Barangay Ginebra San Miguel
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel | |||
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2023–24 Barangay Ginebra San Miguel season | |||
Leagues | Philippine Basketball Association | ||
Founded | 1979 | ||
History | List
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Team colors | Red, black, white | ||
Company | Ramon S. Ang | ||
Affiliation(s) | Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (3x3 team) | ||
Championships | List
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Retired numbers | 2 (7, 8) | ||
Website | ginebra.com | ||
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The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The most popular team in the league,[1] it is owned by Ginebra San Miguel, Inc. (formerly, La Tondeña Distillers, Inc.), a subsidiary of the San Miguel Corporation (SMC). The team is one of three PBA ball clubs currently owned by the SMC group of companies, along with the Magnolia Hotshots and the San Miguel Beermen. Barangay Ginebra has won 15 PBA championships, the second most overall.
La Tondeña, Inc. (renamed, La Tondeña Distillers, Inc., after SMC acquired majority control in 1987) joined the PBA in 1979 as an expansion team. After some rough times during their first few seasons, their fortunes changed when veterans
Beginnings
1979–1983: Gilbey's Gin/St. George Whiskies/Gilbey's Gin Gimlets
Joining the league in
In the
The franchise played under the name St. George Whiskies during the 1981 Reinforced Filipino conference.
In
Gilbey's made another Finals appearance in the 1983 All-Filipino but were also swept by the Crispa Redmanizers in the first of three titles won by the Redmanizers.
The Jaworski era (1984–1998)
Gilbey's Gin Tonics (1984)
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 were 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. The internal feud between Jaworski and Fernandez, which had been simmering for several years, became public. With this development, Gilbey's accepted Jaworski and Arnaiz; Tuadles and Loyzaga joined Great Taste; while the rest of the Toyota players, led by Fernandez, joined Beer Hausen. 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.
Ginebra San Miguel (1985–1988)
By 1985, Gilbey's was renamed as Ginebra San Miguel. However, the team failed to enter the finals in each of the three conferences, showing only a strong finish in the Reinforced Conference.
The birth of "Never-Say-Die"
On October 22, 1985, in a game against Northern Cement (NCC), Jaworski was hit by an elbow from Jeff Moore late in the second quarter. He had to be brought to nearby Medical City's emergency room to get stitches on his lips. During the third quarter, NCC was leading when Jaworski returned to the bench.
- 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.[2]
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 in Iloilo City ironically against Ginebra with 105 points.[3]
Former Crispa import
Arnaiz suddenly left for the United States due to injury, but was still part of the line-up, before the team won its first championship, ending his 11-year career and tandem with Jaworski. He retired shortly afterwards the 1986 season.
Añejo Rum 65 (1988–1990)
In 1988, the team changed its name to Añejo Rum 65.
The 65ers won the
Añejo also clinched the 1988 PBA/IBA World Challenge Cup with Bobby Parks as their import by beating international teams and beating Alaska Air Force 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, Bates was sent home for good. The 65er 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 grand slam winning San Miguel Beermen in the Reinforced Conference. In that conference, the 65ers paraded another super import in Carlos Briggs, who easily won 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 the Oilers.
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.
Ginebra San Miguel/Tondeña Rhum 65 (1991–1996)
In
Ginebra placed third in the 1992 Reinforced Conference. But at that time, the team was starting to fade.
In the
In 1994, in an effort to change their fortunes, the team was renamed Tondeña Rhum 65. 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 San Miguel. 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 Governors' Cup. The worst season triggered rumors that the Gins 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, the team used the top overall pick to draft controversial center Marlou Aquino from Adamson University. Aquino was a big star in the PBL for Nikon Home Appliances and Stag Pale Pilsen but was involved in a controversial scandal in terms of his academic status at Adamson, although this was later neglected when he jumped pro. Aquino showed the promise the fans of the team 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 the team wound up in an elimination game against Formula Shell. But Kenny Redfield's buzzer-beating three enabled Shell to enter the finals. Ginebra finally entered the Finals of the Governors' Cup but lost to the grand slam winning Alaska Milkmen in five games.
Aquino's impact gave the team a 30-game improvement from a year ago and was named as the
Gordon's Gin Boars (1997–1998)
In 1997, the team was renamed Gordon's Gin Boars.
