Philippine Basketball League

Infobox sports league
logo=Philippine Basketball League logo.jpg
sport=Basketball
motto=Where the future begins
founded=1983
teams=8
country=PHL
champion=Harbour Centre Batang Pier (V-Go Extreme Energy Drink Cup and Lipovitan Amino Sports Drink Cup)
website= [http://www.philippinebasketballleague.org/ PBL Official Website - The Philippine Basketball League] The Philippine Basketball League (PBL) is a commercial semi-professional basketball league in the Philippines. The league is composed of several commercial teams with several collegiate and provincial stars in the fold.

History

The PBL was formed on 1983, a brainchild of San Miguel Corporation chairman Danding Cojuangco, under its original name the Philippine Amateur Basketball League (PABL). It was the successor of the defunct Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA), which folded during the early-1980s. During the inaugural PABL tournament, over 36 collegiate and commercial teams participated in the tournament that was played in the historic Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

The PABL became a breeding ground for future Philippine Basketball Association superstars Allan Caidic, Samboy Lim, Bong Alvarez, Alvin Patrimonio, Jojo Lastimosa and Benjie Paras. In the early days, the league even invited some foreign squads to beef up the tournament.

In the 1990s, the league was renamed as the Philippine Basketball League under Andy Jao, who would later return to the broadcasting panel of the PBA coverage on Vintage Sports. Jao's replacement, Charlie Favis later adopted a new theme, calling the PBL as the "faster league".

Yeng Guiao replaced Favis, when Guiao left the coaching ranks. The league gained early success with the dominance of the Tanduay Rhum Masters, the arrival of Eric Menk and Asi Taulava, and holding PBL games at the air-conditioned Makati Coliseum.

In 2000, former Vintage Sports commentator Chino Trinidad replaced Guiao, when the commissioner resigned to coach Red Bull in the Philippine Basketball Association, the country professional basketball league. The PBL's popularity grew, inviting commercial teams bannered by a single collegiate teams and also gained a stable broadcast partner in Studio 23. This year, PBL broke away from Studio 23 and signed an agreement with cable channel Basketball TV to broadcast the games.

Trinidad is currently in his eighth year as commissioner.

Teams

Current teams

*Bacchus Energy Drink Raiders
*Burger King Whoppers
*Hapee Toothpaste Complete Protectors
*Harbour Centre Batang Pier
*Noosa Shoe Stars
*Pharex Medics
*San Mig Coffee Kings
*Toyota-Otis Sparks
*Nokia-RP Youth Team (Guest)

Notable former members

*Kettle Korn-UST
*Masagana99
*Farinas Trans
*Mama's Love
*Philips Sardines
*Swift
*Swift USA
*Andok's
*Negros
*Hapee Toothpaste
*Crispa Redmanizers
*Korea
*YCO
*Sta. Lucia Realty
*Purefoods Corporation
*Triple V
*Burger Machine
*Nikon
*Otto Shoes
*Casino Rubbing Alcohol
*Stag Pale Pilsen/Tanduay/Colt 45
*Carol Ann's
*Instafood
*Blu Star Detergent Kings
*AGFA Color/Batang Red Bull Energy Drink
*Wilkins Distilled Water
*Paralux
*Chaz Perfume
*Boom Detergent
*Kendimint
*Dr. J Rubbing Alcohol/ANA Water Dispenser
*Chowking/Shark Energy Kings/Cheese Balls Shark
*John O. Juzz
*LBC-Batangas Blades
*Toyota Otis - Letran
*Addict Mobile - Ateneo
*ICTSI-La Salle
*Osaka-La Salle
*Hapee/NENACO Ateneo
*Pioneer Insurance - Ateneo
*NENACO-San Beda
*Air Philippines/Bacchus Energy Drink
*Welcoat Paintmasters / Rain or Shine Elasto Painters
*Montaña Pawnshop Jewels
*Granny Goose Tortillos - UP
*Bingo Pilipino
*AMA (Computer College) - UST
*University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (1988)
*Dazz 'Sang Patak Kitchen Specialists
*Henkel Sista Super Sealers
*Cebuana Lhuillier-Pera Padala Moneymen
*Mail and More Comets

Media

Beginning the 2007 season, the PBL games are seen on Basketball TV (a channel of the Solar family of cable networks) after several years of being shown on UHF television station Studio 23. Games are televised every Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 5-9 pm Philippine time plus rebroadcasts on BTV in the wee hours of the morning. RPN also has a delayed telecast of Tuesday's second game, but has since moved to IBC-13 on Saturdays, beginning with the season-ending Lipovitan Amino Sports Cup.

Prior to BTV, previous broadcasters includes ABS-CBN, People's Television Network (later National Broadcasting Network), Silverstar Sports, Solar Sports and Vintage Television, as the games are usually put on airtime slots. With ABS-CBN, the league initially forged a deal in 2003 as a blocktimer, then in 2004 renewed ties to make ABS-CBN Sports its official TV producer/coverer and Studio 23 its official carrying station of the games.

DZSR Sports Radio 918 kHz, a government station, has been airing the PBL games on radio since the start of the PABL back in the mid-1980s.

In 2002, the league opened its official website, [http://www.mypbl.com myPBL.com] , powered by E-Highway. In 2007, the website transferred to a new address at [http://www.philippinebasketballleague.org PhilippineBasketballLeague.org]

The PBL and the Philippine Basketball Association

The Philippine Basketball Association, the premier basketball league in the country, has a special relationship with the PBL; several teams in the PBL are owned by companies also having PBA teams (such as San Miguel Corporation's PBL team is San Mig Coffee, with SMC also owning 3 PBA teams). The PBL is also one of the leagues where the PBA gets their players. Even quite a few successful PBL teams transferred to the PBA (although a system of promotion and relegation is not practiced in the Philippines), such as Purefoods, Red Bull and most recently Welcoat.

Commissioners

*Jose "Joe" Pavia (1983-1984)
*Mauricio "Moying" Martellino (1985-1988)
*Andy Jao (1989-1990)
*Gregorio "Ogie" Narvasa III (1991-1992)
*Philip Ella Juico (1993-1994)
*Charlie Favis (1994-1997)
*Joseller "Yeng" Guiao (1997-2000)
*Manolo "Chino" L. Trinidad (2000-Present).

ee also

*List of Philippine Basketball League champions
*Women's Philippine Basketball League

External links

* [http://www.philippinebasketballleague.org philippinebasketballleague.org: PBL's Official Site]