WHICH PBA ERA WAS THE MOST BALANCED?

As a '90s kid, it bugs me when people say the PBA has "sucked" for most of its existence. I was just seven when San Miguel pulled off their grand slam in 1989, but I was already a Purefoods fan—and a Ginebra hater. Blame it on their flying elbows and roughhouse style of play. Still, my love for the PBA ran deep.

Sure, I rooted for Purefoods and had a soft spot for San Miguel. Then I switched to Sunkist and later to Alaska. I know—it was wild back then to cheer for both. But by the time Alaska completed their grand slam in 1996 and almost pulled off another in 1998, I was all in.

Ironically, it was the PBL’s Stag Pale Pilsen, led by Alfrancis Chua, Marlou Aquino, and Bal David, that warmed me up to Ginebra. I even appreciated Wilmer Ong's rugged defense.

And when Mark Caguioa arrived?

Game over.

Watching him rise from a rookie to the guy that forced Allan Caidic to bench Vergel Meneses in crunch time, and then forcing him to ask for a trade, made me a fan. That 2003-04 Ginebra squad—with Jayjay Helterbrand, Eric Menk, Rommel Adducul, Sunday Salvacion, and Rodney Santos—sealed it.

Since then, I stopped rooting for just one team. I cheer for the PBA as long as the games are good (or except when Mark Caguioa is playing.) I love it when underdogs upset stacked squads, or when fresh rivalries heat up. And with the way stats shape narratives today, I feel like I’ve got a better sense of which eras were the best—and which ones weren’t.

Determining the most balanced era in PBA history requires analyzing how many teams had a legitimate shot at winning championships, rather than just counting how many different champions emerged. Looking at the numbers, we can see which eras had a few dominant teams and which had a more even playing field.

BREAKDOWN

RK - RANK

C'SHIPS - CHAMPIONSHIPS

RUN-UPS - RUNNER-UPS / FINALISTS

TOT WINS - Total wins during that era

SEAS - Total seasons during that era

AVG WINS - Average wins per season during that era

1975 TO 1979

I hate how my uncles say that old-school, pioneer PBA was balanced because no, IT WAS NOT. Yes, the games were exciting and it was a neat escape from all the political turmoil that was the Martial Law, but there were a lot of things you can do then that would destroy the league if we do it now.

From 1975 to 1979, the league was essentially a two-team race between Crispa and Toyota. These legendary teams won a combined 13 out of 15 championships, leaving little room for competition. The Redmanizers had four MVPs with Bogs Adornado winning the title twice, and the remaining spot was won by Robert Jaworski.

Great Taste and Tanduay, two teams that dominated the league in the mid-80s, averaged less than 20 wins during their initial run. U/Tex and San Miguel managed to snatch one title each, but the rest of the league struggled to keep up. Mariwasa played in the league's first five seasons and I bet your balls, especially if you're a casual 30-something, to name a player from that team without using Google Search. The average wins per season tell a similar story, with Crispa (42.2) and Toyota (42.6) far ahead of the next-best team. And Ginebra, the second oldest team in the current PBA landscape, only made its debut in 1979. While this era set the foundation for the league, it was far from balanced.

RK	1975 TO 1979	C'SHIPS	RUN-UPS	TOT WINS	SEAS	AVG WINS
1	CRISPA	7	4	211	5	42.2
2	TOYOTA	6	6	213	5	42.6
3	U/TEX	1	1	130	5	26.0
4	SAN MIGUEL	1		92	5	18.4
5	TANDUAY		1	94	5	18.8
6	MARIWASA		1	79	5	15.8
7	FILMANBANK		1	32	2	16.0
8	EMTEX (BRA)		1	7	1	7.0
9	GREAT TASTE			50	5	10.0
10	CONCEPCION			26	2	13.0
11	SEVEN-UP			25	3	8.3
12	GINEBRA			13	1	13.0
13	RAMROD (AUS)			2	1	2.0

1980 TO 1989

The 1980s saw more teams entering the championship picture, but there were still clear powerhouses. San Miguel, Crispa, Great Taste, Tanduay, and Toyota accounted for most of the titles, with Ginebra and U/Tex also making their mark. Northern Consolidated Cement, the Gilas Pilipinas of this generation, and Nicholas Stoodley, this era's version of the Bay Area Dragons / Hong Kong Eastern, also claimed PBA gold. Great Taste’s rise and San Miguel’s consistency made for more exciting competition, and while the gap between the top and middle-tier teams was still noticeable, it was an improvement from the previous decade.

