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We have unveiled the Ramon Fernandez Trophy that will be handed out to the winner of the PBA Press Corps Finals Most Val...
01/02/2026

We have unveiled the Ramon Fernandez Trophy that will be handed out to the winner of the PBA Press Corps Finals Most Valuable Player

The Ramon Fernandez Trophy that will be handed to the winner of the PBA Press Corps Finals Most Valuable Player will fea...
26/01/2026

The Ramon Fernandez Trophy that will be handed to the winner of the PBA Press Corps Finals Most Valuable Player will feature elements honoring the career of the great basketball icon.

The trophy’s design will bear Fernandez’s image and likeness while its dimensions were inspired by his records and accomplishments throughout his 20-year career in Asia’s first professional league.

The trophy has a height of 19 inches with a four-inch base as a homage to his 19 PBA championships, the most by any player, and being the league’s first four-time MVP.

A figure of Fernandez stands at 15 inches in a tribute to when he won the 1989 Grand Slam with San Miguel Beer during his 15th PBA season.

It also has a 19-inch circumference of circular base that also refers to his jersey number during the last half of his career with Tanduay, Purefoods and San Miguel, with a 6.04-inch diameter to mark his playing height of 6-foot-4.

Current PBA Press Corps officers conceptualized and finalized the trophy, with PBA head of statistics Fidel Mangonon III providing the design specifications and contextualization.

Raymundo’s Awards, known for making high-quality trophies and plaques, was commissioned by the PBA Press Corps to create the trophy which will be given for the first time after the ongoing PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup Finals between San Miguel and TNT.

Fernandez gave his blessing to name the newly-introduced trophy in his honor, as the PBA Press Corps opted to add even more prestige to the award which was first introduced in the 1996 All-Filipino Cup Finals.

Known as “El Presidente,” he is set to arrive this week to personally present the award alongside the PBAPC at the conclusion of the title series.

Fernandez will also be presented by the PBA sportswriters with a duplicate of the trophy as a token of appreciation. Only then will the Ramon Fernandez Trophy be officially unveiled, revealing its final design.

20/01/2026

CJay Perez enters the PBA Philippine Cup finals on a roll after his performance in the closeout Game 6 against Barangay Ginebra.

Perez had 30 of his 41 points in the first quarter in the Beermen’s 101-88 win over the Gin Kings to arrange a finals rematch with TNT, his record performance earning him the PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for the period January 14 to 16.

Perez was the unanimous choice after he tied B**g Alvarez for the second most points scored in a quarter. Alvarez also went for 30 in a quarter during his 71-point output for Alaska against Shell in 1990.

He also went 12-of-12 in that quarter to set the tone for the Beermen in the Game 6 win.

Perez also averaged 30.5 points during the period on 64 percent shooting from the field in beating the likes of Don Trollano of San Miguel and Jordan Heading of TNT for the weekly plum handed by reporters covering the PBA beat.

“Nung na-shoot ko yung una, pangalawa, pangatlo, pag-apat, parang tinira ko na lang, pumapasok. Doon pumasok yung kumpiyansa. And nakikita ko naman sila coach sa bench, talagang tiwalang tiwala. Pag tira ko pa lang, nakikita ko ‘yung mukha nila, hindi sila nakasimangot,” said Perez.

Perez now sets his sights on winning his fourth PBA crown with the upcoming finals match-up against TNT.

The PBA Press Corps is delighted to announce that Mr. Ramon Fernandez has officially accepted our proposal to name the P...
15/01/2026

The PBA Press Corps is delighted to announce that Mr. Ramon Fernandez has officially accepted our proposal to name the PBA Press Corps Finals Most Valuable Player trophy in his honor.

Read El Presidente's acceptance 👇🏼

The Pba Press Corps announced on Thursday the introduction of the Ramon Fernandez Trophy that will be handed out to the ...
15/01/2026

The Pba Press Corps announced on Thursday the introduction of the Ramon Fernandez Trophy that will be handed out to the winner of the Finals Most Valuable Player.

Starting with the PBA’s 50th Season Philippine Cup Finals, the PBA Press Corps will present a trophy named in honor of Fernandez for his remarkable contributions that included a record 19 championships, the most by any player.

Fernandez gave his blessing in a meeting with PBA Press Corps president Vladimir Eduarte of Abante/Tonite and the group’s other officers during the 50th Season opener last Oct. 5 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“To have the PBA Finals MVP trophy bear my name, especially in this 50th year, the Golden Anniversary of the Philippine Basketball Association, is something I never imagined yet will forever treasure. This is more than a personal recognition. It is a reminder of a lifetime shaped by the league that gave me purpose, pride and a second family,” Fernandez said.