One of the most memorable shots in team history was Bal David's final second heave from half-court to defeat San Miguel Beer by two points.
Gordon's Gin entered the Finals of the All-Filipino against
In the Commissioner's Cup, NBA veteran
Expectations were high for the Governors' Cup, but they were eliminated by Sta. Lucia in the quarterfinals.
Jaworski resigns
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 SMC management because he was not informed of the move. In a press conference held at the Senate, Jaworski resigned as player-coach of the Gins.
Jaworski was considered the oldest basketball player on any roster at 52 years of age during this time before he retired.
Barangay Ginebra Kings and the "Fast and the Furious" era (1999–2017)
In 1999, the team was then officially called Barangay Ginebra Kings.
In the All-Filipino, the Barangay Ginebra Kings only managed to finish 8th in the eliminations, and needed to win twice against the first-seeded
In the 2000 off-season, Aquino was traded to Sta. Lucia Realty in exchange for Jun Limpot. The trade was considered as one of the biggest transactions done in the PBA. Another standout, Locsin, was later traded to Pop Cola during the Commissioner's Cup for Vergel Meneses, but it still didn't help the Kings throughout the season. Caidic replaced Salazar as head coach.
The Kings were eliminated early in the quarterfinals by
In 2001, the Kings 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 fifth 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 Ginebra upset the top-seeded Turbo Chargers in five games to meet sister team San Miguel in the finals. The Kings 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.
The Kings' success in the All-Filipino were not duplicated in the Commissioner's and Governors' Cup, as they were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
After the season, the Kings acquired Eric Menk from Tanduay to solidify their frontline for the 2002 season. Unfortunately, Menk was loaned to the Philippine team and the Kings struggled throughout the Governors' and Commissioner's Cups, again failing to enter the semis. In the All-Filipino, Menk made his Barangay Ginebra debut but the team did not enter the quarterfinals.
"The Fast and The Furious"
In the 2004–2005 season, Caguioa, along with his backcourt partner
2004–2005: Back-to-back titles and the "Big Three": Menk, Caguioa and Helterbrand
Barangay Ginebra Kings
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In 2004, the league shifted to a two conference set-up with a special transitional tournament known as 2004 PBA Fiesta Conference was held to bridge the transition between the 2003 and 2004–05 PBA seasons.
As the league made significant changes so did the team which made the Kings more competitive. Caidic was moved to the position of team manager and former San Miguel assistant coach Siot Tanquingcen became head coach. The team also traded Limpot and Rob Johnson to Purefoods for Andy Seigle and Rodney Santos via Sta. Lucia, which received a future 1st round pick.
During the conference, Tanquingcen used a three guard combination line-up of Santos, Helterbrand and Caguioa which enabled the team to have a running game. It was during this time that the backcourt tandem of Helterbrand and Caguioa became known as The Fast and The Furious in reference to their running game and to the movie of the same name.
On July 7, 2004, the Kings ended a 7-year title drought when they defeated Red Bull Barako in a best of 5 finals, 3–1, capturing the transition 2004 PBA Fiesta Conference.
During that time,
On February 11, 2005, the Kings proved that the last championship was not a fluke by winning the next conference, the
2005–06: Ginebra-Red Bull playoff duel
The Kings' victory over Red Bull in the 2004 Fiesta Conference broke the flawless finals record of the Barakos. And it proved to be costly too, as Red Bull would go on to defeat Ginebra in the next three tournaments that would follow after the Kings' back-to-back championships, denying the Kings numerous chances to rewrite history.
In the
In the
They faced Red Bull again in the semifinals, and eventually lost in the series, 4–3. 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, Tanquingcen apologized to the team's fans. It was also revealed that Caguioa was playing hurt and had a hamstring injury throughout the series. The Kings battled
In the
However, the Kings still fell short as they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Red Bull, 3–2. After the Kings led 2–1 in the series, the Barakos clinched the series by defeating the Kings by more than 25 points in the last two games. Red Bull went on to survive the
2006–07 Season: Sister Act (Barangay Ginebra vs. SMB)
In the off season, the Kings were involved in the controversial three-way-team trade with
Under the revised version, the Express would trade Ramos and 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 was viewed 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 Coca-Cola.
