A QUESTION on Twitter from Don Ampongan (@donjayR) last Sunday triggered our latest piece for Spin.ph.
Mr. Ampongan tweeted: “@thepbaologist Si PRINGLE ba ang oldest no. 1 pick. Curious lang…”
For the record, yes he is.
GlobalPort’s top pick overall in Sunday's PBA Annual Rookie Draft was 27 years, five months and 19 days old when he became the PBA’s 30th No. 1 pick ever.
(Yup, unknown to many last Sunday was the 30th edition of the draft, an event now far different from when it was just a private affair among the teams conducted inside a conference room in the Commissioner’s Office during its early years.)
Pringle dislodges Tanduay’s Sonny Alvarado as the oldest No. 1 pick ever in the draft. Later proven to be a 'Fil-sham' by the league and banished for life, Alvarado was two days shy of his 26th birthday when tabbed by the returning Rhum Makers as the top pick in 1999.
The third oldest No. 1 pick in the PBA draft was the late Rey Cuenco, who in turn was five days shy of his 26th birthday when he was selected top overall pick by Alaska in the second-ever Annual Draft in 1986.
Curiously, three of the six oldest No. 1 picks in the PBA draft were selected in the last four years and four over the last eight years.
In contrast, the youngest No. 1 pick ever in PBA draft history was Benjie Paras who was 20 years, four months and four days old when he was selected by Shell in 1989. He went on to become the only player in league history to win Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player honors in the same season.
There were only nine players who were at least 24 years old when selected No. 1 in the PBA Draft and they were:
Player Team Year Age at Draft Day
Stanley Pringle GlobalPort 2014 27 years, five months, 19 days
Sonny Alvarado Tanduay 1999 25 years, 11 months, 29 days
Rey Cuenco Alaska 1986 25 years, 11 months, 23 days
Joe Devance Welcoat 2007 25 years, six months
Greg Slaughter Brgy. Ginebra 2013 25 years, five months, 15 days
JVee Casio Powerade 2011 24 years, 11 months, 27 days
Andy Seigle Mobiline 1997 24 years, 8 months, 4 days
Kelly Williams Sta. Lucia 2006 24 years, six months, 13 days
Sonny Cabatu Shell 1985 24 years, three months, 27 days
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