“The PBA was my battlefield, my classroom and my home. It was where I learned discipline, sacrifice, resilience, teamwork, humility and the meaning of leadership under pressure. Every championship fought for, every Finals series endured, every cheer and every criticism...all of it molded the player and the man I became. I owe so much of who I am today to this league.”

The first four-time Most Valuable Player won nine titles with the fabled Toyota franchise before adding three more for Tanduay and seven for San Miguel Beer, highlighted by a historic Grand Slam in 1989.

Fernandez is also the league’s all-time leading scorer with 18,996 points, a record that may stood the test of time.

“With those 19 championships, who knows how many Finals MVP awards Fernandez could’ve won if such recognition had already been handed out during his time,” said Eduarte. “The Finals MVP trophy in Fernandez’s name is a well-deserved recognition the PBA Press Corps unanimously decided on.”

The introduction of the Ramon Fernandez Trophy also comes as the Press Corps will mark 30 years since awarding its first Finals MVP, which was Jojo Lastimosa for Alaska in the 1996 All-Filipino Cup, two years after Fernandez played his 20th and last season as a pro with San Miguel.

A plaque had been given out to each of the previous Finals MVP winners, who are determined through votes by Press Corps members actively covering the PBA beat.

Aside from still being the PBA’s career scoring leader, Fernandez also continues to still be No. 1 to this day in the league’s total rebounds ladder (8,652), defensive rebounds (6,435), shot blocks (1,853), free throws made (3,848), minutes played (36,624:30), and still No. 2 in career assists (5,220), steals (1,302) and games played (1,074).

Fernandez, who also played for Beer Hausen and Purefoods, averaged 17.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.7 shot blocks per game in an illustrious 20-season career.

12/01/2026

For the first time since the early 1990s, another local player scored more than 30 points in a triple-double game.

And that honor, no surprises, belonged to Barangay Ginebra’s do-it-all guard Scottie Thompson, who fired a new career-high of 35 points to go with 11 rebounds and 11 assists and sparked a pivotal 105-91 romp that tied things up at 2-2 with holder San Miguel Beer in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup semifinal series.

Thompson’s brilliant all-around game, according to PBA stats chief Fidel Mangonon III, marked the first 30-point triple-double by a local in 33 years or since then Alaska rookie and now Ginebra assistant coach Johnny Abarrientos had 30-15-14 in the Milkmen’s 103-115 loss to Swift in the 1993 All-Filipino conference.

It is also the first in a winning effort since Ronnie Magsanoc had 32-13-18 that keyed Shell's 155-108 demolition of Pepsi in the 1990 edition of the league's centerpiece conference.

For his big-time effort not just in Game 4 but in the games prior, the Gilas Pilipinas mainstay unanimously earned the nod as the PBA Press Corps’ Player of the Week for the period Jan. 4 to 11.

Thompson posted averages of 20.8 points (56 percent field goal), 7.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists to beat marquee rivals for the weekly citation such as San Miguel’s Don Trollano, TNT’s Calvin Oftana and Poy Erram, who were all instrumental in their respective teams’ drive in the opening week of 2026.

“I think we fought hard, we battled every quarter. Luckily, I think (it's) just a good night for me. Yung rhythm namin as a team is important especially on the defensive end and that's the main key. Overall, we got the W and lucky for me,” said Thompson deflecting credit and giving props to his teammates. "We lifted up each other, we helped each other and we stayed together through ups and downs."

Coach Tim Cone jumped in to heap praise on his prized guard’s stellar well-rounded play.

“It was a legendary performance. I think we’re going to remember this one for a long time,” said Cone.

“Scottie is the most humble guy you’d meet, maybe outside of June Mar (Fajardo). No doubt it’s a legendary performance. I think he came out and he was more aggressive tonight. He was looking for things and the more he became a threat, the more he was able to open the lanes and make passes as well,” he added.

07/01/2026

RJ Abarrientos shrugged off the Holiday revelry of being in a playoff advantage to carry Barangay Ginebra into the semifinals of the PBA Philippine Cup.

While many still remember Stephen Holt’s buzzer-beating three that knocked off Converge in the quarterfinals, it was Abarrientos who was the most consistent man for the crowd favorites.

And with his average of 27.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals in the twin victories over the FiberXers, Abarrientos was adjudged as the PBA Press Corps Player of the Week.

“I reminded myself na hindi ako hindi pwedeng gumalaw o hindi makapagcontribute para sa team kasi kami-kami na lang ang inaasahan dito,” said Abarrientos.

During the period of Dec. 25 to 29 that earned him the weekly nod, the league sophomore made 57 percent of his shots highlighted by eight threes out of 14 attempts.

His barrage of triples in the second half allowed the Gin Kings to pull away and routed the FiberXers, 105-85, on Christmas Day to force a decider.

