basketball Association...
's 2007 and 2008 first-round picks but traded away their 2008 and 2009 first-round picks.
The trade has been questioned by many within the league as a one-sided trade. It also speculated the rumors of Coca-Cola's possible disbandment from the league, which was denied in a statement released by the president of Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines Inc.(CCBPI) and PBA board of governors for the Coca-Cola Tigers
Coca-Cola Tigers
The Powerade Tigers is a professional basketball team of the Philippine Basketball Association founded in 2002 when the then-San Miguel Corporation-owned Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines bought the RFM-owned Cosmos Bottling Corporation. In 2006, the Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Company under the Coca-Cola...
.
Also, the coaching staff underwent a revamp with Jong Uichico, from sister team San Miguel Beer
San Miguel Beermen
The Petron Blaze Boosters is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team has been a member of the league since its inception in 1975 and hold the most PBA titles with 19.The team is owned by the Petron Corporation, a subsidiary of the Philippines' largest food...
, taking over coaching duties from Siot Tanquingcen. Tanquingcen demoted as assistant coach, along with Art Dela Cruz and Junno Sauler. Dela Cruz is also from San Miguel Beer
San Miguel Beermen
The Petron Blaze Boosters is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team has been a member of the league since its inception in 1975 and hold the most PBA titles with 19.The team is owned by the Petron Corporation, a subsidiary of the Philippines' largest food...
, having served as assistant coach, while Sauler is a holdover from Tanquingcen's coaching staff. Uichico, Tanquincen, and Dela Cruz powered San Miguel Beer in their late-90s championship run and also helped win their 17th title.
As part of their preparations for the 2006-07 PBA season
2006-07 PBA season
The 2006–07 PBA season is the 32nd season of the Philippine Basketball Association . The season started September 28 in Guam and began its formal opening on October 1 at the Araneta Coliseum, and ended on July 20...
, the team competed in the 6th Shell Rimula Brunei Cup but failed to make it to the semis after losing close games. They started the PBA
Philippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...
pre-season tournament with a 90-75 drubbling of Purefoods, http://pba.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1162&Itemid=59 but failed to advance to the pre-season finals due to a poor 2-2 record.
Rudy Hatfield made a league comeback and he signed with Ginebra.
Johnny Abarrientos
Johnny Abarrientos
Johnny Abarrientos is a retired Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. He was also a many-time member of the Philippine National team, and was the 1996 PBA MVP, becoming the shortest player to win the league's highest individual award.He is known by many...
followed suit two weeks before the start of the season. he'll back-up starter jay-jay helterbrand.He is a tremendous addition to the Kings' re-tooled roster.
Rommel Adducul
Rommel Adducul
Romel Adducul is a professional basketball player from the Philippines who currently plays in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Powerade Tigers....
was later sent to the San Miguel Beermen as part of a three-team deal which involved Red Bull, a non-SMC club. http://pba.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1229&Itemid=82 Ironically, the following game saw the two sister teams face off at the Cuneta Astrodome
Cuneta Astrodome
Cuneta Astrodome is an indoor sporting arena located in Pasay, Philippines. It is better known as the home of the Philippine Basketball Association from 1993, when it left the PhilSports Arena, then known as the ULTRA, until 1998...
, in a game which the Beermen edged 101-97 in overtime, after the Beermen led by as much as 20 points during regulation. At the middle of the elimination round, they acquired the Ronald Tubid
Ronald Tubid
Ronald Tubid is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
from the Air21 Express. http://pba.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1251&Itemid=82 Midway through the elimination round, the team managers of the SMC teams were shuffled. Ginebra's team manager, Allan Caidic
Allan Caidic
Alan Vito Flores Caidic is a retired professional basketball player from the Philippines and is currently an assistant coach of the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the PBA...
was replaced by Samboy Lim
Samboy Lim
Avelino B. Lim, Jr. , better known as Samboy Lim, is a former basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association. As a shooting guard, the iconic Lim distinguished himself with Magic Johnson-like ball handling skills and Julius "Dr...
and Caidic was sent to the Coca-Cola Tigers
Coca-Cola Tigers
The Powerade Tigers is a professional basketball team of the Philippine Basketball Association founded in 2002 when the then-San Miguel Corporation-owned Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines bought the RFM-owned Cosmos Bottling Corporation. In 2006, the Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Company under the Coca-Cola...
. The Kings advanced to the semifinals as the first seed. http://pba.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1347&Itemid=82 In the semifinals series against the Phone Pals, they won Game 5 when the series was tied 2-2, leading to the series clinching Game 6 win.
In the finals, Ginebra met San Miguel Beer and fell behind 0-2 in the series. They would win their next four games, with games 3 and 4 being blowouts, being the fifth PBA team to win the title after losing their first two games. Ginebra star Jayjay Helterbrand
Jayjay Helterbrand
Anthony Jason James Helterbrand , better known as Jayjay Helterbrand, is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
sank two crucial free throws of Game 6, was named Finals MVP. While on the other hand, Mark Caguioa
Mark Caguioa
Mark Anthony Abaño Caguioa is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association who plays for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
, the big-time scorer, won the Best Player of the Conference award.
After they won the Philippine Cup Title, Caguioa, Helterbrand, and Menk were loaned to play for the Philippine National Team to compete in the FIBA-Asia Championship. They also lost Rudy Hatfield early in the first round due to personal problems, but their import Rod Nealy provided scoring for the Kings. Despite a depleted lineup, they still managed to finish 12-6 in 3rd seed of an outright quarterfinals berth. Due to the play of Egay Echavez,Mark Macapagal and Gec Chia who shines with the loss of Caguioa and Helterbrand, the Kings finished strong. In the quarterfinals, they faced the San Miguel Beermen again but ended the series differently. This time they took Game 1 with a 113-87 victory but San Miguel took Game 2 and won an overtime thriller 117-114 in Game 3, thwarting the Kings' chance to win a second pair of back-to-back titles.
2007-08 Season: Ginebra vs. Air21 showdown
In the off-season, the Kings made few adjustments to their roster by trading Mark MacapagalMark Macapagal
Mark Macapagal is a Filipino professional basketball player currently playing with the Meralco Bolts. He plays the shooting guard and small forward positions....
to Coca Cola for guard Chris Pacana
Chris Pacana
Ernani Christopher M. Pacana III , better known as Chris Pacana, is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association who is in the inactive list of the Meralco Bolts. He was one of the factors of the championship run by the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the 2008 PBA...
and Gec Chia
Gec Chia
George Christian T. Chia , better known as Gec Chia, is a Filipino professional basketball player who last played for the Barako Bull Energy Boosters in the Philippine Basketball Association...
to Talk 'N Text for veteran Vic Pablo. They also boosted their backcourt by drafting Macky Escalona
Macky Escalona
Mark Anthony Z. Escalona , better known as Macky Escalona is a Filipino Professional basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association. He last played for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
from Ateneo and acquiring Paul Artadi
Paul Artadi
Paul Anthony Dy Artadi is a professional Filipino basketball player for the Barako Bull Energy in the Philippine Basketball Association....
from Air 21 after being traded by Purefoods. They also added depth by getting Willy Wilson
Willy Wilson
William Wilson , also known as Willy Wilson and Willie Wilson, is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
. Still, they lacked interior presence due to the loss of Hatfield and injuries to Rafi Reavis
Rafi Reavis
Rafael Pangilinan "Rafi" Reavis is a Filipino-American professional basketball player currently playing for the B-Meg Llamados in the Philippine Basketball Association. He is well-known for his good shotblocking abilities...
and Billy Mamaril
Billy Mamaril
John Billy Mamaril is a Filipino professional basketball player currently playing for the Barangay Ginebra Kings. He plays the forward and center positions...
. Despite having Helterbrand back in the lineup, they have yet returned to their competitive form because Caguioa got injured. They won the opening game against Red Bull but finished the eliminations 8-10. They ended up in the wildcard phase where they met Air21 and lose 119-110, ending its title defense.