Also, the coaching staff underwent a revamp with Jong Uichico, from sister team San Miguel Beer, taking over coaching duties from Tanquingcen. Tanquingcen became assistant coach, along with Art Dela Cruz and Juno Sauler. Dela Cruz is also from San Miguel, having served as assistant coach, while Sauler is a holdover from Tanquingcen's coaching staff. Uichico, Tanquincen, and Dela Cruz powered the Beermen in their late-1990s championship run and also helped win their 17th title.
As part of their preparations for the
Hatfield made a league comeback and signed with the Kings. Johnny Abarrientos followed suit two weeks before the start of the season.
In the season opener, the Kings defeated the expansion team, Welcoat Dragons, 102–69, on October 1. Two victories over sister team Purefoods and Air21 gave Ginebra a good 3–0 start before being defeated by Red Bull on October 15.
Adducul was later sent to San Miguel as part of a three-team deal which involved Red Bull, a non-SMC club. [3] Ironically, the following game saw the two sister teams face off at the Cuneta Astrodome, in a game which the Kings won in overtime, 101–97, after the Beermen led by as much as 20 points during regulation.
At the middle of the classification round, changes still happened to the team. The team acquired Ronald Tubid from the Air21. [4] The team managers of the SMC teams were also shuffled. Ginebra's team manager, Caidic was replaced by Samboy Lim and he was sent to Coca-Cola.
The Kings advanced straight to the semifinals after becoming the no. 1 team at the end of the classification phase. [5] In the semifinals series against
In the finals, the Kings faced San Miguel and fell behind 0–2 in the series similar to their 2001 showdown. But unlike in 2001, this time the outcome was different. The Kings would win the next four games, with games 3 and 4 being blowouts, to win the
After winning the Philippine Cup, starters Caguioa, Helterbrand, and Menk were all loaned to play for the Philippine national team competing in the FIBA Asia Championship. They also lost Hatfield early in the first round due to personal problems, but their import Rod Nealy provided the scoring for the Kings. Despite a depleted lineup, they still managed to finish 12–6 as 3rd seed and earned an outright quarterfinals berth, mainly due to the strong play of Egay Echavez, Mark Macapagal and Gec Chia who shined in the absence of the starters. In the quarterfinals, they faced San Miguel, but ended the series differently. This time the Kings 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: 8th PBA title
In the off-season, the Kings made few adjustments to their roster by trading Macapagal to Coca-Cola for guard Chris Pacana and Chia to Talk 'N Text for veteran Victor Pablo, who finally donned the Ginebra jersey 15 years after he was drafted. They also boosted their backcourt by drafting Macky Escalona from Ateneo and acquiring Paul Artadi from Air21 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
In the finals, they met the Air21 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, 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. Tubid also returned during Game 4 from a dislocated left ankle and lift the Kings, 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 an 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 Alexander having cramps in the third quarter, the locals led by Tubid and 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 co-Finals MVP. Uichico also won his 8th PBA title as a coach and his second 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-Barangay Ginebra II
During the off season, the Kings went to the free-agent market to finalize their roster instead of signing undrafted rookies. Due to their aging and injured frontcourt, the Kings decided to fill their void at the forward position by signing the 6'6" former DLSU Archer Junjun Cabatu to a two-year contract. They defeated defending Philippine Cup champion Sta. Lucia and the team that they defeated in the previous season's 2008 PBA Fiesta Conference Finals opponent, Air21. 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 Coca-Cola. With a victory over Rain or Shine 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. The Kings 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 Talk 'N Text 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 JC Intal from Air21 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.
Comebacking 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
As of this moment, the Kings are 8–1 with Noel as their import and they clinched 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 league, did not play in the previous conference and his absence hurt the team's campaign. Junthy Valenzuela is also on the injured list.
2009–10
In preparation for the 35th season, the Kings were included in a three-way trade with
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 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.
The Kings 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.
2010–11
Two-time Most Valuable Player Willie Miller signed a two-year contract with the Kings. Billy Mamaril then returned to the Kings 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, the Kings picked three rookies. They drafted 2009 NCAA season MVP
2011–2012 season
After a lackluster previous season, assistant coach Tanquingcen was named co-head coach, alongside head coach Uichico. After the news that Hatfield left the Kings due to personal matters, the team selected Reil Cervantes and James Martinez in the 2011 PBA draft, but only kept Cervantes due to the guard heavy roster. Helterbrand signed only a one – conference contract extension, due to his desire to find out if he "still had it" and if he does not, he announced that he would retire after the conference.
