THE PBA had a busy year in 2023 both on and off the court.
The league played official games for just six months as it gave way to Gilas Pilipinas’ preparation and participation for the Fiba Basketball World Cup, and even in the Asian Games.
A lot though still happened in the PBA front, and we take a look at 10 notable events in the league this year (in no particular order).
Ginebra beats Bay Area Dragons in Commissioner’s Cup finals
PBA teams got a new test during the Commissioner’s Cup when the Bay Area Dragons came in as a guest team through the league’s tieup with the East Asia Super League. They were a worthy opponent as they topped the elimination round and reached the finals. But the Dragons hit a huge stumbling block in Barangay Ginebra in the best-of-seven championship series. The series reached the full route with the Dragons losing on January 15.
Justin Brownlee had 34 points and 12 assists to lift Ginebra to a 114-99 win in front of 54,589 spectators at the Philippine Arena. Christian Standhardinger was later named as the finals MVP of the series.
June Mar Fajardo wins seventh MVP
After sustaining a tibia fracture in 2020, June Mar Fajardo thought he would never get back to his old form. He was wrong. The San Miguel big man reclaimed the PBA MVP for the 2022-23 season, capturing the individual award for the seventh time.
RHJ leads TNT to Governors’ Cup title
The Tropang Giga ended a title drought in 2023 when they captured the Governors’ Cup crown, and a big reason for their achievement was former NBA player Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. He led TNT to first place in the elimination round, and faced Barangay Ginebra in the finals. On April 21, Hollis-Jefferson led TNT to the crown with a 97-93 win over Ginebra in Game Six, dealing Justin Brownlee his first defeat in the finals.
Mikey Williams wins finals MVP but hit with controversy
Aside from Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Mikey Williams also had a big contribution to TNT’s title run in the 2023 Governors’ Cup. Williams earned the finals MVP after scoring 38 points in Game Six, and ended up averaging 22 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists during the series.
However, Williams would be embroiled in a controversy after a contract dispute with the team, which later on issued a notice of termination to the player. Williams has yet to see action in the 2023-24 Commissioner’s Cup.
Danny Ildefonso briefly comes out of retirement
In a surprising move last March, Converge activated its assistant coach and two-time MVP Danny Ildefonso in the lineup, eight years after retiring as a member of Meralco. The 46-year-old San Miguel legend unretired and played for four minutes against his old team Bolts and had a rebound and a turnover, and missed his only shot in the game.
San Miguel coaching change
The year began with San Miguel changing its coach for the 2023 Governors’ Cup. Jorge Gallent replaced Leo Austria who guidedthe Beermen to nine championships. Austria stayed with San Miguel as a team consultant but only returned at the bench at the start of the 2023-24 Commissioner’s Cup.
LA Tenorio recovers from cancer
In March, LA Tenorio, the league’s Ironman, revealed that he was diagnosed with Stage Three colon cancer. Due to his condition, Tenorio had to sit out the remainder of the 2022-23 season which also ended his consecutive games streak of 744.
But after a series of treatments, Tenorio became cancer-free and returned to the court on December 3 in a game against Terrafirma.
Magnolia 'wins' PBA on Tour
Due to the long offseason, the league decided to hold a ‘PBA on Tour,’ a series of exhibition games that allowed teams to prepare for the season. At the end of the series, Magnolia became the de-facto champion after sweeping all 11 games. The Hotshots continued their fine play in the ongoing Commissioner’s Cup where they ended up at 7-1 before the turn of the year.
Robert Bolick returns
The past years saw an exodus of Filipino talent overseas. But in 2023, Robert Bolick became the first to return to local shores following his stint abroad.
Bolick signed with the Fukushima Firebonds in the second division of the Japan B.League but that stint proved to be short-lived. He returned via NLEX when NorthPort traded him to the Road Warriors last December, perhaps the biggest move of the year in the league. Bolick played two games in his comeback in the PBA in 2023.
PBA-backed Gilas wins Asian Games
Gilas Pilipinas made history in 2023 when it captured the gold medal in the Asian Games, the first men’s basketball title in the quadrennial meet since 1962. The team won the crown despite being hastily-formed with all but one player being in the PBA.
Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone was named as Gilas mentor while San Miguel sports director Alfrancis Chua and PBA commissioner Willie Marcial were appointed as team manager and assistant team manager, respectively.
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