After failing to defend their Philippine Cup crown, they signed Alex Crisano
Alex Crisano
Alex Vincent Crisano , is a Filipino-American rapper and professional basketball player who currently plays for the Powerade Tigers in the Philippine Basketball Association. He played for the Philippine Patriots from 2010-2011.-First Years:He was directly hired by the Barangay Ginebra Kings in 2000...
to supplement their front court and Rahshon Turner
Rahshon Turner
Rahshon Turner, is an American basketball player, born on March 10, 1975 in Passaic, New Jersey, . Rahshon Turner is a veteran of the European leagues, playing for teams in Holland, France and Spain. He is currently plays in Israel for Ironi Ashkelon....
as their import for the 2008 PBA Fiesta Conference
2008 PBA Fiesta Conference
The 2008 Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Conference or known as the 2008 Smart PBA Fiesta Conference for sponsorship reasons, is the last conference of the 2007-08 PBA season. The tournament began on March 29 with a game between the Coca-Cola Tigers and the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals at...
. Despite a different look, the Kings had a slow start losing their first five games with both Turner and Ernest Brown
Ernest Brown (basketball)
Ernest Brown is an American professional basketball player who was selected in the second round of the 2000 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat. He played collegiately for the Indian Hills Community College...
. To stop the losing streak, they replaced Brown with another recruit from the NBA Development League
NBA Development League
The NBA Development League, or NBA D-League, is the National Basketball Association's official minor league basketball organization. Known until summer 2005 as the National Basketball Development League , the NBA D-League started with eight teams in the fall of 2001...
, Chris Alexander whose inside scoring and rebounding helped the Kings win 10 of their next 13 games in the eliminations. The Kings ended on a high note ending the eliminations 10-8 with an outright quarterfinals berth. They faced the Sta. Lucia Realtors
Sta. Lucia Realtors
The Sta. Lucia Realtors was a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association.The Universal Robina Corporation team is one of the founding members of the PBA. Formerly known as Great Taste and Presto-Tivoli Ice Cream, they have won a total of 6 championships. Sta...
in the quarterfinals and completed a 2-game sweep en route to another showdown against Red Bull. In the semis, which everyone predicted to be a 7-game showdown saw the Kings sweep the Barakos that included a 101-97 overtime victory in Game 4. So convincingly was the sweep that they shamed Red Bull all throughout the series. After the last game of the series, the Barakos went all the way to their locker room without congratulating Barangay Ginebra. This gave Ginebra its first series sweep in franchise history, and its 17th finals appearance. This also gave Jong Uichico
Jong Uichico
Joseph Enrique Uichico, better known as Jong Uichico, is a Filipino professional basketball head coach for the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association. Uichico is a former Philippines national basketball team Youth member and a former player and head coach of the La Salle...
his 12th finals appearance (2nd with the Kings) and the third sweep in league history since the 1992 Third Conference when Swift
Pop Cola Panthers
The Pop Cola Panthers is a former Philippine Basketball Association team from 1990-2001 under the ownership of Cosmos Bottling Corporation, a subsidiary of RFM Corporation. Cosmos was sold to Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Inc., then-owned by San Miguel Corporation in 2001 which also includes the...
swept 7-Up in the finals. The Game 4 victory extended their winning streak dating back from the eliminations to 12 (the longest in franchise history).
In the finals, they met the Air21 Express
Air21 Express
The Barako Bull Energy is a Philippine Basketball Association team that began in 2002.Barako Bull is owned by Energy Food and Drinks Inc., a subsidiary of the Linaheim Corporate Services, owners of the defunct Laguna Lakers of the Metropolitan Basketball Association...
who sought to win its first franchise title. At the opener, the Kings extended their winning streak to 13 with a 105-96 victory. But in Game 2, Jayjay Helterbrand
Jayjay Helterbrand
Anthony Jason James Helterbrand , better known as Jayjay Helterbrand, is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
injured his hamstring giving the momentum to the Express for a 124-90 rout, the worst loss of Uichico in his entire coaching career. As their injuries continued to pile up, they lost Game 3 and Helterbrand for the rest of the series. However, the Kings managed to tie the series with a 90-77 win in Game 4. Ronald Tubid
Ronald Tubid
Ronald Tubid is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
also returned during Game 4 from a dislocated left ankle and lift Ginebra, but lost a close 76-73 in Game 5. In Game 6, the Kings proved that they were more worthy of the title by extending the series to a Game 7 with a 80-75 victory, thanks to Alexander's 37 points (20 in the 3rd quarter) to lift the Kings despite an injury plagued lineup. In game 7, with the injury suffered by Junthy Valenzuela
Junthy Valenzuela
Junthy Valenzuela is a Filipino basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association, a former Red Bull Barako player who last played for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
(tendinitis) and Chris Alexander having cramps in the 3rd quarter, the locals led by Ronald Tubid
Ronald Tubid
Ronald Tubid is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
and Eric Menk
Eric Menk
Eric Conrad Menk is a Filipino-American professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
had a terrific performance to maintain the lead and seal the 97-84 victory, and won the series 4-3 to grab their 8th championship. With the victory, they surpassed Purefoods in titles won. Tubid and Menk was named as finals co-MVP. Jong Uichico
Jong Uichico
Joseph Enrique Uichico, better known as Jong Uichico, is a Filipino professional basketball head coach for the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association. Uichico is a former Philippines national basketball team Youth member and a former player and head coach of the La Salle...
also won his 8th PBA title as a coach and his 2nd with the Kings. A Record crowd of 22,902 witness Kings’ coronation, the biggest in Araneta Coliseum since the legendary Crispa-Toyota days.
2008-09: San Miguel-Ginebra II
During the off season, Ginebra decided to go on the free-agent market to finalize their roster instead of signing undrafted rookies. Due to their aging and injured frontcourt, Ginebra decided to fill their void at the forward position by signing the 6'6 former DLSU ArcherDe La Salle Green Archers
The De La Salle Green Archers are the men's varsity teams representing De La Salle University. The women's varsity teams are referred to as the De La Salle Lady Archers. The school's athletic program participates in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, among others...
Junjun Cabatu
Junjun Cabatu
Santiago Cabatu, Jr. , better known as Junjun Cabatu, is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Philippine Patriots. Known by many because of his father Santiago "Sonny" Cabatu, Sr., who is a former PBA player and was the very first draft pick of the league in 1985. He played high school...
to a 2 year contract. They defeated defending Philippine Cup champions Sta. Lucia Realtors
Sta. Lucia Realtors
The Sta. Lucia Realtors was a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association.The Universal Robina Corporation team is one of the founding members of the PBA. Formerly known as Great Taste and Presto-Tivoli Ice Cream, they have won a total of 6 championships. Sta...
and the team that they defeated in the previous season's 2008 PBA Fiesta Conference
2008 PBA Fiesta Conference
The 2008 Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Conference or known as the 2008 Smart PBA Fiesta Conference for sponsorship reasons, is the last conference of the 2007-08 PBA season. The tournament began on March 29 with a game between the Coca-Cola Tigers and the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals at...
Finals, the Air21 Express
Air21 Express
The Barako Bull Energy is a Philippine Basketball Association team that began in 2002.Barako Bull is owned by Energy Food and Drinks Inc., a subsidiary of the Linaheim Corporate Services, owners of the defunct Laguna Lakers of the Metropolitan Basketball Association...
. After winning the first two games, Ginebra then went on a 5-game losing streak before moving on the winners bracket with a victory over the Coca-Cola Tigers
Coca-Cola Tigers
The Powerade Tigers is a professional basketball team of the Philippine Basketball Association founded in 2002 when the then-San Miguel Corporation-owned Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines bought the RFM-owned Cosmos Bottling Corporation. In 2006, the Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Company under the Coca-Cola...
. With a victory over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on Christmas Day, they finished the eliminations with a 10-8 card, and an outright berth to the quarterfinals. Then they faced a familiar foe, their sister squad San Miguel. And in Game 1, they lost a one point thriller. Ginebra then exploded in game 2 even after losing an 18-point lead in the end game, they tied the series to one game a piece. In Game 3, the Kings were stream rolling with a 21 point lead only to lose the game and the series as the Beermen went on to face the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in the semifinals.