The Kings drew flak that season for starting the younger, inexperienced guards such as Wilson and Labagala instead of holdovers Caguioa and Helterbrand, a move intended by Tanquingcen to speed up the development of the younger guns of Ginebra. Because of that, the Kings managed to barely escape two rival teams successively, as well as experience a two-game losing streak right after.
On November 16, the
The Kings finished fifth in the
On January 11, 2012, Uichico resigned from the SMC basketball organization to become one of the assistant coaches of the
In the season-ending Governors' Cup, Caguioa returned to play and wore a protective glasses during the game. The team hired import Cedric Bozeman, and led the team to semifinals round with 5–4 standing in the eliminations.
The conference was highlighted with the retirement of Robert Jaworski's jersey number 7 on July 8, before the semifinal game against Petron Blaze. However, the team failed again to advance in finals in a heartbreaking loss to the Llamados during the one-game playoff for the 2nd finals berth.
Caguioa was named Best Player of the Conference for the 2012 Commissioner's and Governors' Cup. He waited 11 years before finally winning the Most Valuable Player award, and Caguioa dedicated it to the people who never left his side.
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (2012–present)
For the 2012–13 PBA season, the team was named as Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.[5]
2012–13 season
On January 1, 2013, team consultant
On July 16, 2013, newspapers reported that Chua "has reportedly resigned as head coach of Barangay Ginebra, announcing his decision to the players in their first practice session yesterday for the upcoming Governors' Cup. Online reports said that Chua decided to step down following disagreement with the management on the coaching shakeup and player movement during the conference break.[7] On July 25, 2013, San Miguel Corporation announced that Ato Agustin shall take over as interim head coach, while Chua became team manager.[8]
2013–14 season
In the
Before the start of the upcoming Governors' Cup, the annual Asian Basketball Showdown was held where Asian powerhouses will face against other Asian teams. Ginebra faced KBL powerhouse Changwon LG Sakers with Christopher Massie as import for Changwon LG. The game ended with an 81–76 loss to the Sakers.[9]
2014–15 season
For the
2015–16 season: Tim Cone era and 9th title
On July 20, 2015, San Miguel Corporation president
On September 28, 2015, Ginebra traded Mac Baracael and Dorian Peña in a four team trade that landed Joe Devance to the Ginebra.[11]
In the
During the Governors' Cup, the team signed
2016–2017 season and 1st title repeat
At the
For the 2017 PBA Commissioner's Cup, they brought back Justin Brownlee and ended up #1 in the standing after the eliminations. However, they got knocked out by TNT Katropa in the semis.
And for the 2017 PBA Governors' Cup, they smashed the hopes of San Miguel Beermen for a rare grandslam as they blew them out in the quarterfinals. Then they won a hard-fought series against TNT Katropa in the semis to enter the finals and a chance to defend their championship. Waiting for Ginebra in the finals was the same team they defeated in the previous season, the Meralco Bolts.
Barangay Ginebra went up 2–0 in the series, however Meralco was able to come back and tie the series. Ginebra won game 5 at the Philippine Arena to move 1 win away to defending their championship. But Meralco came out strong in game 6 to win the game in front of over 53 thousand fans in attendance. In game 7, the attendance was broken yet again at the Philippine Arena as over 54,000 fans trooped to watch Barangay Ginebra successfully defend their championship, winning 101–96 for their 1st title repeat in franchise history.
A few days after their championship conquest, long time Ginebra fan favorite and legend Jayjay Helterbrand announced his retirement, thus ending "The Fast and The Furious" era of Barangay Ginebra.
2017–2018 season: Ginebra Ako and 11th championship
Fresh off their 2017 Governors' Cup championship, Ginebra opened their
Ginebra had a roller coaster elimination round and finished with a record 6–5 capped off with a triple overtime victory over Rain or Shine to gain the 4th seed. They met the Rain or Shine in the quarterfinals and swept them in 2 games.