Abarrientos bucked first-half struggles to likewise connect on his outside shots plus a few more on the inside when the opportunity presented itself during the do-or-die thriller.

Of course, the quarterfinal decider ended on Holt’s three at the horn when the situation called for the Ginebra hero to be the next option after Abarrientos.

Holt wound up second in the voting among Press Corps members while San Miguel Beer’s June Mar Fajardo and Meralco’s Chris Newsome were also given consideration.

29/12/2025

Behind Juan Gomez de Liaño’s stellar play, the Converge FiberXers marched into the quarterfinals of the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup with a bang.

The FiberXers are in unfamiliar territory, earning twice-to-beat advantage in the playoffs.

Converge closed the elimination round with a hard-earned 107-95 overtime victory over NLEX last Dec. 17, securing the team’s 7th win against four losses.

That last win was enough for Delta Pineda’s team to claim No. 4 spot for the last win-once bonus in the playoffs.

Gomez de Liaño has been on a roll in his rookie conference, tallying the third triple-double of his young career to the tune of 20 points anchored on 7 of 17 field goal shooting, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. The 26-year-old guard out of UP spiced his performance with four steals.

Gomez de Liaño emerged as the choice for the PBA Press Corps Player of the Week (Dec. 15-21), his fourth citation for the golden season-opening tournament given by scribes regularly covering the PBA beat.

The 6-foot spitfire playmaker tabbed No. 2 overall by Converge in the 2025 Draft narrowly edged teammate Justine Baltazar, CJ Perez of San Miguel, Jhonard Clarito of Rain or Shine, and RJ Abarrientos of Ginebra.

That victory over NLEX was big. Had the Road Warriors won, the FiberXers would have a win-twice handicap in the playoffs.

As per chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III, this is the first time Converge has been in the playoffs with a twice-to-beat advantage since taking over the Alaska Aces franchise in 2022.

The FiberXers will now navigate uncharted territory in the quarterfinals against Ginebra whom they beat 106-96 in the eliminations last Nov. 14.

With Gomez de Liaño’s continued leadership, Converge shoot for that one win to barge into the final four. The FiberXers had their first chance on Christmas Day at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

16/12/2025

Despite coming off the all-time longest break within a conference—the Covid19 pandemic days, excluded—by any PBA team to the tune of 42 days, Meralco was business as usual in its PBA Philippine Cup return after its EASL sojourn break, recording three straight wins last week to formalize its place in the playoffs and keep alive its slim hopes for a twice-to-beat incentive in the quarterfinals.

Leading the Bolts in their second three-game win streak of the conference and continuing his having taken over the top-scoring cudgels at Meralco in this new season, the league’s 50th, is CJ Cansino, who is just in his 2nd season in the pros.

The Bolts’ leading scorer this entire conference with his current average of 19.0 points per game, which is also good for fifth overall in the tournament, Cansino started off his back-to-back-to-back Best Player of the Game performances with his 22 points, going 8-of-13 from the field, while adding four rebounds, an assist and a steal in their 88-78 win over Phoenix Wednesday last week at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

The former UP Maroon then followed it up with another team-high 20 points, eight rebounds and a steal in Meralco’s 120-87 rout of Terrafirma two days later at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium before capping the week with a career-high 29 points, five rebounds and an assist while shooting 10 of 17 from the floor in an all-important 105-84 victory over Converge also in Antipolo that improved the Bolts’ record to 6-4.

Against the FiberXers, Cansino had 12 of his points in the first period, outscoring the entire Converge squad by his lonesome as Meralco raced to a commanding 33-7 lead after the first 12 minutes of play en route to the one-sided rout.

“The good thing about CJ is he didn’t just score well but also played defense against (Converge rookie) Juan Gomez de Liaño who had to bleed for his points in the fourth quarter,” said Meralco head coach Luigi Trillo.

“CJ’s really been playing well since he recovered from a sprain earlier in the conference,” Trillo added.

For his part, Cansino is only hope they’ll continue to play well heading into the playoffs and once they get there.

“Sana magtuloy-tuloy ang ganda ng sistema na nilalaro namin,” said Cansino, who averaged 23.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in their three games this past week while shooting 56% from the field, inclusive if 37% from three-point range.

Cansino is the first player to win Best Player of the Game honors after every game of his team in a 3-game streak since RR Pogoy did so for TNT Tropang 5G at the start of the playoffs from June 18 to 25 earlier this year in last season’s Philippine Cup.

His efforts last week enabled him to unanimously win the PBA Press Corps’ Player of the Week recognition for the period December 10 to 14, handily beating Titan Ultra’s Calvin Abueva and TNT’s Jordan Heading.

10/12/2025

CJay Perez picked up where he left off in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup, powering San Miguel anew to a victory that fanned the Beermen’s chances for the top four.