In preparation for the 2009 PBA Fiesta Conference
2009 PBA Fiesta Conference
The 2009 Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Conference or known as the 2009 Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference for sponsorship reasons, is the last conference of the 2008-09 PBA season. It started on February 28 and finished on July 17...
and to fill up their injury plagued lineup, they acquired Chico Lanete
Chico Lanete
Chico Lanete , from Ormoc City, Philippines, is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Meralco Bolts in the Philippine Basketball Association. He grew up in Isabela, Basilan and then played for Southern City Colleges in Zamboanga City during college before moving to Lyceum of the...
(who was acquired by Air21 from Purefoods), Doug Kramer
Doug Kramer
Douglas R. Kramer , better known as Doug Kramer, is a Filipino basketball player who will play for the Powerade Tigers in the Philippine Basketball Association.-Player Profile:...
, and J.C. Intal from the Air21 Express
Air21 Express
The Barako Bull Energy is a Philippine Basketball Association team that began in 2002.Barako Bull is owned by Energy Food and Drinks Inc., a subsidiary of the Linaheim Corporate Services, owners of the defunct Laguna Lakers of the Metropolitan Basketball Association...
in exchange for their 2012 and 2013 draft picks. The Kings, though, lost big man Alex Crisano
Alex Crisano
Alex Vincent Crisano , is a Filipino-American rapper and professional basketball player who currently plays for the Powerade Tigers in the Philippine Basketball Association. He played for the Philippine Patriots from 2010-2011.-First Years:He was directly hired by the Barangay Ginebra Kings in 2000...
after deciding to let go of their center to Barako Bull Energy Boosters in exchange for a 2010 second round pick.
Ginebra's come backing import (2007 Fiesta Cup) Rod Nealy scored 42 points, 23 rebounds, 9 assists in his first game in the conference. After which, they fell to 2-5 before the Holy Week break and they sent Nealy home. While looking for the right import, they almost got one through former Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
forward Ryan Humphrey
Ryan Humphrey
Ryan Ashley Humphrey is an American professional basketball player, at the power forward position.After a college career at both the University of Oklahoma and the University of Notre Dame, Humphrey was a first-round pick of the Utah Jazz in the 2002 NBA Draft...
but he exceeded the height limit of 6'6 (he was listed 6'8). After the break, they came back strong with a win over Rain or Shine 94-89 despite an All Filipino lineup. To beef up their lineup, they acquired Cyrus Baguio
Cyrus Baguio
Cyrus Baguio is a professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Alaska Aces. He is a former stalwart of the UST Growling Tigers during his college tenure with the team. The former UST star was known for his open court forays and one-on-one skills...
and Homer Se
Homer Se
Homer Se is a Filipino professional basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association. He was born on May 5, 1987 at Albay, Bicol, Philippines. He currently plays for the Shopinas.com Clickers.-Player Profile:...
from the Burger King Whoppers in a 3 way trade including Purefoods. After weeks of trying to find an import, they finally signed former Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
and Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
swingman David Noel
David Noel
David Anthony Noel III is an American professional basketball player. A graduate of Southern High School in Durham, North Carolina and the University of North Carolina, Noel was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft with their lone pick, 39th overall.Noel...
who was listed as 6'5" to further boost their depth as they try go deeper in the eliminations. Noel made an impressive debut with a triple double (22 pts, 17 rebs, 10 assts) in a 100-94 win over Burger King. Noel also displayed his athleticism by showing his high-flying skills in the 2009 PBA Slam Dunk Contest besting co-imports Gabe Freeman and Anthony Johnson to win the Imports category and Gabe Norwood
Gabe Norwood
Gabriel Daniel Norwood also known as Gabe Norwood is a Filipino-American professional basketball player and a former NCAA basketball player at George Mason University. Norwood is currently playing for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the Philippine Basketball Association...
to win it overall joining Paul Artadi
Paul Artadi
Paul Anthony Dy Artadi is a professional Filipino basketball player for the Barako Bull Energy in the Philippine Basketball Association....
who won the Obstacle Challenge earlier as the Kings won two of the three events. His dunks included a Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
rock the cradle dunk, a tossed windmill, and a backflip then 360 dunk that gave him a perfect 100 from the judges including US Ambassador Kristie Kenney
Kristie Kenney
Kristie Anne Kenney is an American diplomat and the current United States Ambassador to Thailand. She previously served as the United States Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines. She is the first female U.S. Ambassador to both countries...
, and due to the fans request, he did a familiar Julius Erving
Julius Erving
Julius Winfield Erving II , commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a retired American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim....
foul line takeoff to cap the contest. In the main event of the evening which is the All-star Game between the Powerade Team Pilipinas and the Import laced PBA All-stars, Noel again won the All-star game MVP as the All-stars defeated the Nationals 97-89.
As of this moment, the Kings are 8-1 with Noel as their import and they clinched the a semifinal berth in the Conference along with the San Miguel Beermen
San Miguel Beermen
The Petron Blaze Boosters is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team has been a member of the league since its inception in 1975 and hold the most PBA titles with 19.The team is owned by the Petron Corporation, a subsidiary of the Philippines' largest food...
as they pounded the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters 114-71.
The Kings were without high-scoring Mark Caguioa
Mark Caguioa
Mark Anthony Abaño Caguioa is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association who plays for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
who was still recuperating from an injury in the United States. Caguioa, one of the prolific scorers in the PBA
Philippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...
, did not play in the previous conference and his absence hurt the team’s campaign. Junthy Valenzuela
Junthy Valenzuela
Junthy Valenzuela is a Filipino basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association, a former Red Bull Barako player who last played for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
is also on the injured list.
2009–10
In preparation for the 35th season, Ginebra was included in a three-way trade with Burger KingAir21 Express
The Barako Bull Energy is a Philippine Basketball Association team that began in 2002.Barako Bull is owned by Energy Food and Drinks Inc., a subsidiary of the Linaheim Corporate Services, owners of the defunct Laguna Lakers of the Metropolitan Basketball Association...
and Purefoods. They sent Paul Artadi
Paul Artadi
Paul Anthony Dy Artadi is a professional Filipino basketball player for the Barako Bull Energy in the Philippine Basketball Association....
, Rafi Reavis
Rafi Reavis
Rafael Pangilinan "Rafi" Reavis is a Filipino-American professional basketball player currently playing for the B-Meg Llamados in the Philippine Basketball Association. He is well-known for his good shotblocking abilities...
, and 8th draft pick Chris Timberlake
Chris Timberlake
Chris Timberlake is a Filipino-American professional basketball player in the Philippines who currently plays for the Meralco Bolts...
to Purefoods for Enrico Villanueva
Enrico Villanueva
Jose Enrico P. Villanueva , better known simply as Enrico Villanueva, and by the nicknames Raging Bull and E-Vill, is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association...
, Rich Alvarez
Rich Alvarez
Richard D. "Rich" Alvarez is a Filipino professional basketball player and currently playing for the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters of the Philippine Basketball Association. Alvarez was the first overall pick of 2004 PBA Draft by the Shell Turbo Chargers...
, Paolo Bugia
Paolo Bugia
Ramon Paolo V. Bugia is a professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association who plays for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. He was drafted seventeenth overall by the Red Bull Barako in the 2005 PBA Draft.In his rookie year, He averaged 4.0 points per game and 2.6 rebounds...
, and Celino Cruz
Celino Cruz
Celino Cruz is a professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association who currently plays for the Powerade Tigers. He was drafted by the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals nineteenth overall in 2002....
. They also traded their eighteenth draft pick Orlando Daroya to Burger King for Pocholo Villanueva
Pocholo Villanueva
Pocholo Iñigo Villanueva or better known as Cholo Villanueva is a former Filipino Professional basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association. He last played for the Burger King Whoppers. He was drafted thirteenth overall by the Air21 Express in the 2008 PBA Draft...
