THE PBA’s crowd darlings in Barangay Ginebra had another memorable year which saw the Gin Kings winning the Commissioner’s Cup crown in 2018. There were other notable events that made 2018 a memorable year for the barangay.
Mark Caguioa scores 10,000 career points
Caguioa added another achievement to an already decorated career as the 17-year veteran scored his 10,000th career point in an October game against NLEX. He became the 16th player in league history to reach that number of points in a career that already has a 2012 Most Valuable Player award in the resume.
Gin Kings acquire Jeff Chan
The Kings added another firepower in their arsenal when they acquired sharpshooter Jeff Chan from Phoenix in a trade last June. Chan proved to be one of the vital cogs of the Kings in their championship run in the Commissioner’s Cup.
Justin Brownlee is Best Import for the first time
Fresh from a stint with Alab Pilipinas in the Asean Basketball League, Brownlee, Ginebra’s resident import, return to the Kings but this time in the Commissioner’s Cup as a replacement to the struggling Charles Garcia. Despite going up against taller imports, Brownlee still shined and went on to win the Best Import plum, his first ever in the PBA.
Slaughter, Thompson, Tenorio play for Gilas in 2018
With a new coach in the national team in 2018, Yeng Guiao had a deep pool after the PBA gave him the free hand in selecting players from all 12 PBA teams for Team Pilipinas. Guiao went for four Ginebra players in long time Gilas player Japeth Aguilar, Greg Slaughter, Scottie Thompson, and LA Tenorio, who made his return to the national squad after last seeing action in 2014 during the Fiba World Cup and the Asian Games.
Ginebra rules Commissioner’s Cup
The Barangay celebrated another crown in 2018 when the Gin Kings claimed the Commissioner’s Cup diadem, beating San Miguel in Game Six, 93-77, behind a full house at the Mall of Asia Arena late July. That title ended a long wait as the Kings have never won a Commissioner’s Cup crown since 1997. Scottie Thompson was later adjudged as the Finals Most Valuable Player.
GRADE: A
2018 was definitely one of the best years for the Kings, but it would have been even better if they were able to claim a third straight Governors’ Cup crown.
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