As the PBA nears its 50th Season, the league targets to become the best sports entertainment not only in the country but also in Asia.

Asia's first play-for-pay league is the most followed sport in the land, and the PBA wants to keep that status, and now looks forward to improving the brand by making the games more exciting and giving in-venue fans an experience that they will never forget.

The PBA wants the crowd to be back in the playing venue even though the league is still the most dominant when it comes to TV ratings.

In the recently-concluded annual planning session of the PBA board of governors, they established pillars on how to attain their goal of showcasing the league to global fans and make it as the No. 1 basketball entertainment league in Asia.

However, chairman Ricky Vargas said that “the challenge is how to execute it.”

The ideas include improving the quality and competitiveness of play, re-establishing the league as the source of best talent for the national team and net exporter of players in Asia. They also want to focus on fan engagement by investing in supplementary business like the construction of an own arena and expanding in CSR (corporate social responsibility) programs.

In addition to making the game more exciting, PBA will introduce a new set of rules in the coming season highlighted by the implementation of the “four-point shot” from beyond a 27-foot arc.

Newly-elected vice chairman Alfranchis Chua said in Filipino, “We have done this in the All-Star Game. With this rule, the zone defense will be lessened, man-to-man will be seen more and the game will be faster.”

The PBA will continue to support the national team program and will embrace the thought that a strong Gilas team will be beneficial to the league and vice versa.

They will also have programs for the fans where they can mingle, interact and engage with their favorite players. Chua said, “Like those in the upper box, they paid a pricey ticket when they entered the venue and all they got to do was wave to the player. I will tell the coaches that they allow players to go near the fans.” (@braveheartkid)

LeBron James was selected by his Team USA peers across all sports to be their 2024 flag bearer for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

James became the first men’s player selected as a flag bearer following women’s basketball stars Dawn Staley in 2024 Athens Games and Sue Bird for the Tokyo Games in 2021.

The four-time NBA champion and all-time NBA leading scorer who will make his fourth appearance in the Summer games will lead a boat of American athletes down the Seine River where the Olympic Opening Ceremony will be held.

The William Jones Cup crown is back at the hands of the Filipinos after Strong Group Athletics-Pilipinas trounced hometown bets Chinese Taipei and secured a 83-79 victory on Sunday, July 21, at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in Taiwan. 

The Philippine representative completed a title sweep after going undefeated eight times and achieved what they fell short last January when they finished runner-up in the 33rd Dubai International Championship with a team reinforced by former NBA player Dwight Howard. SGA lost to Al Riyadi in the final.

In the championship game against Chinese Taipei-A, Tajuan Agee lead the pack with game-high 21 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals, a block, and a perfect nine-of-nine from the free throw line, following him was DJ Fenner who contributed with 15 markers, nine boards, and four steals.

RJ Abarrientos tallied 14 on four-of-eight shooting from the three-point line in his last game before joining crowd favorite Barangay Ginebra in PBA. 

Also standing out is veteran guard Kiefer Ravena as he provided nine markers on a 3-of-6 clip along with four rebounds, four assists, and two steals. 

Chris McCullough, on the other hand, finished with 12 points on 4-of-16 shooting. 

McCullough was later named the tournament Most Valuable Player, averaging 21.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks in Strong Group’s eight-game sweep. 

Robert Tsang Hinton led Taiwan’s failed attempt at the title with 16 points, Cheng Yin Chun followed with 13, while Brandon Gilbeck had a double-double of 11, 13 boards along with five blocks as the host team settled for the runner-up finish with its 7-1 record. 

Strong Group became the seventh Philippine team to rule the annual Jones Cup. The last time the country reigned supreme was in 2019 under the Mighty Sports squad, which incidentally, was also coached by Charles Tiu. 

Aaron Fuller is returning to the PBA as the import of Rain or Shine Elasto Painters for the Season 49 Governor’s Cup. He will be reunited with Yeng Guiao, who coached him during his stay with the NLEX Road Warriors.

The PBA confirmed through its website that The Iowa and University of Southern California product will be playing for his fourth team in the PBA. He suited up for NLEX from 2017 to 2028, Blackwater in 2019, and TNT in 2022.

Fuller played recently for Fuerza Regia in Mexico, Urunday Universitario in Uruguay, and Gigantes de Guayana in Venezuela.

With the combination of the 34-year-old Fuller international experiences, steady veterans and a bunch of quality rookies that they drafted this year, the Elasto Painters is set to go deep once again in the PBA battlefield just like they did in the Philippine Cup last season where they reach the semifinals for the time after five years of waiting.

