Ranking the 10 Greatest PBA Imports of All Time

Hurricane. Black Superman. Mr. 100%. Two types of Magic (Black and Brownlee). Helicopter. This list of the greatest PBA imports is loaded.

Since the Philippine Basketball Association first opened shop in 1975, there have been close to 600 foreign players or imports who have played at least one PBA game.

NBA champions, NCAA champions, products of little-known schools, streetball legends, a top-three NBA lottery pick, even an Olympic gold medalist-turned-NBA referee – the variety of PBA imports is rich.

Which is why choosing the ten best to ever play in the PBA is a monumental task. But in the spirit of the PBA’s 50^th season, we at The GAME nonetheless took a shot at it.

A word on our methodology

Similar to our approach to picking and ranking the top 50 PBA players of all time, we drafted a set of baseline criteria and gave emphasis on individual awards, championships won, statistics, longevity, and impact on the league.

To be considered, imports had to have:

• won at least one championship (a big part of greatness is being a winner); and
• played a minimum of either 50 games or three conferences (eliminating one- or two-conference wonders like Carlos Briggs or Wes Matthews; you can’t be among the greatest ever if you were only here for a brief period of time).

From there, we looked at the other details. Best Import awards certainly helped, even though the award didn’t exist yet for the league’s first six seasons. Statistics, too, were taken into consideration. Plus, there’s always something to be said about those imports who kept coming back, who treated the PBA as one of their favorite places to play. Accordingly, they wouldn’t have been asked to come back if they weren’t any good.

Finally, there was the big intangible: an import’s lasting impact on the league. Some have become outright legends, their on-court exploits becoming mythical tales passed on from generation to generation. One key indicator for this criterion was the moniker or nickname. If an import was bestowed one by the press and the fans, then that was usually a good indicator of his greatness.

We also did our best to make sure that the different generations were represented. It was impossible to do that, though, and if this list appears skewed towards a certain decade, then that’s because that decade simply had the best level of import talent.

When all was said and done, choosing the final ten and ranking them still proved to be difficult, as is always the case when comparing players from different generations.

In any case, we present to you our picks for the ten greatest PBA imports of all time.

10. Cyrus Mann

Crispa team owner Danny Floro and coach Baby Dalupan stumbled upon Mann for the first time in 1975 when he suited up for the visiting Palmeiras squad, one of the top teams in the Brazilian national league, who were in town to play exhibition games against Crispa and Toyota. Mann was dominant, especially inside the paint on both ends of the court.

At 6’10” — the tallest among all the imports on this list — Mann controlled the rebounds and blocked shots with ease. He was the perfect addition to a powerhouse Crispa team that had multiple options on offense and didn’t need a high-scoring reinforcement. Crispa didn’t hesitate to sign up the former Boston Celtics draftee to a contract the following year, a move they didn’t regret as the towering reinforcement fortified the Redmanizers’ primary weakness on the defensive end and helped the franchise win the first of two grand slams.

Mann was rehired the succeeding year and brought along his close buddy, Ricky Hicks, to serve as Crispa’s second import. But Hicks turned out to be a lemon and Mann had to put in extra work. Still, the Redmanizers went on to win their sixth consecutive title in the 1977 Open. These achievements — three titles in two seasons — established Mann as the league’s best import during its formative years.

Mann was later rehired to play in the 1978 and 1979 Open conferences, but by then, he was already a shadow of his old self due to personal problems and a lack of motivation. Mann’s stats, except for his blocks per game average, may not have stood out compared to other high-scoring imports of his era. But no one can deny that Mann was the key in giving Crispa three of its six straight titles from 1975 to 1977, serving as the defensive pillar and jumpstarting Crispa’s deadly transition attack with his solid rebounding.

Mann’s PBA career blocks-per-game average of 3.96 is still the best ever for all players — local and foreign — who played at least 300 games. Had the Best Import award been given out since the league’s inception, Mann would have won at least three citations.

9. Lamont Strothers

There have been a few PBA imports who made their mark in college back in the United States. Tony Lang won two NCAA titles with the Duke Blue Devils in 1991 and 1992. Keith Smart hit the championship-winning shot for Bobby Knight’s Indiana Hoosiers in the 1987 NCAA title game. And several members of the Houston Cougars’ famed Phi Slamma Jamma team of the early 1980s found their way here, all in the same conference.

But among imports who set scoring records in college, Lamont Strothers stood alone.

Strothers once held the US NCAA Division III all-time scoring mark after pouring in over 2,700 points in four years for Christopher Newport University. So when the San Miguel Beermen announced that they had signed up Strothers for the 1996 Governors’ Cup, the excitement from the SMB camp was palpable. Then-SMB coach Norman Black said Strothers had been on his wish list for years.

