Ranking the 50 Greatest PBA Players of All Time (20-11)

To commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), The GAME editor-in-chief Sid Ventura and noted PBA historian Jay P. Mercado took a stab at naming and ranking who they think are the 50 greatest PBA players of all time.

These rankings are independent of the league’s own top 25, top 40, and top 50 lists, meaning players on these lists did not automatically make our own rankings (i.e., PBA 25 Greatest members Lim Eng Beng and Manny Paner and 40 Greatest members Marlou Aquino, Chito Loyzaga and Kerby Raymundo did not crack our top 50).

So again, these are our own 50 greatest rankings, and they are not meant to undermine the PBA’s selection.

A word on our methodology

Measuring a player’s greatness is always a tricky proposition. Comparing players across different generations is even trickier. How many Best Player of the Conference (BPC) awards would Ramon Fernandez, Bogs Adornado, Atoy Co, Sonny Jaworski, Abet Guidaben, or Ricky Brown have won if the award had been there earlier than 1994? And surely the likes of Guidaben, Abe King, Bernie Fabios, and Freddie Hubalde would have earned more Mythical Team selections if only the Mythical Second Team had already been in place from the start.

Would James Yap, Mark Caguioa, Willie Mille, and Eric Menk have won more titles or BPCs if the league hadn’t gone to the two-conference format from 2004 to 2010? Are All-Star appearances worth anything, considering that All-Star Games were virtually non-existent in the 1970s and 80s?

In the face of these challenges, we focused on five items that were universal to all players regardless of era: longevity, championships won, impact on the game, statistical achievements, and individual awards like Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defensive Team and Mythical Team selections. In comparing players from the same eras or adjacent eras, we factored in Finals MVPs and BPCs.

Also, all player evaluations are based solely on their PBA careers. Their achievements in the MICAA, collegiate level, or in the international arena were not taken into consideration.

READ MORE: 

Ranking the 50 Greatest PBA Players of All Time (50-41)

Ranking the 50 Greatest PBA Players of All Time (40-31).

Ranking the 50 Greatest PBA Players of All Time (30-21).

20-11:

20. Mark Caguioa

For two decades, Mark Caguioa was synonymous with Barangay Ginebra. The franchise’s all-time leading scorer, Caguioa spent his entire 19-season career with the Gin Kings. The Spark burst onto the PBA scene as a relatively unknown rookie in 2001, and he quickly established himself as one of the most explosive guards in the league. He was named Rookie of the Year, and spent the next few seasons gradually building up his scoring average. Caguioa had one of the quickest first steps in league history, and it was this move that set up his offensive game that peaked in 2006-07 when he averaged a career-high 24.6 points per game. For nine straight seasons, he averaged no fewer than 17.2 points per game in one season. By the time he retired, he was part of nine Ginebra championships, tied for second-most by any player who stayed with just one franchise.

19. Ricardo Brown

Ricky Brown had a relatively brief PBA career, playing just 345 games over seven seasons, but he squeezed the most out of it. The Quick Brown Fox was a pioneer in the PBA, becoming the league’s first so-called Fil-Am player when he debuted as a high-scoring rookie for the Great Taste Coffeemakers in 1983. Brown was named Rookie of the Year and became just the second rookie to be named to the Mythical Five. He bagged MVP honors in 1985, when he averaged a career-high 27.9 points per game, including 30.2 in the All-Filipino Conference, and led Great Taste to the last two of four straight titles.

After winning five titles with Great Taste, Brown transferred to San Miguel, where he won three more titles before a series of injuries forced him to retire at age 33. He’s still in the record books for having the highest career scoring average (23.9), career assist average (7.3), and career free throw shooting percentage (87.9%).

18. Jojo Lastimosa

Among PBA players never to have won an MVP, only a tiny, tiny handful had a better career than Jojo Lastimosa. Whether it was being part of Purefoods’ young Big 3 during the franchise’s early years or captaining the many champion Alaska teams in the 1990s,  “Jolas” made his mark wherever he played. A naturally gifted leaper who could get off his shot no matter the situation, Lastimosa also earned a reputation as a leader and no-nonsense player who cared little about the trappings of fame and genuinely just wanted to win.

One of just seven players with at least 10 championships and over 10,000 career points, Lastimosa was also Rookie of the Year and was named to seven Mythical Teams. And with the game on the line, Jolas wasn’t afraid to take over, thus earning him the nickname “The 4^th Quarter Man.”

