DOWN THE DEFICIT: PBA’s Dying Glory

In every slum, street, sidewalk, and corner of the Philippines is a basketball hoop. With some made from pounded metal rings and even bicycle wheels attached to a backboard built out of wood scraps, it became a favorite pastime for every Filipino wherever, whenever, due to its accessibility that requires no complex equipment. 

Later on, cold-blooded threes, flawless bank shots, and ankle-breaking crossovers would run into the veins of every Filipino — making the game a part of everyday routine. Basket after another, insane dunks after a perfectly timed assist, the sport was so loved that it became part of the Filipino identity. 

That love and passion for the game mirrored a rare scenario where lights dimmed as fans of all ages filled the dome to its rafters. Some screamed out of excitement; others were nervous as if everything was at stake. A few wielded a banner, cheering at the top of their lungs with either a red or yellow bandana donned onto their heads.

But unlike past championship nights, something was missing. No drums. No balloons showering the newly crowned champs. The traditions were gone. 

It was in Araneta Coliseum, in Cubao, a dome dubbed as the 'Mecca of Philippine Sports and Entertainment,' where all historic sporting events from college to pros and even concerts from local and international artists transpired. It's a rainy Sunday evening, with a downpour that just fell from the night sky, and at exactly 7:00 PM, two gigantic ball clubs Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel and TNT Tropang Giga (now Tropang 5G), will clash for a deciding Game 7 of the PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals. 

All-or-Nothing, as they say, the game features an epic rematch between the two rival teams, with Ginebra wanting to avenge their loss against the two-peat-seeking Tropang Giga during the 2024 PBA Governors' Cup Finals. It is also a battle of two outstanding imports. Justin Brownlee of Ginebra aims to add more to his collection of six PBA titles, while TNT's NBA veteran Rondae Hollis-Jefferson looks to prove why he deserves his 3rd Best Import of the Conference award. 

Amid the thunderous chants of defense from the jittering, mammoth crowd, TNT prevailed 87-83 against their rivals in overtime. This made them one championship away from securing the elusive grand slam. On the other hand, had Brownlee drilled his 4-point shot, the roof would have definitely been blown away for another five minutes. 

The total crowd attendance reached 21,274 — league's highest this season. But prior to accumulating thousands of fans that rainy Sunday night, PBA struggled to attract a live audience. From moving to smaller venues to lowering ticket prices, players still ended up playing hoops inside an almost empty stadium. 

Inaugurated on April 9, 1975, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) became the first professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest basketball league in the world next to the National Basketball Association (NBA). However, as years pass by, the league loved by many Filipinos seems to be barely surviving. From having little to no live audience to the alleged predictability of game results, PBA eventually found itself on the brink of death. 

But from a fan’s perspective, is PBA really dead? If so, what caused its demise, and what should the management do to bring it back to life? 

Ian Paolo Villacencio, 20, has been an avid PBA fan since 2011. He grew up in a basketball-loving family and at six, he began supporting Petron Blaze Boosters (now San Miguel Beermen) featuring a star-studded roster composed of Arwind Santos, Danny Ildefonso, and June Mar Fajardo, who was just in his rookie year that time. The franchise he's fond of won a couple of championships, including their historic Game 7 victory against Talk ‘N Text to spoil the latter’s grand slam at the 2011 PBA Governors' Cup before switching back to its original name, San Miguel Beermen prior to the start of 2014 PBA Commissioner’s Cup. 

“They have a strong team,” Villacencio said in Filipino in an interview. 

Later on, Villacencio’s interest in PBA would diminish, citing problems in the league that made the gate attendance during live games low, particularly the existence of farm teams and lopsided trades. He even said “the league already lost its essence of becoming a league for the Filipino basketball fans as it is more on the business side.” 

Farm team allegations and lopsided trades around the league are never new. It actually became its illness, which according to Villacencio, ruins the parity of the league. Teams such as the TerraFirma Dyip and Blackwater Bossing became the source of top players for huge franchises in the PBA. For instance, in 2021, the San Miguel Beermen acquired CJ Perez in a trade for three bench players Russel Escoto, Gelo Alolino, Matt-Ganuelas Rosser, and the Beermen’s 8th pick. 

Perez, a guard out of Lyceum of the Philippines University Pirates, played for TerraFirma Dyip for two years. He was the top pick in the 2018 PBA Draft and was averaging 24.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.0 steals. He even won the PBA Best Player of the Conference Award prior to the trade. Considered as being lopsided, the trade sparked controversy, disapproval, and criticism from most fans saying it is unfair for Dyip to trade its star player in exchange for three bench players. 