Fuller and ROS might have a strong chance to go deep but they still have to face the four-time Governor’s Cup champion Justin Brownlle, three-time conference best import awardee Allen Durham and a bunch of new reinforcements for the season-opening conference. (@braveheartkid)

Multiple reports have indicated that Allen Durham will once again don the Meralco Bolts jersey after four years as they try to settle their unfinished business in the upcoming PBA 49th Season Governor’s Cup.

Durham and the Bolts already entered the conference finals together three times but they always lost to Justin Brownlee and Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel in all of their series.

This time, Durham has earned a championship pedigree already when he helped Ryuku capture the B. League crown and even won Finals MVP against the Chiba Jest. On the other hand, Meralco Bolts also won their first ever PBA title in the recently concluded Philippine Cup where they defeated the powerhouse San Miguel Beermen in six games. With AD and the Bolts having the feel of being champions, the season-opening conference will be their best chance to do it as a unit.

However, the Bolts hulking 6-foot-6 import will have to go through a mixture of new opponents and familiar foes, including his consistent nemesis Justin Brownlee. (@braveheartkid)

When the PBA Season 49 opens on August 18, a combination of familiar and new imports will be paraded in the season-opening conference, Governor’s Cup.

Among the familiar reinforcements is the six-time PBA champion and three-time best import awardee, Justin Brownlee of Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel.

Brownlee brought the Gin Kings to the promised land four times in the 2016, 2017, 2019 & 2021 editions of the said conference in. He also won championships with the crowd-favorite team in the 2018 & 2022-23 Commissioner’s Cup. He went 6-0 in all those finals that made him tie the record of Sean Chambers, another import who played for Coach Tim Cone during Alaska’s reign in the 90’s.

During the 2023 edition of the Governor’s Cup, JB tried to win another title for the Kings, etched a 7-0 legacy in a championship series, and immortalized himself as the PBA’s winningest import but they lost to TNT Tropang Giga in six games. TNT was led by former NBA player, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and interim Coach Jojo Lastimosa who won his first PBA title as head coach. 

The Ginebra’s resident import will have another chance to win his 7th ring but he has to face a mixture of familiar foes and new oppositions. 

In spite of the obstacles he needs to go through, Brownlee still has the edge against all of them by being the most experienced and successful. And that makes him still the standard amongst imports. (@braveheartkid)

Magnolia will try to break their six-year title drought by bringing the 2017 NBA slam dunk champion Glenn Robinson III. 

Robinson, the son of former NBA All-Star “Big Dog” Glenn Jr., was a second round pick of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2014 draft. He also suited up for the 76ers, Pacers, Pistons, Warriors, and Kings.

The Hotshots are determined to win another Governor’s Cup title which they won in 2018 led by another former NBA veteran Romeo Travis. It was also the first and only championship title of Chito Victolero as head coach of the team.

In PBA’s 48th Season, Magnolia went to the finals and tried to break their title slump in their Commissioner’s Cup campaign but they bowed down to San Miguel Beermen. In the Philippine Cup, the Hotshots failed to enter the Final Four after bowing to longtime rival Barangay Ginebra.

The high-flying import might have all the inspiration to win it all with the Hotshots but he has to face the veteran reinforcements Justin Brownlee, Allen Durham, Aaron Fuller, and a bunch of PBA first-timers just like him. (@braveheartkid)

Gilas Pilipinas Youth clinched a berth in the FIBA U18 Asia Cup after Indonesia defeated Malaysia 77-64 last Saturday in the SEABA Qualifiers held at the MABA Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Earlier, the Gilas U18 squad defeated Thailand 87-53 to have a clean slate during the tournament and assured them one of the top two spots when Indonesia won their own battle.

The Philippines and Indonesia became the top two teams with 2-0 records after the Saturday games. Having been on top of the standings, they already qualified for SEABA in the FIBA U18 tournament to be held from September 2 to 7 in Amman, Jordan.

The two teams will join reigning champion South Korea, host Jordan, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, Mongolia, Chinese Taipei, Lebanon, Kazakhstan, India, and Iran.

Already assured of the slot, Gilas Youth still swept the tournament by dealing Indonesia their first loss. Guard Andy Gemao led the team with 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists in their 87-64 win while Wilham Cabonilas added 17 points and grabbed nine boards. (@braveheartkid)