However they met their sister team, the defending champions San Miguel Beermen in the semis. Without their big man Greg Slaughter who is nursing an injury, the Beermen dismantled Ginebra in 5 games and went on to win the championship for the 4th straight year. Scottie Thompson recorded his 2nd career triple double in Game 5 of the semis.
In the 2018 Commissioner's Cup, Ginebra donned a New Jersey with the words "GINEBRA AKO" for the conference.[12] They also paraded import Charles Garcia while their resident import Justin Brownlee was still playing for the San Miguel Alab Pilipinas in the ABL. Ginebra had a slow start, having a 1–3 record before bringing back Brownlee who was fresh off a championship in ABL. They lost their first 2 games with Brownlee that brought their record down to 1–5 which put them on the brink of elimination. However they went on a furious 8 game winning streak that went all the way to the semifinals against Rain or Shine which they beat in 4 games to reach the Commissioner's Cup Finals for the first time since 2013.
They faced the defending champions, San Miguel Beermen. They split the series' first 4 games with blowout wins. Then on Game 5 with the series tied 2–2, Scottie Thompson scored clutch baskets to lift Ginebra to victory and put Ginebra one win away from the championship. On Game 6 at The Mall Of Asia Arena, it was a close game in the first half with the Beermen leading by 3. On the 3rd quarter, Ginebra blew the game wide open and never looked back as they went on to win the 2018 PBA Commissioner's Cup for the first time since 1997. Scottie Thompson was named the Finals MVP. Justin Brownlee also won the Best Import Award before the start of Game 4.
The team's 2018 Governors' Cup campaign drew expectations for them to win the tournament as they topped the elimination round with a record of 9–2.[13] However, their hopes of winning a three-peat in the tournament ended by losing in the semi-finals to their sister team, Magnolia Hotshots, who were eventually crowned champions by defeating the Alaska Aces in the said tournament.
2019 Season: 12th Championship
Fresh from their semifinals defeat in the Governors' Cup, Ginebra won their first game of the 2018–19 PBA Philippine Cup, 90–79 against the TNT Katropa. Japeth Aguilar led the team with 21 points.[14] Ginebra finished 3rd in the standings with a record of 7–4. But they got eliminated early in the quarterfinals against Magnolia Hotshots.
Midway through the Commissioner's Cup, Ginebra was involved in the biggest trade of the season. They traded Sol Mercado, Kevin Ferrer and Jervy Cruz to Northport for star player Stanley Pringle. Ginebra also signed unrestricted free agent Jared Dillinger. They finished 4th in the standings with a record of 7–4. In the quarterfinals they got their revenge on their sister team Magnolia Hotshots by sweeping them in 2 games. However they lost to TNT Katropa in 4 games in the semifinals, failing to defend their championship.
In the Governor's Cup conference, Ginebra finished 4th in the standings with a record of 7–4 just like the previous 2 conference. In the quarterfinals they had a twice to beat advantage where they faced grandslam seeking San Miguel Beermen who won both the Philippine Cup and Commissioners Cup, in a close game they defeated the Beermen and again crushed their grandslam hopes for the second time in 3 seasons. In the semifinals they were heavily favored to win against #8 seed Northport and they finished them off in 4 games, winning the series 3–1. Ginebra makes the 2019 PBA Governors' Cup finals for the 3rd time in 4 years.
In the finals they met Meralco Bolts again for the 3rd time. The series was highly expected to be a long series as Meralco is now a stronger team. They split games 1 and 2, and in game 3 Meralco bigman Raymond Almazan got injured and never returned to the game, Ginebra took advantage and won the game. Meralco was never the same after losing Almazan and Ginebra quickly capitalized on the situation and won games 4 and 5 to win the series and their 3rd Governor's Cup championship in 4 years. Japeth Aguilar was named Finals MVP.
2020 season: PBA bubble champions
The 2020 PBA Philippine Cup opened its season in March 8 but after 3 days, the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The season resumed inside a bubble on October 11 in Clark Pampanga. Ginebra opened their tourney with 4 straight victories before losing 2 straight games and finished the eliminations as the number 1 seed with a record of 8–3 to gain a twice to beat advantage in the quarter finals.
In the quarter finals they beat Rain or Shine to enter the semifinals against Meralco Bolts, who eliminated the reigning champions San Miguel Beermen. They beat the Bolts in 5 games, capped off with a buzzer beating 3 points by Scottie Thompson to enter the finals for the second straight conference against TNT Tropang Giga.