Although SMC teams are often involved in these lopsided trades, they aren't just the main culprits. Teams owned by the tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan have also shared their part. In June 2024, Rey Nambatac, an outstanding cager out of Letran, got traded by the Blackwater Bossing in a deal between them and the TNT Tropang Giga. In exchange, Blackwater will receive TNT’s Kib Montalbo and their future second-round pick. Fans found the trade nonsense, emphasizing the fact Blackwater acquired Nambatac in a trade involving Rain or Shine in exchange for their first-round pick, which was previously owned by TNT. 

Another trade, which includes TNT Tropang Giga, is in 2022. Following his marvelous performance during the PBA bubble, Calvin Oftana was traded to NLEX Road Warriors’ sister team TNT. The trade includes three teams with Blackwater again involved. In exchange, TNT will receive Calvin Oftana and center Raul Soyud. NLEX, in return, will get rookie Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser and Paul Desiderio, who suffers from an injury. Meanwhile, for Blackwater, they'll have Troy Rosario and Gab Banal.  

Unfortunately, it didn't happen just once, nor twice or thrice; it happens almost all the time. Another controversial trade involves the same team TerraFirma Dyip. But this time, it is between them and Beermen's sister team, Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel. Just last year, Ginebra traded its veteran guard Stanley Pringle and its big man Christian Standhardinger to Dyip’s Isaac Go and its supposed rising star, Stephen Holt. The trade also involves a rookie swap. Ginebra acquired TerraFirma’s third pick by selecting RJ Abarientos in exchange for their original 10th pick. 

The trade once again irked fans and was considered by them as being unfair. But for Ginebra’s head coach Tim Cone, they just felt “we needed to get younger.”

In his 2021 article for the Baguio Herald Express, journalist Armando Bolislis expressed how unfair the TerraFirma-SMB trade was. Saying that trading a bonafide star to a role player doesn't make sense at all. 

“The viewing public will have to accept the fact that the PBA is more than just basketball. Joining the PBA is not just about winning championships, it is also about promoting products,” the article reads. 

Retired PBA player Victor Pablo also shared the same sentiments. He said lopsided trades only benefit the rich teams, while adding that unfair trades between a powerhouse and underdogs affect not just the league’s parity but its viewership as well. He also mentioned that sister teams in the PBA shouldn't exist at all because it also affects the quality of competition. 

Unbeknownst to some fans, the salary cap in the PBA is around 50 million PHP, with a maximum contract amounting to 420,000 PHP per month. But unlike in the NBA, a luxury tax was being imposed whenever teams exceeded the cap. The payment goes to not-that-rich teams to increase their competitiveness. There's no such thing as luxury tax in the PBA, the reason why wealthy teams can pay high prices and include almost all the star players on their roster. 

Villacencio suggested during the interview that PBA should make the salary cap transparent to its fans. 

“There’s not much transparency, the reason why moves from well-known teams become questionable. We want more transparency,” he said. 

Veteran PBA commentator Quinito Henson made a suggestion to ease the recurring issue in the salary cap and to level the playing field. He said the imposition of luxury tax would help as teams will be obligated to pay when they exceed the limit. 

“I think there has to be a total review if you introduce a luxury tax. In other words, if they (PBA teams) want their salary to go above the salary cap, okay lang pero magbayad sila sa liga,” Henson said in a One PH interview. 

“’Yung luxury tax na babayaran nila will go to the league, as well as distributed to the other teams,” he told One PH. 

Throughout the past decades, PBA imports became one of the spectacles offered by the league. Fans already witnessed a variety of them: three-point shooters, excellent playmakers, clutch shooters, and unstoppable post players. But despite this, Villacencio noticed the height limit to imports became one of the major changes in the league. 

In the past years, PBA imposed a 6-foot-9 height limit for imports, preventing teams from recruiting reinforcements beyond the cap. Doing so will just force them to look for another. The last time import heights became limitless was in 2015 when Kia Sorento (now TerraFirma Dyip), signed the 7-foot-3 PJ Ramos for the import-laden Commissioner’s Cup. Ramos, who was also drafted into the NBA in 2004 by the Washington Wizards, became the lifeline of Sorento. But it seems like his height hasn't done much as his team had an early exit after placing 11th with a 4-7 win-loss record. 

It was the last time PBA fans had seen a gigantic import, but in 2024, PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial said the league would remove the height restrictions for the 2024 Commissioner's Cup. Before this huge turnaround, NBA star and former Lakers big man Dwight Howard expressed his desire to play in the PBA should the league remove the height limit. 

"I'm eligible for the PBA… I think they've got to change the height requirement. I'm 6-foot-9 without shoes,” Howard said. 

Luckily, PBA seems like they're listening to the fans’ suggestions. In 2023, the league implemented several new rules ahead of its 48th Season. One of those is the head coach challenge. Before this, mandatory reviews of ball possessions, questionable plays, and fouls may only occur in the last two minutes of 4th quarter. But with the newly introduced coach’s challenge, coaches are given a single chance to ask for a review from the officials. If successful, they will gain another challenge. Unlike in the NBA, an unsuccessful challenge won't result in losing a timeout.  

