30/05/2026
THE MOST MYSTERIOUS DISBAND IN PBA HISTORY
A year after the San Mig Coffee Mixers completed one of the greatest achievements in PBA history winning the rare Grand Slam and securing a historic four-peat championship run under Tim Cone everything suddenly changed.
Instead of keeping the dynasty together, the team was slowly dismantled piece by piece.
Everything changed when Alfrancis Chua became the full-time board governor.
First came the shocking move that sent Coach Tim Cone to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel. Along with him went trusted assistants like Olsen Racela and Richard Del Rosario, plus veteran forward Joe Devance as part of the package.
Then came the blockbuster trade that truly signaled the end of an era franchise superstar James Yap being shipped to Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in exchange for Paul Lee.
After that, the legendary Purefoods core slowly disappeared. One by one, familiar faces were traded, released, or moved away. The dynasty that once ruled the league was suddenly gone almost overnight.
And the timing made fans wonder even more.
Why dismantle a team that was still in its prime?
The Mixers were still winning. Their core was still at its peak. They had the chemistry, the system, the championship culture, and most importantly the crowd support. During that stretch, Purefoods wasn’t just dominating the league… they were becoming dangerously close to matching, and in some ways even surpassing, Ginebra’s popularity.
They had everything:
• A Grand Slam team
• A beloved superstar in James Yap
• A winning culture under Tim Cone
• A loyal fanbase
• Multiple championships in a short span
Meanwhile, Ginebra was struggling through an agonizing 8-year title drought.
Then suddenly, the pieces of the San Mig dynasty began transferring toward Ginebra.
And almost immediately, the results changed.
With Tim Cone calling the shots, LA Tenorio leading the team, and eventually the arrival of Justin Brownlee, Ginebra finally broke the long “KANGKONG” curse and ended the drought in unforgettable fashion.
History shifted.
The dynasty that once carried Purefoods quietly became part of the foundation of Ginebra’s rise back to glory.
To this day, many fans still ask the same question:
What if the San Mig Coffee Mixers core and coaches stayed together longer?
Could they have won even more championships?
Could they have built an even greater dynasty?
Or was their breakup necessary to bring Ginebra back to life?
One thing is certain the San Mig Coffee Mixers dynasty remains one of the biggest “what could have been” stories in PBA history.
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