, but Villanueva never made it to the team. Meanwhile, they released guard Macky Escalona
Macky Escalona
Mark Anthony Z. Escalona , better known as Macky Escalona is a Filipino Professional basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association. He last played for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
, and forward J.R. Aquino to free-agency and waived center Homer Se
Homer Se
Homer Se is a Filipino professional basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association. He was born on May 5, 1987 at Albay, Bicol, Philippines. He currently plays for the Shopinas.com Clickers.-Player Profile:...
. They also released guard Chris Pacana
Chris Pacana
Ernani Christopher M. Pacana III , better known as Chris Pacana, is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association who is in the inactive list of the Meralco Bolts. He was one of the factors of the championship run by the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the 2008 PBA...
, who was later signed by the Sta. Lucia Realtors
Sta. Lucia Realtors
The Sta. Lucia Realtors was a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association.The Universal Robina Corporation team is one of the founding members of the PBA. Formerly known as Great Taste and Presto-Tivoli Ice Cream, they have won a total of 6 championships. Sta...
and placed forward Junjun Cabatu
Junjun Cabatu
Santiago Cabatu, Jr. , better known as Junjun Cabatu, is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Philippine Patriots. Known by many because of his father Santiago "Sonny" Cabatu, Sr., who is a former PBA player and was the very first draft pick of the league in 1985. He played high school...
to the practice player list. On other reports, Ginebra coach Jong Uichico
Jong Uichico
Joseph Enrique Uichico, better known as Jong Uichico, is a Filipino professional basketball head coach for the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association. Uichico is a former Philippines national basketball team Youth member and a former player and head coach of the La Salle...
confirmed that they signed Eric Menk
Eric Menk
Eric Conrad Menk is a Filipino-American professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
to a one-year contract extension for the Kings. Ginebra then released guard Chico Lanete
Chico Lanete
Chico Lanete , from Ormoc City, Philippines, is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Meralco Bolts in the Philippine Basketball Association. He grew up in Isabela, Basilan and then played for Southern City Colleges in Zamboanga City during college before moving to Lyceum of the...
and was later signed by the Burger King Whoppers
Air21 Express
The Barako Bull Energy is a Philippine Basketball Association team that began in 2002.Barako Bull is owned by Energy Food and Drinks Inc., a subsidiary of the Linaheim Corporate Services, owners of the defunct Laguna Lakers of the Metropolitan Basketball Association...
. Prior to this release, they signed Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters 18th overall pick Kevin White to a one-year deal.
In the Fiesta Conference, Rudy Hatfield
Rudy Hatfield
Rudolf Conse Hatfield II , better known as Rudy Hatfield, is a retired American-Filipino professional basketball player who last played for the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association....
came back to the country and signed a one-year contract with Ginebra. During the mid-conference, Ginebra acquired Yancy de Ocampo
Yancy de Ocampo
Yancy Rozal de Ocampo is a Filipino professional basketball player who will play for the B-Meg Llamados in the Philippine Basketball Association. At 6'9", he is a good outside shooter and a low post threat. He is also among the PBL's Top 20 Players of All-time...
and a 2010 second-round draft pick from the Burger King Whoppers
Air21 Express
The Barako Bull Energy is a Philippine Basketball Association team that began in 2002.Barako Bull is owned by Energy Food and Drinks Inc., a subsidiary of the Linaheim Corporate Services, owners of the defunct Laguna Lakers of the Metropolitan Basketball Association...
in exchange for Rich Alvarez
Rich Alvarez
Richard D. "Rich" Alvarez is a Filipino professional basketball player and currently playing for the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters of the Philippine Basketball Association. Alvarez was the first overall pick of 2004 PBA Draft by the Shell Turbo Chargers...
and Doug Kramer
Doug Kramer
Douglas R. Kramer , better known as Doug Kramer, is a Filipino basketball player who will play for the Powerade Tigers in the Philippine Basketball Association.-Player Profile:...
and acquired the former Metropolitan Basketball Association MVP, John Ferriols
John Ferriols
Hubert John B. Ferriols , better known simply as John Ferriols, is a Filipino professional basketball player for the B-Meg Llamados in the Philippine Basketball Association....
, who was officially became an unrestricted free agent after being on the reserved list by the Alaska Aces
Alaska Aces (PBA)
The Alaska Aces is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association since 1986 under the ownership of the Alaska Milk Corporation and the owner of 13 PBA championships with the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference as their latest...
. Due to lack of impressive point guards in their line-up, they traded high-flying Cyrus Baguio
Cyrus Baguio
Cyrus Baguio is a professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Alaska Aces. He is a former stalwart of the UST Growling Tigers during his college tenure with the team. The former UST star was known for his open court forays and one-on-one skills...
to the Alaska Aces and got the two-time MVP Willie Miller. Ginebra also traded Billy Mamaril
Billy Mamaril
John Billy Mamaril is a Filipino professional basketball player currently playing for the Barangay Ginebra Kings. He plays the forward and center positions...
to Air21 Express for Mike Cortez
Mike Cortez
Mike Cortez is a professional basketball player for the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association. Cortez gained prominence in the amateur ranks for the De La Salle Green Archers in the UAAP and the ICTSI Archers in the Philippine Basketball League...
in the latter part of the conference.
The Kings' first import was Awvee Storey but he was then replaced by Mildon Ambres because of his inconsistencies. Ambres' performance was also not far from Storey's output; the team again made an import change. Denham Brown, a Seattle SuperSonics draftee, and a standout from the NBDL squad Iowa Energy, also struggled in five games when he played for the team during the last round of the eliminations.
Ginebra looked for winning combinations with the new players in their lineup. But, they still failed to secure a playoff berth for the semifinals. Being tied with the Elasto Painters, they played for one-game playoff for the last quarterfinals berth. The result was, the Kings defeated Rain or Shine, 115-88, in the lopsided win. Barangay Ginebra then renewed its historic battle with fourth-seeded Alaska Aces in the quarterfinals. This was a rematch between the two teams that tangled in the semifinals of the 2009 Philippine Cup. Alaska took a 2-0 lead. Diamon Simpson powered his way to a 20-20 game in the first game and Barangay Ginebra as the Aces topped the Kings, 76-72, in the opener of this quarterfinals. In game 2 Alaska showed poise at crunch time. The Aces came up with big plays down the stretch while the Kings could not, enabling the Aces to escape with an 84-82 win. Simpson capped a 30-point game with his 17th rebound that sealed the game just before the final buzzer. Eric Menk
Eric Menk
Eric Conrad Menk is a Filipino-American professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
and import Chris Daniels provided scoring but their backcourt were again invisible, with Mark Caguioa
Mark Caguioa
Mark Anthony Abaño Caguioa is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association who plays for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
, Willie Miller
Willie Miller
William Ferguson Miller, MBE is a former professional football player who made a club record 558 league appearances for Aberdeen. He is currently the club's Director of Football...
, Mike Cortez
Mike Cortez
Mike Cortez is a professional basketball player for the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association. Cortez gained prominence in the amateur ranks for the De La Salle Green Archers in the UAAP and the ICTSI Archers in the Philippine Basketball League...
, and Jayjay Helterbrand
Jayjay Helterbrand
Anthony Jason James Helterbrand , better known as Jayjay Helterbrand, is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
struggling in the game. In game 3 Ginebra came with a breakthrough win that fanned the hopes of the team. Not one but several Kings heeded the call and resulted in a 91-87 win over the Alaska Aces that kept the Kings' hope for the quarterfinals series. JC Intal
JC Intal
John Christopher A. Intal , better known as J.C. Intal, is a Filipino professional basketball player. He currently plays for the Barangay Ginebra Kings of the Philippine Basketball Association. He previously played for the Air21 Express and amateur basketball for the Harbour Centre Batang Pier of...
