PBA'S GREATEST PLAYERS LIST | WHY MVPS SHOULDN'T GET AUTOMATIC SPOTS

The next ten names for the PBA Greatest Players list have been announced, and I got 9 out of 10 right! In hindsight, I should have included Scottie Thompson, but I went with Olsen Racela to ensure San Miguel’s late ’90s to early 2000s Big Three made the cut. Still, I’m happy with the selections—especially with Arnie Tuadles, Abe King, Manny Victorino, and Yoyoy Villamin finally getting their due.

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I always expected Nelson Asaytono, Bong Hawkins, and Danny Seigle to be part of the Next 10. I never saw the pioneers in their prime, but I did witness Tuadles, King, Victorino, and Villamin, along with legends like Ramon Fernandez, Abet Guidaben, Robert Jaworski, and Philip Cezar, still playing at a high level. I also caught glimpses of Bernie Fabiosa and Freddie Hubalde, though by then, they were barely getting minutes.

I’ll always remember how, back in the ‘80s, the only way Ramon Fernandez or Abet Guidaben could be traded straight up for another big man was if Manny Victorino—and later, Yoyoy Villamin—was part of the deal. Victorino’s stats during Great Taste’s four-peat and Villamin’s impact during Alaska’s rise were nearly as synonymous with the era as the near-MVP runs of The Bull, The Hawk, and Dynamite Danny.

That’s how good they were.

That said, two aspects of the reveal didn’t sit well with me—and it even raised questions among the sportswriters present. While I agree that the list is fair, I have to ask: What exactly is the PBA Hall of Fame, and why are MVPs automatically given a spot?

Since its inception, the Hall of Fame has inducted 39 members, but only 21 are players. Worse, three of them, Bobby Parks, Norman Black, and Billy Ray Bates, are imports, and the last induction ceremony happened back in 2013. Of the 18 local players inducted, 11 were MVPs. Ato Agustin, the 1992 MVP, has been left out, likely overshadowed by Alvin Patrimonio’s back-to-back MVPs in 1991 and 1993.

Historically, the Hall of Fame inducts an average of five players per cycle, but since these ceremonies are so inconsistent, the Greatest Players list has become the real measure of PBA greatness. If we’re tying greatness strictly to MVPs, then by that logic, Derrick Rose should be part of the NBA’s 75 Greatest list. Let’s not forget that June Mar Fajardo should have already been included in the 40 Greatest Players list, as he had won his first MVP before the selection. During the announcement, they justified his inclusion by pointing to his eight MVP titles, with Thompson taking the other one. But what happens when we get to the 60 Greatest Players list and multiple players win MVPs along the way? Are we in for another controversy-filled snub list?

Thompson belongs on this list—not just because he’s a one-time MVP, but because he’s also a two-time Best Player of the Conference, two-time Finals MVP, three-time Mythical Team selection, and seven-time PBA champion. He’s now in his ninth PBA season and has a resume that stacks up well against past MVPs. For comparison, Vergel Meneses was named to the 25 Greatest Players list at age 30 with one MVP, three BPCs, three Mythical Team selections, and three championships. Kenneth Duremdes, the youngest to be included at 25, had an MVP, a BPC, two Finals MVPs, two Mythical Team selections, and five championships at the time. Duremdes would add a BPC, two more Mythical Team selections, and another championship after 1999, while Meneses’ biggest post-1995 accolades were two All-Star MVPs.

Players with a similar trajectory to Meneses—earning major individual and team accolades early but not adding to their collection later—include Derrick Rose, Bill Walton (though he did win a title with Boston as a Sixth Man), and Wes Unseld.

And while Meneses holds the record for most All-Star MVPs with four (compared to Duremdes’ one and Thompson’s none), the All-Star Game isn’t a factor in regular-season performance. I’m a fan of The Aerial Voyager, but it’s a fact that his run of major individual awards ended after 1995.

Yes, he deserves to be on the list, but I don’t agree with making MVPs an automatic ticket.

This also affects the inclusion of players like Danny Florencio (who never made a Mythical Team) and one-time Mythical Teamers like Manny Paner, Bernie Fabiosa, and Lim Eng Beng. And if MVPs are automatic, what about other pioneers like Yoyong Martirez, Estoy Estrada, Jun Papa, and Rene Canent? Estrada and Papa are the only 1970s Mythical Teamers left out. From the ’80s, names like Willie Pearson, Willie Generalao, Terry Saldana, Padim Israel, JB Yango, Dondon Ampalayo, Ricky Relosa, Joy Carpio, Alvin Teng, Elmer Reyes, and Bong Alvarez are still waiting for consideration. Among them, Generalao, Saldana, Teng, and Alvarez have the strongest cases.

If I apply my "100 Best Careers" formula, the next ten names the PBA should consider include Olsen Racela, LA Tenorio, Calvin Abueva, Alex Cabagnot, Ranidel De Ocampo, Japeth Aguilar, Jay Washington, Dennis Espino, Ali Peek, Paul Lee, Sonny Thoss, Chris Ross, Rudy Hatfield, Stanley Pringle, Gary David, and Jun Limpot. These players have BPCs, Finals MVPs, multiple championships, and Mythical Team selections. But if we keep prioritizing MVPs, a lot of worthy names from the ’70s, ’80s, and beyond will keep getting overlooked.

Honestly, the controversy surrounding the 2015 list happened because the voters strictly followed the MVP rule. Their justification? Those players would make the list anyway, whether in this batch or the next. If that’s the logic, then MVPs should only be automatic selections if they’ve played at least ten PBA seasons.

As for the Hall of Fame, they can't use the induction as a crutch for the other pioneers because the players included in the Hall of Fame are also part of the Greatest Players list. Maybe they can have 20 or, hell, even 50 players getting in the Hall of Fame in the league's 50th year to compensate for the years it failed to induct? That way, short-lived PBA stars like Estrada, Papa, Martirez, Freddie Webb, Jimmy Mariano, Rudy Kutch, Ompong Segura, Larry Mumar, and others can be recognized.

And maybe it would be better if, moving forward, they induct at least five players during the All-Star Weekend.

This is just my take. I’m just a lowly blogger who thinks he knows a lot about PBA history. I’ve scoured the net for stats, and right now, I just want the league to build a stronger fanbase for at least ten competitive teams—like how the playing field was even in the ‘90s. That’s why I prefer the selections in the Top 50 over those in the Top 40 or even the Top 25. The presence of basketball minds like Allan Caidic, Atoy Co, Ramon Fernandez, Dante Silverio, Quinito Henson, Andy Jao, Al Mendoza, Nelson Beltran, Ding Marcelo, and Sonny Barrios made the list more thorough. But yeah, I still don’t agree with the whole “MVP status means automatic inclusion,” especially when a player is still in his prime.