In the finals, they won Game 1 in overtime in a tightly close game. They followed it up by beating TNT again in Game 2 to go up 2–0. Coming back from a 15 points deficit in the 3rd quarter, TNT was without their star player Ray Parks Jr. who injured his calf in Game 1. TNT bounced back in Game 3 as they blew out the Kings. In Game 4 Ginebra took control of the game from start up to the last few minutes of the game where TNT came back after being down by 18 in the 4th but guard LA Tenorio was able to hold TNT with his timely 3 pointers to go up 3–1.
In Game 5, TNT was without their leader Jayson Castro who got injured in Game 4. It was a tightly close game all throughout in which Ginebra finally took the victory led by Japeth Aguilar who scored 32 points. Barangay Ginebra won their first Philippine Cup Championship after 13 years and also their first back to back conference championship in 15 years. LA Tenorio was named Finals MVP and Coach Tim Cone became Ginebra's winningest coach with 5 championships, surpassing the legendary Robert Jaworski.
2021 season: Second PBA Governors' Cup Title Repeat
Ginebra struggled in the
Another title repeat was in the line for Ginebra as they were the champions in the 2019 PBA Governors' Cup. Justin Brownlee returned as their import for the 2021 PBA Governors' Cup. They got a hot start in the elimination round, but they struggled due to the injuries of key players Aljon Mariano and Stanley Pringle. Their key acquisition for this conference was John Pinto, who declined his contract extension offered by the Meralco Bolts and signed with Ginebra as an unrestricted free agent.
Ginebra regained its composure in the final games of the elimination round. They finished as the 6th seed in the quarterfinals after defeating the
Controversies
- Jaworski and Fernandez, two former Toyota teammates, engaged in a feud in 1984. 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 1989 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 reconciliation between the two legends.
- On May 15, 1990, Shell Rimula X defeated Añejo Rum 65, 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 second quarter in favor of the Oilers, 62–47. Back-to-back technical fouls were slapped by referee Rudy Hines on Rey Cuenco led to the walkout. Jaworski and team manager Ber Navarro refused to return 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 Toyota.
- Jaworski resigned as player-coach of the team after the 1998 season due to misunderstandings with the management of San Miguel Corporation. It is claimed that the former Philippines senator was frustrated over the team's acquisition of Allan Caidic 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 2 of the All-Filipino Cup semifinals series against Formula Shell. A total of PhP 235,000 was slapped on 16 players and one official from both teams. Shell's Jay Mendoza was fined PhP 40,000, while Ginebra players Noli Locsin, Elmer Lago and Boy Valera were fined PhP 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 Taulava. 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 Ealaannounced the forfeiture of Talk 'N Text's Game One win.
Legacy
- 2016 Governors' Cup Finals. A video was posted by Gonzales in her Facebook account and garnered more than 800,000 views, 19,000 likes and 33,000 shares.[16]She also performed the song during halftime of Game 5 of the championship series.
Current roster
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- a Also serves as Barangay Ginebra's board governor.
Season-by-season records
- Records from the 2023–24 PBA season:
Conf. |
Team name | Elimination round | Playoffs | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Finish | W | L | PCT | Stage | Results | ||
COM | Barangay Ginebra San Miguel | 3rd/12 | 8 | 3 | .727 | Quarterfinals Semifinals |
Barangay Ginebra** 106, NorthPort 93 San Miguel 3, Barangay Ginebra 0 |
PHI | TBD | TBD | TBD | – | TBD | TBD | |
Total elimination round | 8 | 3 | .727 | 1 playoff appearance | |||
Total playoffs | 1 | 3 | .250 | 1 semifinals appearance | |||
Total 2023–24 | 9 | 6 | .600 | 0 championship | |||
Total franchise | 1,108 | 1,052 | .513 | 15 Championships |
*one-game playoffs
**team had the twice-to-beat advantage
Awards
Individual awards
PBA Most Valuable Player | PBA Finals MVP | PBA Best Player of the Conference |
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PBA Rookie of the Year Award | PBA All Defensive Team | PBA Mythical First Team |
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PBA Mythical Second Team | PBA Most Improved Player | PBA Sportsmanship Award |
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PBA Best Import | ||
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PBA Press Corps Individual Awards
Executive of the Year | Baby Dalupan Coach of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year |
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Bogs Adornado Comeback Player of the Year | Mr. Quality Minutes | All-Rookie Team |
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All-Star Weekend
All Star MVP | Obstacle Challenge | Three-point Shootout | Slam Dunk Contest |
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Notable players
Members of the PBA's 25 greatest players
- Johnny Abarrientos, known as the "Flying A" throughout his career. Acquired by the team in 2006 when he became free agent, and also served as an assistant coach for the team.
