THE PBA will name its 50 Greatest Players to highlight its celebration of its 50th-year anniversary as the first professional league in Asia on April 9.
But unlike when it first selected its 25 Greatest Players on its 25th anniversary back in 2000, the pro league will only add 10 names to the 40 Greatest which a selection committee picked in quite controversial fashion back in 2015.
"Hindi ko na papalitan ang mga unang napili na mapasama sa ating Greatest list, out of respect sa mga commissioners na nauna sa akin," said PBA commissioner Willie Marcial. "So ang gagawin natin, pipili na lang tayo ng sampu na idadagdag."
Marcial has already tasked deputy commissioner Eric Castro to form a selection committee and he expects work to begin in earnest as the league prepares to party on April 9 beginning with a gathering of all PBA players, both active and retired.
The selection process is not set yet, but Marcial said that this early his marching order is to get the selection committee to comb through the early years of the league from 1975 to 1990 to make sure no deserving player is omitted.
"Ang sabi ko nga, suyurin muna natin yung mga deserving from 1975 pataas," said Marcial. "Tutal, 'yung mga iba, bata pa naman. Their time will come."
June Mar the only shoo-in
Marcial admitted eight-time MVP June Mar Fajardo of San Miguel is the only shoo-in to the new additions to the Greatest list. Ginebra star Scottie Thompson is the only other player to be named MVP since the last Greatest selection.
The commissioner' however, said it is not yet cast in stone that MVP awardees will be automatically seeded into the 10 additions.
"Pag-uusapan pa 'yan," Marcial said.
The last time the PBA added 15 players to its Greatest list in 2015, it caused quite a controversy as relatively younger players were picked in favor of obvious omissions from the 25 Greatest list, like Abe King, Nelson Asaytono, and the late Arnie Tuadles.
To give you the proper perspective, here are the 25 Greatest Players:
Robert Jaworski, Ramon Fernandez, Alvin Patrimonio, Bogs Adornado, Abet Guidaben, Benjie Paras, Atoy Co, Freddie Hubalde, Philip Cezar, Ricky Brown, Johnny Abarrientos, Ato Agustin, Francis Arnaiz, Allan Caidic, Hector Calma, Jerry Codinera, Kenneth Duremdes, Bernie Fabiosa, Danny Florencio, Jojo Lastimosa, Lim Eng Beng, Samboy Lim, Ronnie Magsanoc, Vergel Meneses, Manny Paner.
And here are the 15 additions to complete the 40 Greatest:
Danny Ildefonso, James Yap, Willie Miller, Asi Taulava, Eric Menk, Kelly Williams, Jayjay Helterbrand, Jimmy Alapag, Mark Caguioa, Arwind Santos (all former MVPs) Jayson Castro, Marc Pingris, Kerby Raymundo, Chito Loyzaga, Marlou Aquino.
Among the players who deserve another look for a place on the Greatest list, the most obvious is Asaytono, whose 12,668 career points put him at fifth on the all-time scoring list behind only Mon Fernandez, Abet Guidaben, Atoy Co and Alvin Patrimonio.
READ Nelson 'The Bull' Asaytono refuses to dwell on 40 Greatest Players snub
Also deserving of reconsideration are King, who won 13 championships with Toyota, Great Taste, and Purefoods; former San Miguel star Danny Seigle; former Alaska Big Three member Bong Hawkins, former Sta. Lucia star Dennis Espino, and Tuadles, who is considered among the best scorers in the league.
As early as 2015, Robert Jaworski, who was part of the selection committee for the 40 Greatest, suggested that the process of picking future lists be institutionalized to avoid the controversy that erupted that year.
To this day, there is no clear-cut process to follow. Meaning that we expect quite a debate in the run-up to the 50 Greatest Players announcement.
So who is on your 50 Greatest Players list?
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