17. Francis Arnaiz

In the PBA’s first decade, the most popular backcourt duo was the Toyota pair of Sonny Jaworski and Francis Arnaiz. While Jaworski was the bigger star and better overall player, Arnaiz was no pushover, either. He could play either guard position, and play it very well, and was the first PBA player to be given the moniker “Mr. Clutch.” Arnaiz was one of the fastest guards of the 1970s and early 80s, and had impeccable dribbling skills. He had a reliable outside shot and could also hurt defenses with his patented finger roll in the paint. Arnaiz was a central figure in the heated Toyota-Crispa rivalry, and his own rivalry with Crispa point guard Bernie Fabiosa was a major subplot. Like Lastimosa, Arnaiz is one of the most decorated players ever never to win an MVP, and is also one of seven to win at least 10 titles and score over 10,000 career points.

16. Freddie Hubalde

No one had a more reliable bank shot than Freddie Hubalde. It was that move, along with a few others, that made him a valuable member of the famed Crispa Redmanizers, with whom he won 13 titles, including two Grand Slams. Hubalde sometimes got lost in the limelight at Crispa, what with Atoy Co, Bogs Adornado, and Philip Cezar as teammates, but he could also score and take charge down the stretch. Following Crispa’s disbandment, Hubalde fashioned out a second career and helped lead the Tanduay Rhum Masters to three titles in 1986 and 1987. He retired just short of reaching the 10,000-point plateau, but he also retired with 16 championships — the second-most ever behind only Ramon Fernandez.

15. Vergel Meneses

In an era of high flyers, Vergel Meneses definitely stood out. While others may have leaped higher or stayed in the air a tad bit longer, the Aerial Voyager had the best all-around game among all of them. Meneses was an underrated passer, and at six-three, he was tall for that era at the small forward spot.

He played 15 seasons and averaged double digits in scoring in 13 of them, including a stretch from his rookie year of 1992 to 1999 where his season scoring average never dipped below 16.7 points per game. His peak season was undoubtedly his MVP year of 1995, when he averaged a career-best 20.0 points per game to go along with 5.4 assists per game and led the Sunkist Orange Juicers to two championships. All in all, Meneses won three titles, all with the Swift/Sunkist franchise, and was named BPC thrice, but he will be best remembered as an artist in the air who could do many wondrous things with the ball.

14. Arwind Santos

Arwind Santos had a unique skill set that made him a threat on both ends of the court. A wiry, athletic six-foot-four forward, “Spiderman” had a great all-around offensive game that allowed him to average double digits in scoring for 14 of his 16 seasons. But as skilled as he was on offense, it was on defense where Santos left his mark. He was thrice named Defensive Player of the Year and made the All-Defensive Team eight times. He retired with the sixth-most blocks and sixth-most rebounds in league history, and is one of just three players with at least 900 blocks and 500 steals. Santos was also a model of consistency throughout his playing career; he made the Mythical First Team a staggering 10 times, second behind only Mon Fernandez’s 13.

13. Danny Ildefonso

Before June Mar Fajardo’s run in the 2010s, “Lakay” Danny I. was the last PBA player to win back-to-back MVP awards. That he did it in 2000 to 2001 at a time when the league was being overrun by a new breed of big, athletic Fil-foreign players makes the feat all the more remarkable. At his peak, Ildefonso was a beast down low, a virtually unstoppable post player who had a rare combination of brute strength, good footwork, and high basketball IQ. Along with his namesake Danny Seigle, he became the face of the storied San Miguel franchise at the turn of the century and helped add eight more trophies to its trophy case. He was Finals MVP in three of those championships, while also being named Best Player of the Conference five times.

12. James Yap

James Yap had so many offensive moves in his repertoire, he was dubbed “The Man With A Million Moves.” His other nickname, “Big Game” James, spoke to his proclivity for hitting big shots when his team needed them the most. And he did all of this with that unflappable demeanor, rarely showing emotion even after dropping 30 points or hitting a game-winning triple. For over a decade, Yap was also the face of the Purefoods franchise, which he led to seven championships while also picking up two MVP awards. He is also in rarefied air: he is one of only five multiple-MVP winners in league history to have scored more than 10,000 career points.

11. Allan Caidic

Allan Caidic’s nickname said it all: The Triggerman. One of the finest pure shooters the PBA has ever seen, Caidic shot his way into the record books with his 3-point accuracy, ability to get to the free throw line, and back-to-the-basket moves. He was scoring champion for a record five seasons, and is one of just 10 locals to have scored at least 11,000 career points. But his magnum opus came on November 21, 1991, when he set several scoring records that stand to this day. In a 162-149 win over Añejo Rum, Caidic torched the hoops for 79 points built on a staggering 17 three-point shots. He put up a record 37 points in one quarter and a record 53 points in one half. To put this into proper context, since the,n only three local players have managed to score at least 50 in a game.

Banner Images courtesy of Sid Ventura, Excel Panlaque, and Instagram accounts of Mark Caguioa, Alvin Patrimonio, and James Yap.