Another rule was players aren't allowed to call a timeout anymore. It will, according to Commissioner Marcial, train the players to be more adaptive to the FIBA rules.

A year later, PBA enforced another major change. This time, it's one of a kind. Something that other leagues haven't dared to do yet — 4-point line. It debuted in the 2024 Governors’ Cup, with Chris Banchero of the Meralco Bolts being the first to sink a 27-foot jumper. It is an unbelievable range, and only shooters like Stephen Curry could do it. As mentioned, no other pro league implemented a 4-point line. Not in the NBA, neither in the Japan B-League, nor in FIBA-sanctioned competitions. 

It drew mixed reactions from the fans. Most made fun due to its oddity, while others appreciated it, saying the 4-point line would be a perfect idea, especially in crucial parts of the game. It is. Just imagine making a 4-point shot with your team down by three and with two seconds on the clock. Or like what happened with Justin Brownlee as previously mentioned. Imagine if he made that 4-point attempt, Ginebra could've avoided another nightmare. 

“Sa amin, as governors, kasama si Commissioner, hindi naman kami magiimbento para pumangit ‘yong liga. Sa amin, ginagawa namin ito para gumanda ang liga, magkaroon ng, sinabi nga ni Chairman [Ricky Vargas], entertainment,” said Brgy. Ginebra’s team governor Al Francis Chua. Dismissing doubts aired by critics. 

“Tignan muna natin kung anong mangyayari, baka gumanda. Baka ‘yong iba diyan, kung sino pa ang ayaw, baka sila pa ang gumamit [nang] gumamit,” Chua added. 

Villacencio loves the 4-point line but still, he said, isn't enough to bring back the league to its former glory and to regain the fans' whole support. 

The league carried out more gimmicks ahead of its 50th anniversary this year. Among those is lowering ticket prices. On regular games, the lowest ticket price a fan could get is 40-50 PHP in general admission. There's an additional 10-20 PHP every playoffs or finals game. They've even played in a much smaller venue away from the city to make games accessible to fans. Yet still, arenas were nearly empty. 

On the day of its anniversary on April 9, 2025, games were held at Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila. Fans were offered free admission if they were born in 1975, the league’s founding year. Those who weren't born in 1975 will get a cheap lower box ticket at 50 PHP, with general admission being only 30 PHP plus a commemorative shirt given to them.  A marching band playing festive music welcomed them as well. 

The arena was nearly packed with fans enjoying the double-header match. A good sight to see to celebrate PBA’s 50th birthday. But what's sad about it is the league will get back to its dismal state after it welcomes its 50th year. 

Golden year it is, but in reality, its golden days are gone. 

“When SMB (San Miguel Beermen) had a ‘Beeracle’ run, that's the most unforgettable moment in sports history. Resiliency at its finest,” Villacencio recalled when asked about his most memorable experience as a PBA fan. 

The Beeracle he was referring to was when the powerhouse Beermen overcame a 0-3 deficit against the Alaska Aces to eventually capture the 2015-2016 PBA Philippine Cup title. Dramatic as it is, the series was etched in history as the Beermen was the first professional basketball team in any league to successfully come back from a 0-3 burden. 

Villacencio had never watched a live PBA game, nor the historic Beeracle, but how he wished one day, he would be able to step into the arena where the PBA plays. For him, to witness live the country's finest hoopers play ball in the hardwood is a worthy experience. 

PBA is still loved by many and hated by only a few, or perhaps vice versa. Regardless, its management must do something to preserve its memories and histories unfolded. Whether they like it or not, PBA is more than just a league and business — it's a shared bond between the families whose tradition is to watch weekend hoops, or those ticket buyers spending money just to cheer for their beloved team. But due to its flawed system, fans would rather watch an inter-barangay game than waste time in a league where results are almost predictable than what the future holds. 

The PBA itself is flawed, but not the 4-point line, the height limit to imports, or the 50 million PHP salary cap. What's the problem is the corrupt system continuing to thrive within the league. It must be cured before it causes total demise. How many points scored in a single basket wouldn't matter to the fans as long as the games remain competitive and each team has been given fair chances not just to win a chip but to show what they are really made of and what it really means to be in the PBA. 

It wouldn't take more than a Beeracle to win the hearts of fans again. 

When things went right, hopefully, Filipinos' love and passion for the game will mirror a long-awaited scenario where lights dimmed as fans of all ages filled the dome to its rafters out of excitement because at last, PBA is back to its former glory. 

But for now, it's an All-or-Nothing battle without a championship at stake. But a goal to preserve its memories and to keep ballin’ in front of the jittering, mammoth crowd.