The Beermen finished fourth in that conference, but Strothers showed he was worth the wait. He averaged 39.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 2.1 steals in a memorable PBA debut. Two years later, he arrived earlier than planned, coming in as a late replacement for Jeff Ward in the Commissioner’s Cup. Despite facing imports much taller than him, Strothers managed to drag the Beermen to the finals. He stayed on for the season-ending Governors’ Cup, where the Beermen finished fourth. Strothers averaged around 30 points per game for the 1998 season, by which time he had earned the moniker “Helicopter” for his high-flying moves.

In 1999, Strothers returned and finally led the Beermen to the Governors’ Cup crown while bagging Best Import honors. They would repeat as champions the following year, and came close to a Governors’ Cup three-peat in 2001, falling short against the Sta. Lucia Realtors in the finals. His PBA swan song took place in the 2002 Governors’ Cup, where he managed to average around 16 points per game despite his advanced age and a nagging neck injury. Still, Strothers will be remembered as a deadly scorer who could hit it from the outside and finish strong near the basket.

8. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

One might think that Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s inclusion in this list is a bit premature, considering he only made his PBA debut less than three years ago, but what he’s accomplished in this short time span is the biggest argument in favor of his cracking the top ten.

Forget for a moment that RHJ is a legitimate NBA-level talent, with the matching work ethic, although those traits alone would already bolster his inclusion. He performs at a level that only a tiny handful of PBA imports have ever reached, one that can only be understood and appreciated by true students of the game.

But here’s the one undeniable fact: in the three conferences Hollis-Jefferson has played from start to finish for the TNT franchise, he has led them to a championship each time and won Best Import each time. The only time he fell short, in the 2023-24 Commissioner’s Cup, he was limited to seven games because of a neck injury and had to be replaced. This means RHJ is 3-0 in PBA finals and 3-0 in Best Import awards whenever he plays enough games to qualify for consideration.

With TNT wisely locking him up for the foreseeable future, expect Hollis-Jefferson to slowly work his way up these rankings. He’s already played more PBA games than Tony Harris or Michael Hackett, and won more championships and Best Import awards than those two combined. His three Best Import awards are already tied for second, which is a ridiculous achievement for someone who’s only been playing here for less than three years. If he manages to add a title or two to TNT’s trophy case and collect more individual awards in the process, then the upper echelon of this list will surely be within reach.

7. Andrew Fields

Historically, PBA teams hardly ever hire imports fresh out of college, but luckily for the Toyota Tamaraws, they got a keeper in Andrew Fields.

Barely 22 years old when he first played for the Tamaraws in 1979, Fields was initially pegged as the backup import of Toyota resident reinforcement, Bruce “Sky” King, who had been with the franchise since 1977. But he eventually assumed the lead role with new coach Fort Acuña and later, Ed Ocampo, giving more emphasis on defense.

And defense is where Fields stood out. With him manning the interior, no player, local or foreign, would dare penetrate the lane without thinking about Fields’ exceptional shot-blocking prowess. To this day, he holds the single-game record for most blocked shots, a mark he set in 1981 when he swatted 13 shots against hated rivals Crispa Redmanizers.

On offense, Fields contributed with his own trademark move. While Toyota was already known for its fastbreak attacks since 1975, Fields added his own wrinkle courtesy of his pinpoint “baseball” pass that led to transition baskets without any player dribbling the ball.

It was during the 1981 season when Fields dominated the entire league, powering the Toyota Super Diesels to a 3-2 Finals title against arch rivals, Crispa, in the Open Conference. Ranged against former Utah Jazz forward James Hardy and former Toyota reinforcement Byron “Snake” Jones, Fields had to put in more work as his partner, Victor King, couldn’t hold his ground. Fields shackled both Hardy and Jones in the finals, and he was rewarded for his efforts afterwards when he became the recipient of the first Best Import award given out by the PBA.

In 1982, Fields was recalled once more and teamed up with Donnie Ray Koonce in giving the Silverio franchise another Open Conference crown, the team’s last title. During this four-season stretch from 1979 to 1982, Fields led the PBA in blocked shots and helped Toyota win three titles. Lower import height limits prevented Fields from returning to the PBA after Toyota disbanded in 1983, although he came close to suiting up for former teammate and new Ginebra playing coach Robert Jaworski with Ginebra in 1985.

6. Tony Harris

Tony Harris was such a force of nature in the PBA that he was aptly dubbed “Hurricane.” In his very first game, for the Swift Mighty Meaty Hotdogs in the 1992 Third Conference, Harris immediately took the league by storm by dropping a PBA debut record 87 points.