That said, league participation was at an all-time low during the '80s, no thanks to the political turmoil in the Philippines. The country was so chaotic that the Philippines had to give up its FIBA World Cup stint because they were funded by Danding Cojuangco. Of the nine teams that won in this era, only San Miguel, Ginebra, and Great Taste made the '90s. One could say that Tanduay also survived the decade because their franchise served as the precursor of Purefoods, but the same can be said with Crispa, whose franchise rights were obtained by Shell in 1985, which was then ceded to Rain or Shine in the 2006-07 PBA season.

San Miguel, the oldest team in the league, even had a two-conference hiatus because of the events that transpired during the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution.

RK	1980 TO 1989	C'SHIPS	RUN-UPS	TOT WINS	SEAS	AVG WINS
1	SAN MIGUEL	7	2	275	10	27.5
2	CRISPA	6	3	192	5	38.4
3	GREAT TASTE	5	4	286	10	28.6
4	TOYOTA	3	3	125	4	31.3
5	TANDUAY	3		171	8	21.4
6	GINEBRA	2	5	281	10	28.1
7	U/TEX	1	1	80	3	26.7
8	NORTHERN CEMENT	1		63	2	31.5
9	N. STOODLEY (USA)	1		7	1	7.0
10	SHELL		3	97	5	19.4
11	MANILA BEER		3	79	3	26.3
12	PUREFOODS		3	64	2	32.0
13	ALASKA		2	109	4	27.3
14	GALERIE DOMINIQUE			38	4	9.5
15	GALLEON			32	2	16.0
16	TEFILIN			29	2	14.5
17	MSW/C-FAIR			15	2	7.5
18	ADIDAS (FRA)			7	1	7.0
19	PHILIPPINE TEAM			5	3	1.7
20	MAGNOLIA (PHL)			1	1	1.0

1990 TO 1999

The 1990s stand out as one of the most balanced eras in PBA history. Powerhouses like Alaska, Purefoods, and San Miguel each secured multiple championships, while Shell, Swift/Sunkist, and Ginebra also made their mark with title runs. This competitive spread meant that fans enjoyed an unpredictable and thrilling decade, with various teams stepping up as contenders each season.

The league consisted of just 11 teams during this era. Presto and Sta. Lucia operated under a franchise timeshare, Tanduay participated for only one season, and the Centennial Dream Team competed in a single conference to gear up for the 1998 Busan Asiad. Surprisingly, Sta. Lucia—despite averaging a respectable 21 wins across seven seasons, was the only regular team to miss out on a finals appearance, despite the frontcourt powerhouse tandem of Jun Limpot and Dennis Espino.

This was also the decade of the "almost MVPs," with players like Jerry Codinera, Bong Hawkins, and Nelson Asaytono coming close but never clinching the award. The depth of talent was so profound that stars like Bong Alvarez, Victor Pablo, and Dindo Pumaren were often considered fourth-tier in their respective positions.

RK	1990 TO 1999	C'SHIPS	RUN-UPS	TOT WINS	SEAS	AVG WINS
1	ALASKA	9	6	349	10	34.9
2	PUREFOODS	5	6	305	10	30.5
3	SAN MIGUEL	5	5	347	10	34.7
4	SHELL	4	4	250	10	25.0
5	POP COLA	4	3	284	10	28.4
6	GINEBRA	2	4	218	10	21.8
7	PEPSI/MOBILINE	1	2	158	10	15.8
8	PRESTO	1		72	3	24.0
9	TANDUAY		1	28	1	28.0
10	STA. LUCIA			152	7	21.7
11	CENTENNIAL TEAM			1	1	1.0

2000 TO 2009-10

The 2000s continued the trend of balance in the PBA, though established powerhouses like San Miguel, Alaska, and Ginebra still held their ground. However, the era saw the rise of formidable challengers. Purefoods, Red Bull, and Talk ‘N Text emerged as serious contenders, each claiming championships. Even Sta. Lucia, the '90s squad that missed out on a title, and Coca-Cola—formerly Pop Cola—secured their place in history with championship victories.

