RANKED | PBA 50 GREATEST PLAYERS: PREVIEW

So I did a thing—went full hoops nerd and power-ranked the PBA’s 50 Greatest Players.

I know this is a controversial exercise, and people will definitely have opinions. But after working through the numbers and weighing the accolades, I can honestly say I’m happy with the final list I came up with.

To break it down: I used a point system based on major awards. MVPs, BPCs (Best Player of the Conference), and Mythical First Team selections are each worth 30 points. Some might argue that the MVP should be ranked higher, but I looked at it this way—if you're MVP that season, chances are you also won a BPC and earned a Mythical First Team slot. So that MVP year already nets you at least 110 points, if not more, depending on extra BPCs.

I didn’t factor in the Mythical Second Team—only the Mythical Team, to give MVPs and First Teamers an extra 20-point bump. I also gave Finals MVPs 30 points because being the best player in a championship series hits different. It’s where great players become legends.

Championships? 5 points each, and I awarded an additional 10 points for players who completed a Grand Slam. On this list, 18 of the 50 players are Grand Slam champions—7 from Crispa, 5 from San Miguel, 4 from Alaska, and a couple of San Mig Coffee greats.

Stats also mattered. I looked at career averages for PPG, RPG, APG, SPG, and BPG—updated through the end of the 2023–24 PBA season.

Now, I get that the Pioneers and 1980s stars didn’t have access to today’s full slate of awards—no BPC, Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, or even Mythical Second Team back then. So I gave 100 points to Hall of Fame inductees to help even out the era gap a bit.

On the flip side, active players lost 100 points across the board. That includes current PBA guys and players like Arwind Santos, who’s probably joining Starhorse if and when they make the PBA jump. I get the argument for including active legends like June Mar Fajardo and Scottie Thompson, and yes, they’re worthy. But careers in progress still have room to grow—or decline. That volatility needs to be reflected somehow.

Expect the five-part ranked list starting April 16, with a detailed breakdown dropping this weekend.

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