It was a sign of things to come for the former Philadelphia 76ers guard as he would eventually shatter the single-game scoring record of 103 set by Michael Hackett in 1985. On October 10, 1992, in Iloilo, Harris set a PBA record of 105 points in a 151-147 Swift victory over Ginebra. Harris took a record 53 free throw attempts as the Ginebra players did everything they could to stop him from scoring. Eight days later, Harris very nearly hit the century mark again, this time dropping 98 points in a 179-161 win over Presto.

Thanks to Harris’s unstoppable offense, Swift winning its first PBA title was all but a foregone conclusion, and sure enough, the Hotdogs swept the 7-Up Uncolas in the Third Conference finals. Harris was the runaway pick for Best Import after posting averages of 60.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 2.2 steals per game, the single greatest one-conference statistical performance in league history. The following year, Harris once again led Swift to the Third Conference Finals, but a groin injury he suffered early in the series doomed their bid for back-to-back titles. Still, Harris put up explosive numbers of 46.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 7.8 assists, and 2.1 steals per game.

Harris made two more appearances for the RFM franchise in 1996 and 1998, but by then his scoring averages had declined. Still, he will always be remembered as one of the most unstoppable scorers in PBA history, and his 48.4 points per game average is the highest in this list.

5. Sean Chambers

Among all the imports in this list, Sean Chambers has perhaps the most interesting backstory.

Chambers first entered the PBA fans’ consciousness not as an import, but as a member of the IBA All-Stars, a team composed of American players standing six-four and below that saw action in the IBA/PBA World Challenge Cup, a one-week event in 1987 between the All-Filipino and Reinforced Conferences. A side event of the World Challenge Cup was the slam dunk tournament, where Billy Ray Bates was the heavy favorite. But Bates missed his last dunk, and Chambers found himself the surprise winner.

That accidental achievement brought Chambers his 15 minutes of fame in Manila, but he only became firmly entrenched in the PBA’s ecosystem two years later, after the Alaska Milkmen were shopping for a replacement import and Chambers’ name came up. It would be the start of one of the most enduring partnerships between an import and a PBA team, one that would last 13 conferences and produce six championships.

Chambers became a part of the Alaska franchise’s DNA, and to this day, he maintains close relationships with many of his former teammates. His own values and approach to the game mirrored those of Alaska’s, allowing for a symbiotic relationship. At six-foot-one, Chambers was never the tallest or strongest import, never the best scorer or shooter. But his basketball IQ and ability to play within a team concept made him the ultimate “resident” import.

Among reinforcements who played for just one PBA team, Chambers is the all-time leader in games played, points, and rebounds. Yet beyond these gaudy statistics, it was with his work ethic that ultimately became his calling card. The league knew it, too, which was why in 1991 Chambers became only the second import to be named “Mr. 100%.”

4. Billy Ray Bates

Pound for pound, Billy Ray Bates was arguably the most physically gifted import the PBA has ever seen. Bates hardly worked out but still had a chiseled six-foot-four frame and never seemed to tire on the court, where he would effortlessly drop 50 points on opposing teams. Such were his exploits that the Philippine media branded him with one of the most impactful import nicknames of all time, The Black Superman.

Bates was just two years removed from setting a Portland Trailblazers franchise record for the highest scoring average in a single playoffs (28.3) when he arrived in the Philippines in 1983 to join the fabled Crispa Redmanizers, who were in the midst of their own historic season. He scored 64 points in his very first PBA game and eventually led the Redmanizers to the Reinforced and Open Conference crowns, in the process helping them complete the franchise’s second Grand Slam.

In his debut PBA season, Bates displayed a phenomenal offensive repertoire, shooting 41% from 3-point distance, an incredible 64% on 2-point shots, and 84% from the stripe to average 41.7 points per game. He was so popular that he became the first – and thus far only – PBA import to have his own signature shoe. He was also quite the character off the court, brash and confident when answering questions from the media. Once asked what it would take to stop him, he replied, “The only way I can be stopped is to handcuff my right arm to my leg.”

Bates would win a third PBA crown in 1986, this time teaming up with Michael Hackett to power Ginebra San Miguel to its first league title. As explosive as he was three years prior, Bates somehow went up another level, even with the equally high-scoring Hackett as his teammate, averaging 49.6 points per game. He appeared two more times for Ginebra in 1987 and 1988 before retiring for good in 1990.

3. Justin Brownlee

Greatness isn’t always measured by championships and awards and gaudy stats, although Justin Brownlee certainly isn’t lacking in those departments. Sometimes, it can also be defined by how much someone has endeared himself to his fanbase, and by this yardstick, Brownlee is in a class by himself.