Coming off a stint for Gilas Pilipinas in the opening window of the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers, Perez was all business in the PBA return after a two-week hiatus.

The explosive guard poured in 33 points on 65 percent shooting - all in the first three quarters - to spearhead SMB’s comeback from 14-point down to a convincing 110-95 thrashing of TNT on Friday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

“I think habang tumatagal, ‘yun din ang pina-praktis ko,” Perez said of his 11 of 17 clip from the perimeter, an added arsenal to his drives to the basket. “They know I’m always gonna drive so … I think it’s not that consistent pero I’m still doing my best to be consistent with my outside shots.”

The 32-year-old out of Lyceum torched Tropang 5G with 17 points in the third quarter to anchor the 39-14 breakaway.

Perez spiced his night with 2 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal to propel the Beermen into their sixth straight win and 6-2 card overall.

After Rain or Shine’s 90-84 win over Converge on Sunday, San Miguel is in solo-second half a game ahead of Magnolia, FiberXers and NLEX all bunched up at 6-3 for the third-fourth spots.

It’s an all-important win for the Beermen, as the top four after the 11-game eliminations enjoy a twice-to-beat bonus over the lower four that will advance into the quarterfinals.

For his stellar game, Perez earned the PBA Press Corps Player of the Week citation for the period Dec. 5-7, beating Santi Santillan of the E-Painters, Calvin Abueva of Titan Ultra, Jason Perkins of Phoenix, Zavier Lucero of the Hotshots, and Juan Gomez de Liaño of Converge for the weekly honors from scribes regularly covering the PBA beat.

19/11/2025

Robert Bolick and Juan Gomez de Liaño turned in tour de force performances to make sure their respective teams end the initial salvo of the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup with a bang.

Bolick erupted for 36 big points on six triples and issued 10 assists as he anchored NLEX to a pivotal 92-83 victory over Titan Ultra just before the league went on a break for Gilas Pilipinas’ FIBA World Cup Qualifiers campaign.

With this follow-up to their previous 105-91 disposal of Rain or Shine, the Road Warriors hiked their win-loss record to 6-2 for pole position ahead of the ElastoPainters (6-2) on tiebreak. Getting their sixth victory also guaranteed a sure playoffs stint for Bolick and Co. with still three games to play at the resumption of hostilities on Dec. 5.

Gomez de Liaño, for his part, continued to make waves for Converge, sparking the FiberXers to a 106-96 crushing of Barangay Ginebra and a 5-2 card with his 32-point sizzler that went with six rebounds and six assists.

Gin Kings coach Tim Cone would later say the rookie sensation “looked like the best player in the league” with how he performed then went on to add the do-it-all guard to the expanded 18-man Gilas Pilipinas pool.

With their equally-outstanding plays, the PBA Press Corps decided to name Bolick and Gomez de Liaño as its co-Players of the Week honorees for the period Nov. 12 to 16.

It was Bolick’s first for the golden season and the third overall for Juan GDL, who first won the citation on opening week (October 5 to 12) then repeated on Oct. 22 to 26. The rookie sensation posted a triple-double in each of his first two POW victories.

11/11/2025

Don Trollano made a difference for San Miguel in his return to the team last Friday in its game against Magnolia.

Trollano drained a four-point shot with 53.2 seconds remaining in the Beermen’s 94-92 win over the Hotshots to extend their winning streak to four games.

But it wasn’t just in the dying seconds that Trollano produced for San Miguel.

Trollano had 29 points in the game, 14 of which coming in the second quarter where the Beermen held their biggest lead at 39-21.

Aside from the four-pointer, Trollano also made three of his five three-point attempts while also grabbing six rebounds to be named as the PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for the period November 5-8.

Friday was the first time Trollano suited up for the Beermen since missing their previous game against Converge last November 2 due to a back injury.

“Sobrang sakit ng likod ko pero minanage lang ng PT namin. Medyo nabawasan naman ‘yung pain kaya nakapaglaro ako,” said Trollano.
“Nakita ko open ako. Nakita ko parang wala na ring oras kaya tinira ko na. Kumpiyansa lang,” said Trollano about his four-point shot.

San Miguel coach Leo Austria was no longer surprised with the four-pointer of Trollano, his player since their days with Adamson in college.

“During practice, he keeps on taking those four-point shots. Even in Adamson, malayo ang range niya and he keeps on practicing that kind of shot. Minsan nga nagagalit ako kasi first pass pa lang, tinitira na. But this time, ‘yung kanyang tira, necessary ‘yun. Meron siyang sense of urgency. We need somebody who can spark from the perimeter,” said Austria.

Trollano edged the likes of Kelly Williams of TNT, Robert Bolick of NLEX, Jio Jalalon of TNT in the weekly award given by scribes from broadsheets, tabloids, and online publications covering the PBA beat.

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