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MANILA, Philippines — They are gold.
The PBA has announced the 10 more players to be included in the PBA’s 50 Greatest Players, in time for its 50th year.
PBA legends Nelson Asaytono, Danny Seigle, Bong Hawkins, Abe King, Arnie Tuadles, Yoyoy Villamin, Manny Victorino and Jeffrey Cariaso, as well as current players 10-time champion and eight-time Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo, and seven-time champion and one-time MVP Scottie Thompson.
The names were announced at the Cignal Customer Experience Center Wednesday afternoon.
It was a long time coming, but finally, Asaytono is on the list.
He was surprisingly not named in the league’s 25 and 40 best players, but now, he is etched in a list of Philippine basketball greatness.
“The Bull”, who won seven PBA championships and was part of three Mythical first teams, as well as 10 All-Star teams, had a stellar 17-year career. A scoring champion in the 1997 season, Asaytono is fifth in total scoring with 12,668 points in a lengthy career that included stints with Purefoods, Swift, San Miguel, Pop Cola and Red Bull.
Hawkins, a nine-time PBA champion, was a member of the Alaska Milkmen squad that won a PBA Grand Slam in 1996. He was a cornerstone of the Tim Cone-coached Alaska team and was named to three All-Star teams, a PBA All-Defensive team, two Mythical first teams and two Mythical second teams. He was a PBA Most Improved Player and a Finals MVP of the 1996 Commissioner’s Cup.
The 6-foot-3 King, for his part, was a 13-time PBA champion throughout his 17-year PBA career. “The Chairman of the Board” had stints with the Toyota Tamaraws, Gold Eagle Beermen, Great Taste Coffee Makers and Purefoods. King is one of the most ferocious rebounders and defenders during his playing years and once tallied 60 points in a game.
The late Tuadles, a very potent scorer during his 13 playing years in the PBA, became the first player to win two championships with two different teams in a season. The 6-foot-2 winger played for the Toyota Super Corollas, Great Taste, Ginebra, Alaska, Formula Shell Zoom Masters and the Presto Ice Cream Kings. He won a Rookie of the Year award and was a member of the Mythical Five. He was 21st in scoring with 9,430 points in 692 games.
One half of the Bruise Brothers, the 6-foot-3 Villamin won nine PBA championships during his 17-year career. He suited up for the Crispa Redmanizers, Manila Beer Brewmasters, Alaska, Swift, Pepsi Mega Bottlers and San Miguel Beermen. He was a three-time PBA All-Star, a PBA Mythical First Team member and a three-time PBA Mythical second team member. Aside from these, he was a seven-time All-Defensive Team member and a Grand Slam champion.
The 6-foot-5 Victorino was a skilled big man. He played 15 years in the PBA for Great Taste, Shell, Presto, Pepsi, Ginebra, Purefoods and Sunkist. He won six PBA championships, a five-time PBA All-Star, a three-time PBA Mythical First Team member and a Most Improved Player. He is 19th in the scoring list with 9,596 points in 727 total games played.
The 6-foot-6 Seigle, who won six of his eight PBA championships with San Miguel, is one of the most versatile players in the league during his heyday. He averaged 14.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in 566 total career games across 18 years, where he saw action for San Miguel, Air 21/Barako Bull and the TNT franchises.
Cariaso, who is currently the coach of the Blackwater Bossing, won eight championships in the PBA, including a Grand Slam with Alaska. He was a PBA Rookie of the Year, a 10-time PBA All-Star, a four-time PBA All-Defensive Team member and a four-time PBA Mythical First Team member. The winger played for Alaska, Mobiline Phone Pals, Tanduay Rhum Masters and Coca-Cola Tigers before returning to the Aces until his retirement in 2010.
Fajardo and Thompson are still playing for San Miguel and Ginebra, respectively.
The selection committee was made up of former PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios, former champion coach Dante Silverio, former PBA MVPs Ramon Fernandez, Allan Caidic and Atoy Co, sports editors Nelson Beltran of The STAR, Al Mendoza and Ding Marcelo, as well as broadcasters Quinito Henson — also a sports columnist for The STAR — and Andy Jao.
The 25 best players named back in 2000 were Johnny Abarrientos, Bogs Adornado, Ato Agustin, Francis Arnaiz, Ricardo Brown, Hector Calma, Philip Cezar, Jerry Codinera, Kenneth Duremdes, Bernie Fabiosa, Fernandez, Danny Florencio, Abet Guidaben, Freddie Hubalde, Robert Jaworski, Jojo Lastimosa, Lim Eng Beng, Samboy Lim, Ronnie Magsanoc, Vergel Meneses, Manny Paner, Alvin Patrimonio, Benjie Paras, Caidic, Co and Fernandez.
And in 2015, 15 additional players were named — Danny Ildefonso, Willie Miller, James Yap, Asi Taulava, Eric Menk, Kelly Williams, Jayjay Helterbrand, Jimmy Alapag, Mark Caguioa, Arwind Santos, Jayson Castro, Marc Pingris, Kerby Raymundo, Chito Loyzaga and Marlou Aquino.