The irony of it all is that Brownlee wasn’t even Barangay Ginebra’s first choice as an import when he first came over for the 2016 Governors’ Cup. But when their original reinforcement suffered a hand injury, the stars aligned and the PBA’s most popular team tapped Brownlee as a replacement after some intense lobbying from his local agent.

By the end of the conference, Brownlee had etched himself in Ginebra and PBA lore with his championship-winning triple against the Meralco Bolts, a shot that gave the franchise its first title in eight years and elevated his popularity into the stratosphere. Nearly nine years later, Brownlee has led the team to five more championships and been named Best Import three times.

In the process, “Justin Noy-pi” has moved up to third all-time in games played and fourth all-time in scoring among imports, his name right up there with legends like Parks, Black, and Chambers. He’s tied with Chambers for most titles won by an import, and if he continues playing next season, he could surpass Black for most games played.

There’s also something to be said about Brownlee’s clutch gene. That triple that sank Meralco turned out to be just one of several crunch-time baskets he would make over the next several conferences. Imports taking the last shot in a close game are a dime a dozen; Magic Brownlee is one of the very few who actually make it when it counts.

2. Norman Black

When Norman Black first arrived in the Philippines in 1981 to play for the Tefilin Polyesters, no one — not even Black himself — could have envisioned that he would stay here for good. For him, the PBA was just another place to play while he pursued his dream of returning to the NBA. But his career took a permanent detour after he quickly discovered that this relatively new pro league on the other side of the world was competitive in its own right. And by the time he was done, he had played in more games, had scored more points, and had grabbed more rebounds than any other import in league history. To this day, all those still stand.

In Black’s debut conference, he immediately made an impression by averaging 51.8 points, 24.6 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game. The Polyesters disbanded the following season, but Black was quickly signed up by the San Miguel Beermen, whom he led to the finals of the Reinforced All-Filipino Conference and the title in the subsequent Invitational Conference. He then joined the Great Taste Discoverers for the 1983 season, and, after sitting out the 1984 season, rejoined the San Miguel franchise (now known as Magnolia Quench Plus) as playing coach in 1985. That season, he scored his career-high in points, hitting 76 in a loss to Great Taste.

Whenever Black would put on a sterling performance on the court, commentators would call it That Old Black Magic. It happened often enough that the PBA created a new award to recognize Black’s achievements and work ethic: in 1983, he became the recipient of the league’s very first “Mr. 100%” award.

Already the holder of numerous import records, Black filed one more in 1998 when, as coach of the Pop Cola Sizzlers, he was forced to suit up for one game after the team’s original import became unavailable. His 10-point outing made him, at 41, the oldest import ever to play in an official PBA game.

1. Bobby Parks

They say the best compliment you can get in your lifetime is to have something named after you. In the case of Bobby Parks, the PBA gave him the ultimate compliment when they named the league’s Best Import Award after him. That wasn’t surprising, considering Parks won the award a record seven times during the 13 conferences he played in the league. Parks was – and still is – the gold standard for imports in the PBA.

Parks was a prolific scorer, averaging at least 40.0 points per game with a high of 52.6 in 1989 over his first five seasons. He had a deadly jump shot and was a strong finisher around the rim, while on defense, he averaged better than 2.5 blocks and 1.0 steals per game for his entire PBA career.

He first played for the San Miguel Beermen in the 1987 Third Conference, leading them to the championship. He then transferred to Shell, where he would spend the rest of his PBA career. Shell management thought so highly of him that for a brief period in the 1990 season, they hired Parks as playing coach. Only a court ruling prevented him from taking the full-time.

By the time Parks was done, in 1999, his list of achievements was as long as his wingspan. He won four titles, to go with his seven Best Import awards. He was second overall in scoring among imports behind only Norman Black. He and Black are the only imports with over 8,000 points, 3,000 rebounds, 1,000 assists, and 500 blocks, and he is one of just four imports to have played in at least 200 games. In 2009, he became the second import after Black to be enshrined in the PBA Hall of Fame.

Yet more than his considerable skills and achievements on the court, it was his attitude off the court that made Parks truly special. Unlike other imports of his era who thought so highly of themselves, Parks, from all accounts, was the consummate teammate. He was humble and soft-spoken and was always respectful of his coaches. When he passed away in 2013 after a lengthy battle with throat cancer, tributes poured in from dozens of former teammates, coaches, and opponents.

Many thanks to Jay P. Mercado for providing statistics, text, and insights.

Banner Images from PBA Images, MBA on Facebook, Philippine Basketball Association Retro on Facebook, Basketball Zone on Facebook.