, who came off the bench exploded for 20 points, delivering what Mark Caguioa and Wille Mller could not while providing both inspiration and boost to the team’s cause of eluding Alaska’s broom. The Kings forced a rubber match when they got balanced scoring from their roster with a 94-90 win over Alaska in Game 4. JC Intal and Ronald Tubid
Ronald Tubid
Ronald Tubid is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
hit consecutive three-pointers in the final three minutes while Sunday Salvacion
Sunday Salvacion
Sunday Salvacion is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association currently playing for the Barako Bull Energy...
came through with the game-sealing free throws with 2.6 seconds left in Game 4. Ginebra failed to win the quarterfinal series with a heartbreaking 91-93 loss with Aces. In game 5, Tenorio
LA Tenorio
Lewis Alfred V. Tenorio , better known as L.A. Tenorio, is a Filipino professional basketball point guard who currently plays for the Alaska Aces in the Philippine Basketball Association...
drilled a difficult triple at the buzzer which seemed enough to propel the Aces to a victory and erected a six-point lead, 90-84, with just 2:15 left in the match. Willie Miller scored on a layup off a broken play as Ginebra cut the Alaska lead to four 90-86 with 1:27 to go in the game. Miller then followed up a missed layup by his teammate to push Ginebra even closer, 90-88, with 31 seconds left. Eric Menk then intercepted a long pass by Simpson, grabbing the ball at midcourt then zipped the ball over to an open Jayjay Helterbrand
Jayjay Helterbrand
Anthony Jason James Helterbrand , better known as Jayjay Helterbrand, is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
who drilled a three-pointer as the Kings pulled ahead of Alaska, 90-91, with 28 seconds left. But Ginebra, unable to pull a tough defensive play, when Diamon Simpson scored from underneath to push Alaska ahead for good, 92-91, with just 5 seconds left to play. Cyrus Baguio
Cyrus Baguio
Cyrus Baguio is a professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Alaska Aces. He is a former stalwart of the UST Growling Tigers during his college tenure with the team. The former UST star was known for his open court forays and one-on-one skills...
then double-teamed an attacking Eric Menk and stole the ball from Menk that finalized the score on a split from the line, 93-91.
2010-11
Two-time Most Valuable Player Willie Miller signed a two-year contract with the Kings. Billy MamarilBilly Mamaril
John Billy Mamaril is a Filipino professional basketball player currently playing for the Barangay Ginebra Kings. He plays the forward and center positions...
then returned to Ginebra after a stint with Air21 in exchange for a future draft pick.
Three-time champion coach Siot Tanquingcen, rejoined the coaching staff of the Kings.
To start building its future, with 11 players who were age 30 and over, Ginebra picked 3 rookies. They drafted 2009 NCAA season MVP John Wilson
John Wilson (PBA player)
John Wilson is a Filipino professional basketball player who currently plays for the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association.-External links:...
from Jose Rizal University
José Rizal University
José Rizal University is a non-sectarian, non-stock private educational institution. It is located at Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City, Philippines. It was founded in 1919 by Vicente Fabella, who was the first Philippine Certified Accountant.José Rizal University joined the National Collegiate...
and 2009 NCAA Finals MVP Jimbo Aquino from San Sebastian College in the first round and University of the East's
University of the East
The University of the East is a private nonsectarian university located in University Belt Area, district of Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines. The university was founded in 1946 as a coeducational institution...
Robert Labagala
Robert Labagala
Robert Labagala is a Filipino professional basketball player. He currently plays for the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association .-Career highlights:*2011 PBA Rookie-Sophomore Blitz Game Participant...
in the second round of the 2010 PBA Draft
2010 PBA Draft
The 2010 Philippine Basketball Association Rookie Draft is an event held at Market! Market! in Taguig City on August 29, 2010 that allowed PBA teams to draft players from the amateur ranks. Players who applied for the draft went through a rookie camp that lasted a week...
. They also released Paolo Bugia
Paolo Bugia
Ramon Paolo V. Bugia is a professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association who plays for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. He was drafted seventeenth overall by the Red Bull Barako in the 2005 PBA Draft.In his rookie year, He averaged 4.0 points per game and 2.6 rebounds...
, John Ferriols
John Ferriols
Hubert John B. Ferriols , better known simply as John Ferriols, is a Filipino professional basketball player for the B-Meg Llamados in the Philippine Basketball Association....
, Kevin White and Junjun Cabatu
Junjun Cabatu
Santiago Cabatu, Jr. , better known as Junjun Cabatu, is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Philippine Patriots. Known by many because of his father Santiago "Sonny" Cabatu, Sr., who is a former PBA player and was the very first draft pick of the league in 1985. He played high school...
and traded Sunday Salvacion
Sunday Salvacion
Sunday Salvacion is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association currently playing for the Barako Bull Energy...
to the Barako Bull Energy Boosters for a future first round draft pick. They signed its 3 rookies after a week, giving the Kings a mixture of youth and experienced backcourt. Wilson and Aquino were given similar two-year contracts worth P5.7 million, while Labagala got a one-year deal worth P800,000 thousand. on July 18, 2011 Two-time Most Valuable Player Willie Miller was Traded to Air21 in exchange for Niño Canaleta and 2012 future pick.
2011 - 2012 season
After a lackluster previous season, assistant coach Siot Tanquingcen was named co - head coach of the Kings, who will coach alongside Jong Uichico as head coach. After the news that power forward Rudy Hatfield has left the Kings due to personal matters, the team selected Reil Cervantes and James Martinez in the 2011 PBA Draft2011 PBA Draft
The 2011 Philippine Basketball Association Rookie Draft is an event, which allows teams to draft players from the amateur ranks. The event will be held at Robinson's Place Ermita in Manila on August 28, 2011...
, but only kept Cervantes due to the guard heavy roster. Jayjay Helterbrand signed only a one - conference contract extension, due to his desire to find out if he "still has it" and if he does not, he announced he will retire after the conference.
Ginebra drew flak this season for starting the younger, inexpereinced guards such as John Wilson and Rob Labagala instead of holdovers Mark Caguioa and Jayjay Helterbrand, a move intended by coach Siot to speed up the development of the younger guns of Ginebra. Because of this, Ginebra managed to barely escape two rival teams successively, as well as experience a two-game losing streak right after.
On November 16, the Philippine Basketball Association
Philippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...
commissioner Chito Salud
Chito Salud
Angelico T. Salud, better known as Chito Salud is the eight and current commissioner of the Philippine Basketball Association. He is the son of Rudy Salud, who was also a commissioner of the PBA from 1988 to 1992....
approved a trade that sent Allein Maliksi and former Rookie of the Year Rico Maierhofer
Rico Maierhofer
Paul Rico Maierhofer is a Filipino-Austrian professional basketball player who will play for the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association. He was drafted 2nd overall by the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants in 2009....
to Barangay Ginebra Kings, while Jimbo Aquino and 2013 1st round pick of Ginebra will be given to Barako Bull Energy, and 2002 PBA
Philippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...
1st overall pick Yancy de Ocampo
Yancy de Ocampo
Yancy Rozal de Ocampo is a Filipino professional basketball player who will play for the B-Meg Llamados in the Philippine Basketball Association. At 6'9", he is a good outside shooter and a low post threat. He is also among the PBL's Top 20 Players of All-time...
and the 2012 2nd round pick of Ginebra will go to B-Meg Llamados.
Controversies
- Jaworski and Fernandez, two former Toyota teammates, engaged in a feud in 19841984 PBA seasonThe 1984 PBA season was the 10th season of the Philippine Basketball Association . The season marked the first season without the famed Toyota squad and the final season of the 13-time league champion Crispa Redmanizers.-Champions:...
. Apparently, Toyota's players were sold to new team Beer Hausen. Jaworski, in defiance, refused to play for Beer Hausen and joined Ginebra. The franchise sell out was the final straw in the 2 year silent feud of Jaworski and Fernandez within Toyota. It finally exploded into a war between the two. However, in the 19891989 PBA seasonThe 1989 PBA season was the 15th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Notable Events:*The richest crop of rookies, and the most talented PBA batch of draftees, came to the PBA in its 15th.season, most notable names were Benjie Paras, Nelson Asaytono, Dindo Pumaren, Paul Alvarez, Zaldy...