The decade featured a dynamic mix of seasoned contenders and rising teams making deep playoff runs, solidifying it as another strong candidate for the PBA’s most balanced era. While many stars of the '90s had faded, a fresh crop of talent from the amateur ranks, the United States, and the defunct MBA stepped in to shape the league's new landscape.

But this era also marked significant franchise shifts. Tanduay, facing disillusionment, sold its franchise to FedEx, while Shell exited the league, paving the way for Rain or Shine. Air21, evolving from FedEx, developed a reputation for trading its top players to the league's powerhouse teams—a move that shaped the competitive landscape in the latter part of the decade.

RK	2000 TO 2009-10	C'SHIPS	RUN-UPS	TOT WINS	SEAS	AVG WINS
1	SAN MIGUEL	5	5	342	10	34.2
2	ALASKA	4	4	295	10	29.5
3	GINEBRA	4	2	248	10	24.8
4	PUREFOODS	3	4	244	10	24.4
5	RED BULL	3	2	253	10	25.3
6	TALK N TEXT	2	4	277	10	27.7
7	COCA-COLA	2	2	185	8	23.1
8	STA. LUCIA	2	1	209	10	20.9
9	AIR21		1	164	8	20.5
10	SHELL			89	6	14.8
11	TANDUAY			42	2	21.0
12	RAIN OR SHINE			58	4	14.5
13	POP COLA			36	2	18.0
14	KK NOVI SAD			1	1	1.0
15	CEBUANA (PHL)			1	1	1.0
16	YONSEI (KOR)			0	1	0.0
17	MAGNOLIA-JILIN			0	1	0.0
18	US PRO-AM SELECTION			0	1	0.0
19	UBC THUNDERBIRDS			0	1	0.0

2010-11 TO 2023-24

The 2010s marked a shift back to dominance by a select few teams. San Miguel, Talk ‘N Text, Ginebra, and Magnolia controlled most of the championships. Magnolia, then known as San Mig Super Coffee, even became the fifth team in PBA history to achieve a grand slam. While Rain or Shine, Alaska, and Meralco had their moments of competitiveness, none could sustain long-term success. The gap between the league's elite and the rest noticeably widened compared to the more balanced '90s and 2000s.

Franchise movements also shaped the decade. Powerade gave up its slot to GlobalPort, Barako Bull sold its rights to Phoenix, and Air21 was absorbed by the MVP Group, eventually rebranding as the NLEX Road Warriors. Two new teams, Kia and Blackwater, also joined the league. However, none of these teams managed to disrupt the hold of the SMC teams and TNT. It felt like the league had returned to the old Crispa vs. Toyota days, though now it was more of a group-versus-group dynamic. Yet, even that comparison falls short, as TNT has been the MVP Group’s lone consistent contender.

Calls for league expansion grew louder, but with limited opportunities in the PBA, many talented players opted to showcase their skills in the MPBL or overseas leagues.

RK	2010-11 TO 2023-24	C'SHIPS	RUN-UPS	TOT WINS	SEAS	AVG WINS
1	SAN MIGUEL	11	4	397	13	30.5
2	TALK N TEXT	7	7	389	13	29.9
3	GINEBRA	7	4	358	13	27.5
4	MAGNOLIA/ PUREFOODS	6	5	354	13	27.2
5	RAIN OR SHINE	2	4	287	13	22.1
6	ALASKA	1	5	236	11	21.5
7	MERALCO	1	4	269	13	20.7
8	POWERADE		1	31	2	15.5
9	BAY AREA		1	17	1	17.0
10	NORTHPORT			131	11	11.9
11	NLEX			121	9	13.4
12	PHOENIX			101	8	12.6
13	AIR21/BARAKO			79	4	19.8
14	BLACKWATER			66	9	7.3
15	TERRAFIRMA			64	9	7.1
16	BARAKO/SHOP/A21			32	6	5.3
17	CONVERGE			22	2	11.0
18	SMART GILAS			8	1	8.0

Based on the data, the 1990s stand out as the most balanced era in PBA history. Multiple teams had a real shot at winning each season, and the championships were more evenly distributed than in any other decade. The 2000s come in a close second, while the 1980s showed improvement over the Crispa-Toyota-dominated 1970s. The 2010s and beyond have seen a return to a more top-heavy league, making the 1990s the golden standard for parity in the PBA.