- Francis Arnaiz, 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 Caidic, known as "The Trigger Man," he played his last season with Ginebra in 1999, before becoming team manager of the team and formerly an assistant coach, and brought the team into a finals appearance as head coach in 2001.
- Philip Cezar, "The Scholar" played his last season with the team during his celebrated 16-year PBA career and served as an assistant for the team.
- Freddie Hubalde, played for Ginebra during the final year of his career.
- Robert Jaworski, known as "The Big J" and "Jawo."
- Vergel Meneses, also known as the "Aerial Voyager," played for Ginebra from 1999 to 2002.
Other notable players
Imports
1979:
- Larry McNeill
- Dean Tolson
1980:
1981:
- Larry McNeill
- Dean Tolson
1982:
1983:
1984:
- Tony Washam
1985:
- Harold Driver
- John Campbell
- Michael Hackett
1986:
- Terry Duerod
- Anthony Hunter
- Clinton Wheeler
- Keith Gray
- Michael Hackett
- Billy Ray Bates
1987:
1988:
- Jamie Waller
- Billy Ray Bates
- Kevin Gamble
- Tommy Davis
- Joe Ward
1989:
1990:
- Glenn Dedmon
- Sylvester Gray
- Carlos Briggs
- Toney Mack
- Darryl Joe
1991:
- Ronald Davis
- William Alexander
- Jervis Cole
- Wes Matthews
1992:
- Jervis Cole
- Jamie Waller
- Danny Jones
1993:
- Tony Massop
- Brian Shorter
- Benjamin Mohammad
- Terry Thames
1994:
- Darrin Mayo
- Mitchell Wiggins
- Marlin Kimbrew
- Steve Hood
1995:
- Isaiah Morris
- Darryl Prue
- Alexander Coles
- Andre Hardy
- Antonio Madison
1996:
- Fred Cofield
- Reggie Fox
- Henry James
- Derek Rucker
1997:
- Andy Bostick
- Dennis Edwards
- Tyrone Hopkins
- Chris King
- Purnell Perry
- Leon Trimmingham
1998:
- Chris King
- Mike Cumberland
- Dennis Edwards
- John Strickland
- Frank Western
- DeWayne Wesley
- Wayman Strickland
- Joe Wylie
- Kenny Payne
- Rick Brunson
1999:
- Mario Donaldson
2000:
- Ryan Fletcher
2001:
- Jarrod Gee
- Brian Green
- Roy Hammonds
- Mark Jones
2002:
- Ben Davis
- Ricky Price
2003:
- Rossel Ellis
- George Reese
2004:
2005–06:
- Eddie Elisma
- Sean Lampley
- Chris Porter
2006–07:
- Rod Nealy
2007–08:
- Rahshon Turner
- Ernest Brown
- Chris Alexander
2008–09:
2009–12:
- Awvee Storey
- Mildon Ambres
- Denham Brown
- Chris Daniels
- Nate Brumfield
- Curtis Stinson
- Donald Sloan
- Jackson Vroman
- Cedric Bozeman
2012–13:
2013–14
- Leon Rodgers
- Josh Powell
- Gabriel Freeman
- Zaccheus Mason
2014–15
- Michael Dunigan
- Orlando Johnson
- Sanchir Tungalag
- Kim Jiwan
2016
2017
- Justin Brownlee
2018
- Charles García
- Justin Brownlee
2019
- Justin Brownlee
2021–22
- Justin Brownlee
2022–23
- Justin Brownlee
2023–24
Retired numbers
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel retired numbers | |||
N° | Player | Position | Tenure |
---|---|---|---|
7 | Robert Jaworski | G |
1984–1998[a] |
8 | Allan Caidic | G |
1998–1999[b] |
- 2012 PBA Governors Cup[17]
- b – retired during the 2000 PBA season after announcing Caidic's retirement. Jersey number retired together with the San Miguel Beermen[18]
Coaches
- Pilo Pumaren (1979–1980)
- Nemie Villegas (1980–1981)
- Turo Valenzona (1981–1984)
- Robert Jaworski (1984–1998)
- Rino Salazar (interim, 1998–2000)
- Allan Caidic (2000–2004)
- Siot Tanquingcen (2004–2006; 2011–2012)
- Jong Uichico (2006–2012)
- Alfrancis Chua (2013)
- Ato Agustin (2013–2014; 2015)
- Jeffrey Cariaso (2014–2015)
- Frankie Lim (2015)
- Tim Cone (2015–present)
Team managers
- Adolf Ferrer
- Art Trinidad
- Bernabe Navarro
- Allan Caidic
- Jun Cabalan
- Samboy Lim
- Alfrancis Chua
References
- ^ "The Manila Times Internet Edition | SPORTS > Kings, Giants are most popular PBA teams". www.manilatimes.net. Archived from the original on August 26, 2008.