All-Star Game, Jaworski and Fernandez were teammates for the Veterans. In the final seconds, with the game tied, Jaworski's pass to Fernandez led to the Veterans escaping a 132-130 win against the Rookies-Sophomores-Juniors team in the inaugural All-Star Game. Afterwards, Jaworski and Fernadez shook hands to the delight of the capacity crowd at the Philsports Arena, which signalled the reconcillation between the two legends. - On May 15, 1990, Shell defeated Añejo Rum 4-2 to win the 1990 PBA 1st Conference title. However, it sparked a controversy in the sixth and final game of the series when the whole Añejo team walked out with still 2:52 left in the fourth quarter in favor of the Zoom Masters. Back-to-back technical fouls were slapped by referee Rudy Hines on Rey Cuenco led to the walkout. Coach Robert Jaworski and team manager Ber Navarro refused to return back to the court, which resulted in the forfeiture of the game, and the championship to Shell. Two days later, the league fined Añejo a whopping 550,000 pesosPhilippine pesoThe peso is the currency of the Philippines. It is subdivided into 100 centavos . Before 1967, the language used on the banknotes and coins was English and so "peso" was the name used...
, the biggest in league history. It was the second time that a forfeiture happened in a PBA Finals series since CrispaCrispa RedmanizersThe Crispa Redmanizers was a basketball team in the Manila Industrial Commercial Athletic Association , the Philippine Basketball Association and the Philippine Amateur Basketball League from the 1960s to the early 1990s.- Profile and history :...
in Game four of the 1975 series against rival Toyota. - Robert Jaworski resigned as player-coach of the team after the 19981998 PBA seasonThe 1998 PBA season was the 24th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Season Highlights:*The PBA is in their toughest challenge for the year, with the formation of a new league called Metropolitan Basketball Association, backed by the giant network ABS-CBN, is perceived to be a threat...
season due to misunderstandings with the management of San Miguel CorporationSan Miguel CorporationEstablished in 1890 as a brewery, San Miguel Corporation is Southeast Asia's largest publicly listed food, beverage and packaging company with over 17,000 employees in over 100 major facilities throughout the Asia-Pacific....
. It is claimed that the former Philippines senator was frustrated over the team's acquisition of Allan CaidicAllan CaidicAlan Vito Flores Caidic is a retired professional basketball player from the Philippines and is currently an assistant coach of the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the PBA...
as a player-assistant coach from San Miguel without first getting input from jaworski. - On May 17, 1999, a bench-clearing brawl ensued during Game two of the All-Filipino Cup semi-finals series against Formula ShellShell Turbo ChargersThe Shell Turbo Chargers is a former Philippine Basketball Association team under the ownership of Pilipinas Shell Corporation. Shell has been a member of the PBA since 1985 until 2005 when the team filed for a leave of absence after the season. Shell sold its franchise to PBL team Welcoat Paints...
. A total of 235,000 pesos was slapped on 16 players and one official from both teams. Shell's Jay Mendoza was fined 40,000 pesos, while Ginebra players Noli Locsin, Elmer Lago, Cris Bolado and Boy Valera were fined 20,000 each. - In the 2005 PBA Philippine Cup Finals, Barangay Ginebra was awarded the winner of the first game of the series, after Finals opponent Talk 'N Text Phone Pals fielded the suspended Asi TaulavaAsi TaulavaPauliasi M. Taulava also known as Asi Taulava is a American-born Filipino-Tongan professional basketball player playing in the Philippines for the Meralco Bolts in the Philippine Basketball Association....
. With documents of his Filipino blood still questionable, the Phone Pals used the 6-9 center in their victory. The Kings filed a protest prior to the start of the game. Two days later, then-PBA Commissioner Noli EalaNoli EalaJose Emmanuel M. Eala, better known as Noli Eala, was the sixth commissioner of the Philippine Basketball Association from 2003 to 2007. Before he became the commissioner of the league, he was a play-by-play commentator of Viva-Vintage Sports, which broadcasts the PBA Games, from the early 1990s...
announced the forfeiture of Talk 'N Text's Game One win.
In popular culture
- Gary Granada, a well-known composer and singer in the Philippines, composed numerous songs about the Kings; "Ginebrang Ginebra", "Kapag Nananalo ang Ginebra" (When Ginebra Wins) sung by Bayang BarriosBayang BarriosBayang Barrios is a Filipino musician who hails from Bunawan, Agusan del Sur, and is known for her use of indigenous instruments and styles....
, Kapag Natatalo ang Ginebra (When Ginebra Loses), sung by himself. The latest was "Yan ang Aming Barangay" right after the 2007 Philippine Cup championship.
Depth Chart
{| style="text-align: center; background:#AA151B; color:#F1BF00"!width="40"|Pos.
! style="width:165px;"|Starter
! style="width:165px;"|Bench
! style="width:165px;"|Bench
! style="width:165px;"|Reserve
! style="width:165px;"|Inactive
|- style="height:40px; background:white; color:black"
! style="background:#efe196" | C
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
| Enrico Villanueva
Enrico Villanueva
Jose Enrico P. Villanueva , better known simply as Enrico Villanueva, and by the nicknames Raging Bull and E-Vill, is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association...
|| Billy Mamaril
Billy Mamaril
John Billy Mamaril is a Filipino professional basketball player currently playing for the Barangay Ginebra Kings. He plays the forward and center positions...
|| Eric Menk
Eric Menk
Eric Conrad Menk is a Filipino-American professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
|| style="background:#b9e3ca" | ||style="background:#efe196" | ||
|- style="height:40px; background:white; color:black"
! style="background:#efe196" | PF
Power forward (basketball)
Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...
| Willy Wilson
Willy Wilson
William Wilson , also known as Willy Wilson and Willie Wilson, is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
|| Rico Maierhofer
Rico Maierhofer
Paul Rico Maierhofer is a Filipino-Austrian professional basketball player who will play for the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association. He was drafted 2nd overall by the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants in 2009....
|| Reil Cervantes ||
|- style="height:40px; background:white; color:black"
! style="background:#efe196" | SF
Small forward
The small forward, or colloquially known as three, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically somewhat shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers, but on occasion are just as tall...
| Niño Canaleta
Niño Canaleta
Rommel Niño Canaleta is a Filipino professional basketball player of Filipino-American descent. He currently plays for the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association. A 6'5", 200-pound swingman, he is fondly called by nicknames like KG, The Big Ticket, and The Da Vinci of Dunk...
|| JC Intal
JC Intal
John Christopher A. Intal , better known as J.C. Intal, is a Filipino professional basketball player. He currently plays for the Barangay Ginebra Kings of the Philippine Basketball Association. He previously played for the Air21 Express and amateur basketball for the Harbour Centre Batang Pier of...
|| Allein Maliksi ||style="background:#b9e3ca" | || style="background:#efe196" |
|- style="height:40px; background:white; color:black"
! style="background:#efe196" | SG
Shooting guard
The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...
| Mark Caguioa
Mark Caguioa
Mark Anthony Abaño Caguioa is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association who plays for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
|| Ronald Tubid
Ronald Tubid
Ronald Tubid is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
|| John Wilson || style="background:#b9e3ca" | || style="background:#efe196" |
|- style="height:40px; background:white; color:black"
! style="background:#efe196" | PG
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
| Jayjay Helterbrand
Jayjay Helterbrand
Anthony Jason James Helterbrand , better known as Jayjay Helterbrand, is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
|| Mike Cortez
Mike Cortez
Mike Cortez is a professional basketball player for the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association. Cortez gained prominence in the amateur ranks for the De La Salle Green Archers in the UAAP and the ICTSI Archers in the Philippine Basketball League...
|| Robert Labagala
Robert Labagala
Robert Labagala is a Filipino professional basketball player. He currently plays for the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association .-Career highlights:*2011 PBA Rookie-Sophomore Blitz Game Participant...
|| || style="background:#efe196" |
|}
Season-by-season records
- Records from the 2010–11 PBA season:
*one-game playoffsConf. |Stage PHI 2010–11 PBA Philippine Cup-San Miguel vs. Air21:-B-Meg Derby Ace-Meralco series:-Barangay Ginebra-Alaska series:-Talk 'N Text-B-Meg Derby Ace series:-San Miguel-Barangay Ginebra series:-Finals:-Conference records:-Team:-Individual:-Conference:...