- ^ Jaworski Files: The Birth of ‘Never Say Die’, Jay P. Mercado, InterAKTV, July 2, 2012
- ^ "PBA News: Tony Harris: 'I never got any favors from (PBA) referees'".
- ^ "Trades continue: Villanueva, Alvarez to Kings; Artadi, Reavis to Giants". GMA News Online. August 3, 2009.
- ^ "FIRST LOOK | Ginebra debuts new logo with old school feel | InterAKTV". www.interaksyon.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2012.
- ^ "Alfrancis Chua to take over as Ginebra coach, Siot Tanquingcen to be lead assistant | InterAKTV". www.interaksyon.com. Archived from the original on January 3, 2013.
- The Philippine STAR.
- The Philippine STAR.
- ^ "LG Sakers vs Barangay Ginebra: A night of festivities and competition – SLAMonline Philippines". September 10, 2014.
- ^ "IT'S DONE: SMC big boss Ramon Ang confirms Tim Cone move from Star to Ginebra". Spin.ph. July 20, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
- ^ "PBA puts stamp of approval on Devance, Baracael, Caperal, Pena, Pascuals trades". spin.ph. September 28, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
- ^ "Ginebra launches 2018 limited edition jerseys". Interaksyon. News 5. March 22, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
- ^ Lintag, Paul (October 31, 2018). "PBA: Cone says no. 1 seed is just "pogi points" but is he right?". ABS-CBN Sports. ABS-CBN News. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
- ^ "Ginebra slams door on TNT to take first win of 2019". ABS-CBN Sports. January 23, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- ^ Gary Granada, Bayang Barrios reprise classic Ginebra anthem to celebrate end to dry spell, spin.ph, October 20, 2016
- ^ Ginebra's Game Two win inspires fan to come up with updated version of Gary Granada song, Ruben Terrado, spin.ph, October 11, 2016.
- ^ Joble, Rey (July 8, 2012). "Jaworski showered with love, adoration by PBA family". InterAKTV. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
- ^ San Miguel, Gins to retire Caidic's jersey, Nelson Beltran, The Philippine Star, February 13, 2000
External links
- MYPBA.com thread: History of Ginebra
- MYPBA.com thread: Ginebra Superstars Past and Present
- Barangay Ginebra Latest Scores and Results
Awards and achievements | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by | PBA Reinforced Conference Champions 1986 |
Succeeded by |
Preceded by | PBA All-Filipino Cup Champions 1988 |
Succeeded by |
Preceded by | PBA Open Conference Champions 1991 |
Succeeded by |
Preceded by | PBA Commissioner's Cup Champions 1997 2018 2022–23 |
Succeeded by |
Preceded by (first)
Alaska Aces |
PBA Fiesta Conference Champions 2004 2008 |
Succeeded by Red Bull Barako San Miguel Beermen |
Preceded by Purefoods Chunkee Giants San Miguel Beermen |
2006–07
2020 |
Succeeded by |
Preceded by | PBA Governors' Cup Champions 2016 2017 2019 2021 |
Succeeded by |