Barangay Ginebra Kings 3rd/10 10 4 .714 Quarterfinals
SemiinalsBarangay Ginebra 2, Alaska Alaska Aces (PBA)The Alaska Aces is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association since 1986 under the ownership of the Alaska Milk Corporation and the owner of 13 PBA championships with the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference as their latest...
1
San MiguelSan Miguel BeermenThe Petron Blaze Boosters is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team has been a member of the league since its inception in 1975 and hold the most PBA titles with 19.The team is owned by the Petron Corporation, a subsidiary of the Philippines' largest food...
4, Barangay Ginebra 2COM 2011 PBA Commissioner's Cup-Air21-Alaska series:-Talk 'N Text-Air21 series:-Smart Gilas-Barangay Ginebra series:-Finals:- Imports :The following is the list of imports, which had played for their respective teams at least once, with the returning imports in italics...
3rd/10 5 4 .556 Quarterfinals
SemifinalsBarangay Ginebra 2, Rain or Shine 1
Barangay Ginebra 3, Smart GilasSmart GilasSmart Gilas Pilipinas is a developmental Philippine national basketball team sponsored by Smart Communications and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas...
1
Talk 'N Text 4, Barangay Ginebra 2GOV 2011 PBA Governors Cup- Imports :The following is the list of imports, which had played for their respective teams at least once, with the returning imports in italics. Highlighted are the imports who stayed with their respective teams for the entire conference....
4th/9 5 3 .000 Semifinals 4th overall (8–5), 3–2 in semifinals Total elimination round 20 11 2 semifinal appearances Total playoffs 14 13 .519 |1 Finals appearance Total 2010–11 34 24 .586 |0 championships Total franchise 792 834 .487 |8 championships
**team had the twice-to-beat advantage
Honor roll
PBA Most Valuable Player- Robert Jaworski Sr. - 1978
- Eric Menk - 2004-2005
- Jayjay Helterbrand - 2008-2009
PBA Best Player of the Conference Award
- Jayjay Helterbrand - 2008 & 2009 PBA Fiesta Conference
- Mark Caguioa - 2006-07 Philippine Cup
- Eric Menk – 2005 Philippine Cup, 2004 Fiesta Conference
- Marlou Aquino – 1996 Governor’s Cup
PBA Rookie of the Year Award
- Mark Caguioa – 2001
- Marlou Aquino – 1996
- Dondon Ampalayo, Jr. – 1986
- Willie Generalao – 1980
PBA Mythical First Team
- Mark Caguioa - 2007-2008. 2010-2011
- Jayjay Helterbrand - 2007-2008
- Eric Menk – 2004-2005
- Vince Hizon – 1997
- Marlou Aquino – 1996, 1997
- Robert Jaworski Sr. – 1978, 1986
PBA Mythical Second Team
- Mark Caguioa – 2004-2005, 2005–2006
- Rommel Adducul - 2004-2005
- Noli Locsin – 1996, 1997
- Bal David – 1996
- Rudy Distrito – 1990
- Rey Cuenco – 1990
- Dondon Ampalayo, Jr. – 1986, 1988
- Chito Loyzaga – 1986
- Terry Saldaña – 1984, 1986
- Robert Jaworski Sr. – 1985, 1988
PBA All-Defensive Team
- Marlou Aquino – 1997, 1996
- Chito Loyzaga – 1992, 1991, 1990, 1989, 1987, 1986, 1985
- Robert Jaworski Sr. – 1988, 1985
- Terry Saldaña – 1984
- Ronald Tubid, Billy Mamaril - 2008-2009
- John Willson, Willy Wilson - 2010-2011
PBA Most Improved Player
- Elmer Lago – 1999
- Pido Jarencio - 1992
- Rey Cuenco – 1990
- Dante Gonzalgo – 1989
- Terry Saldana – 1983
PBA Energy Player Award
- Ronald Tubid - 2006-2007
PBA Best Import
- Nate Brumfield - 2011 Commissioner's Cup
- Chris Alexander - 2008 Fiesta Conference
- Wes Matthews – 1991 Third Conference
- Carlos Briggs – 1989 Reinforced Conference
- Jamie Waller - 1988 Open Conference
- Michael Hackett – 1985 Reinforced Conference
PBA Best Player of the Conference
- Jayjay Helterbrand - 2007-08 Fiesta Conference, 2008-09 Fiesta Conference
- Mark Caguioa - 2006-07 Philippine Cup
- Eric Menk - 2004 Transition Fiesta Conference, 2004-05 Philippine Cup
- Marlou Aquino - 1996 Governor's Cup
PBA Finals MVP
- Ronald Tubid - 2008 Fiesta Conference (co-MVP)
- Jayjay Helterbrand - 2006-2007 Philippine Cup
- Eric Menk - 2008 Fiesta Conference (co-MVP), 2004-2005 Philippine Cup, 2004 Fiesta Conference
- Marlou Aquino - 1997 Commissioner's Cup
PBA Coach of the Year
- Jong Uichico - 2006-2007
- Siot Tanquingcen - 2004-2005
- Robert Jaworski Sr. - 1988
PBA Comeback Player of the Year
- Jayjay Helterbrand - 2004-2005
PBA Mr. Quality Minutes
- Mark Caguioa - 2004-2005
PBA Defensive Player of the Year
- Marlou Aquino - 1996
Humanitarian/Citizenship Award
- Chito Loyzaga - 1993
PBA Sportsmanship Award
- Eric Menk - 2003
PBA All - Star MVP
- Bal David - 1997
- Vergel Meneses - 2000
- Jayjay Helterbrand - 2005, 2007
- David Noel - 2009 the only import in the history
PBA ALL Star Selection
- Robert Jaworski
- Chito Loyzaga
- Joey Loyzaga
- Philip Cezar
- Rey Cuenco
- Dante Gonzalgo
- Rudy Distrito
- Dondon Ampalayo
- Pido Jarencio
- Sonny Cabatu
- Jayvee Gayoso
- Noli Locsin
- Bal David
- Malou Aquino
- EJ Feihl
- Vince Hizon
- Wilmer Ong
- Vergel Meneses
- Eric Menk
- Mark Caguioa
- Jayjay Helterbrand
- Rommel Adducul
- Sunday Salvacion
- Ronald Tubid
- Junthy Valenzuela
- David Noel
- Paul Artadi
- Cyrus Baguio
- Willie Miller
- Rudy Hatfield
- David Noel
- JC Intal
PBA All Star Coach
- Robert Jaworski
- Allan Caidic
- Jong Uichico
PBA Rookies vs Sophomores Blitz Game MVP
- Robert Labagala - 2011
PBA Rookies vs Sophomores Blitz Game Selection
- Mark Macapagal
- Mike Holper
- Chris Pacana
- John Wilson
- Robert Labagala
PBA's 25th anniversary all-time team
- Johnny AbarrientosJohnny AbarrientosJohnny Abarrientos is a retired Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. He was also a many-time member of the Philippine National team, and was the 1996 PBA MVP, becoming the shortest player to win the league's highest individual award.He is known by many...
, known as the "Flying A" throughout his career. Acquired by the team in 2006 when he became free agent. - Francis ArnaizFrancis ArnaizFrancis C. Arnaiz is a former Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. He played for Toyota and Ginebra San Miguel from 1975-1986...
, a glamour boy back from his days with Toyota, joined Jaworski at Ginebra and became one of the most popular players in franchise history. He retired in 1986 after three seasons with the team. - Allan CaidicAllan CaidicAlan Vito Flores Caidic is a retired professional basketball player from the Philippines and is currently an assistant coach of the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the PBA...
, known as "The Trigger Man," he played his last season with Ginebra in 1999, before becoming team manager of the team and currently an assistant coach. - Philip CezarPhilip CezarPhilip "The Scholar" Cezar is a former Philippine Basketball Association basketball player. He was part of the fabled Crispa Redmanizers ballclub that won two Grand Slams, in 1976 and 1983. He won the Most Valuable Player award in 1980. He was also a many-time Philippine national team player in...
, "The Scholar" played his last season with the team during his celebrated 16 year PBA career. - Freddie HubaldeFreddie HubaldeAlfredo Hubalde , also known as Freddie Hubalde, is a former Filipino professional basketball player. Hubalde played college ball for the Mapúa Institute of Technology, before eventually moving on to play professional basketball in the Philippine Basketball Association...
, played for Ginebra during the final year of his career. - Robert JaworskiRobert JaworskiRobert Salazar Jaworski , also known as Sonny Jaworski, Bobby Jaworski, Robert Jaworski, Sr. or simply Jawo, is a former Philippine senator, basketball coach and Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association and PBA basketball player.Known as The Big J and called The Living Legend...
, known as "The Big J" and "Jawo." - Vergel MenesesVergel MenesesVergel Meneses - nicknamed "The Aerial Voyager" - is a retired Filipino professional basketball player who last played for the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals in the Philippine Basketball Association. He was also a former PBA Most Valuable Player and a many-time member of the Philippine National team...
, also known as the "Aerial Voyager," played for Ginebra from 1999-2002. - Samboy LimSamboy LimAvelino B. Lim, Jr. , better known as Samboy Lim, is a former basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association. As a shooting guard, the iconic Lim distinguished himself with Magic Johnson-like ball handling skills and Julius "Dr...
, the "Skywalker," is the current team manager but never played with the team.
Imports
- Larry McNeill
- Dean Tolson
- Jim Bradley
- Kenny Tyler
- Lawrence Massey
- Anthony Roberts
- Jack Dorsey
- Dartona Washam
- Harold Driver
- John Campbell
- Michael HackettMichael HackettMichael Hackett is a retired American professional basketball player. He attended Jacksonville University where he was considered by University of Alabama at Birmingham coach Gene Bartow as "The best 6-5 player in America."'Little' Mike Hackett is Big Man on Jacksonville's Improving Team, The...
- Anthony Hunter
- Terry Duerod
- Clinton Wheeler
- Keith Gray
- Billy Ray BatesBilly Ray BatesBilly Ray Bates is a retired American professional basketball player. Bates played shooting guard at McAdams High in Mississippi and attended Kentucky State University....
- Michael Hackett
- Jamie Waller
- Kevin GambleKevin GambleKevin Douglas Gamble is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. At 6'5" he played as both a shooting guard and small forward...
- Tommy Davis
- Joe Ward
- Carlton Mckinney
- Daren QueenanDaren QueenanDaren Queenan is a retired American professional basketball player. He attended Norristown High School as a teenager but went virtually unrecruited by colleges to play basketball except for nearby Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania...
- Carlos Briggs
- Glen Dedmon
- Sylvester Gray
- Toney Mack
- Darryl Joe
- Ron Davis
- William Alexander
- Jervis Cole
- Wes Matthews
- Danny Jones
- Tony Massop
- Brian Shorter
- Dane Carino
- Terry Thames
- Darrin Mayo
- Mitchell WigginsMitchell WigginsMitchell Lee Wiggins is a retired American professional basketball player, in the shooting guard position.-High school/college career:...
- Marlin Kimbrew
- Steve HoodSteve HoodSteve Hood is an American former professional basketball player. In high school Hood starred for DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, from 1983–86 and was selected as a 1986 McDonald's All-American. He then received an athletic scholarship to play for the Maryland Terrapins men's...
- Isiah Morris
- Darryl Prue
- Alex Coles
- Andre Hardy
- Antonio Madison
- Henry JamesHenry James (basketball)Henry Charles James is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA.Undrafted out of St...
- Reggie Fox
- Fred Cofield
- Derek Rucker
- Tyrone Hopkins
- Purnell Perry
- Leon Trimmingham
- Chris King
- Michael Cumberland
- John Strickland
- Mario Donaldson
- Ryan Fletcher
- Roy Hammonds
- Mark Jones
- Jarrod Gee
- Brian Green
- Ben DavisBen Davis (basketball)Ben Jerome Davis is an American professional basketball player, formerly of the NBA's Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks. Davis attended Oak Hill Academy, Kansas University, the University of Florida, Hutchinson Community College, and the University of Arizona and played collegiately at all, except...
- Ricky Price
- Rossel Ellis
- George Reese
- Torraye BraggsTorraye BraggsTorraye Braggs is an American professional basketball player, formerly of the NBA.After a college career at Xavier University, Braggs was drafted by the Utah Jazz in the second round of the 1998 NBA Draft, and had short stints in the NBA, with the Houston Rockets and the Washington Wizards ,...
- Eddie Elisma
- Sean LampleySean LampleySean Lampley is an American professional basketball player.-College career:Lampley played at the University of California, leading the Golden Bears to victory over Clemson in the 1999 National Invitational Tournament and earning MVP honors...
- Chris Porter
- Rod Nealy
- Rahshon TurnerRahshon TurnerRahshon Turner, is an American basketball player, born on March 10, 1975 in Passaic, New Jersey, . Rahshon Turner is a veteran of the European leagues, playing for teams in Holland, France and Spain. He is currently plays in Israel for Ironi Ashkelon....
- Chris AlexanderChris AlexanderChris Alexander is a Toronto based film critic, composer, TV and radio personality known primarily for his knowledge of horror and dark fantsy film history. Has cult following due to his counterculture point of view, experimental music and participation in "Raging Boll" boxing stunt with filmmaker...
- Awvee StoreyAwvee StoreyAwvee Storey is an American professional basketball player. He plays the shooting guard/small forward position.-High school career:...
- David NoelDavid NoelDavid Anthony Noel III is an American professional basketball player. A graduate of Southern High School in Durham, North Carolina and the University of North Carolina, Noel was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft with their lone pick, 39th overall.Noel...
- Nate Brumfield
- Curtis StinsonCurtis StinsonCurtis Stinson is an American professional basketball player. He has spent most of his professional career in the NBA Development League , a minor league basketball organization owned and run by the National Basketball Association...
- Donald SloanDonald Sloan (basketball)Donald Sloan is an American basketball player who formerly played for the NBADL's Reno Bighorns. He played shooting guard for Texas A&M. As a senior during the 2009-10 season, Sloan led the Aggies in scoring with a 17.8 points per game average and was a first team All-Big 12 Conference selection...
Coaches
- Pilo Pumaren (1979–1981)
- Turo ValenzonaTuro ValenzonaArturo F. Valenzona , also known as Turo Valenzona, is a former Filipino basketball player and head coach.-Info:Valenzona played college ball for the Far Eastern University, before eventually playing in the Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association, and later, the Philippine Basketball...
(1981–1984) - Robert Jaworski Sr. (1984–1998)
- Rino Salazar (interim, 1998–2000)
- Allan CaidicAllan CaidicAlan Vito Flores Caidic is a retired professional basketball player from the Philippines and is currently an assistant coach of the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the PBA...
(2000–2004) - Siot Tanquingcen (2004–2006)
- Jong UichicoJong UichicoJoseph Enrique Uichico, better known as Jong Uichico, is a Filipino professional basketball head coach for the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association. Uichico is a former Philippines national basketball team Youth member and a former player and head coach of the La Salle...
(2006–Present)
Team managers
- Adolf Ferrer
- Art Trinidad
- Bernabe Navarro
- Allan CaidicAllan CaidicAlan Vito Flores Caidic is a retired professional basketball player from the Philippines and is currently an assistant coach of the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the PBA...
- Jun Cabalan
- Samboy LimSamboy LimAvelino B. Lim, Jr. , better known as Samboy Lim, is a former basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association. As a shooting guard, the iconic Lim distinguished himself with Magic Johnson-like ball handling skills and Julius "Dr...