Dennis Espino (born December 20, 1973) is a Filipino retired professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player in the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...

. He was drafted first overall by Sta. Lucia in 1995 PBA draft.

Player Profile

Espino is known for his physical inside play and is considered is a cornerstone of the Sta. Lucia franchise. Being a Realtor since his rookie year, he has helped the team win two PBA championships. After playing under the shadows of

Jun Limpot Zandro P. Limpot Jr. (born December 14, 1971), also known as Jun Limpot, is a Filipino former professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. Playing career As a De La Salle Green Archer, Limpot led his team to two U ...

for seven years, Dennis Espino became the heart-and-soul of Sta. Lucia when his celebrated teammate was sent to Ginebra via a trade with

Marlou Aquino Marlou Bucao Aquino (born October 7, 1972) is a Filipino former professional basketball player and assistant coach for the Bacoor City Strikers of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). During his prime he was known by fans as "The S ...

in 2000. The former UAAP MVP showed signs that he is capable of the responsibility after braving the role as the team's go-to-guy. In 2009, after playing 14 years with the team, Sta. Lucia traded him to the

Coca-Cola Tigers Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...

. In 2011, Powerade Tigers traded him to

Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters The TNT (cellular service), TNT Tropang Giga is a professional basketball team currently owned by Smart Communications, a subsidiary of the PLDT, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), playing in the Philippine Basketball Associat ...

. He also played for the

Philippine Centennial Team The 1998 Philippines men's national basketball team, nicknamed the "Philippine Centennial Team", competed in the 1998 Asian Games. The team consisted of professional players in the country that included national team veterans Allan Caidic and Al ...

in 1998.

Arrest

In 2012, Espino was arrested by the police in

Arayat, Pampanga Arayat, officially the Municipality of Arayat ( pam, Balen ning Arayat; tl, Bayan ng Arayat), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Pampanga in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 144,875 people. Geogr ...

and accused of serious illegal detention and possession of firearms. The charges arrest stemmed from a complaint by his former secretary, Mildred Eiman, who accused the player of locking her up for over a month for her failure to pay a debt amounting to P5,000. He eluded arrest for more than eight months, which according to the police was due to his political connections in Pampanga.

Coaching career

After a long and controversial absence, Espino said he is happy to be back in the game of basketball. He showed up at

PBA D-League The PBA Developmental League, or PBA D-League, is the Philippine Basketball Association's official minor league basketball organization. History The PBA D-League was conceptualized after the collapse of the proposed merger between the Philip ...

games as one of the assistant coaches of expansion team Derulo Accelero, three years since playing his last game in the pro league where he was among its biggest stars for close to two decades. During that absence, Espino also became a fugitive of the law and also spent time in jail for a serious illegal detention case filed by a former secretary in a piggery he put up in

Mexico, Pampanga Mexico (also known as ''Masiku''), officially the Municipality of Mexico ( pam, Balen ning Mexico; tl, Bayan ng Mexico), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Pampanga, the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population o ...

. He declined to talk about the case that led to his disappearance from the cage scene, but said he was happy to be once again involved in a sport where he first made a name as the star of the multi-titled

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Miguel ...

teams in the 90's.

References

External links

Player Profile
at PBA-Online! {{DEFAULTSORT:Espino, Dennis 1973 births Living people Asian Games bronze medalists for the Philippines Asian Games medalists in basketball Basketball players at the 1998 Asian Games Basketball players at the 2002 Asian Games Basketball players from Pampanga Centers (basketball) Philippine Basketball Association All-Stars Philippines men's national basketball team players Filipino men's basketball players Power forwards (basketball) Powerade Tigers players Sportspeople from Angeles City Sta. Lucia Realtors players UST Growling Tigers basketball players Medalists at the 1998 Asian Games Sta. Lucia Realtors draft picks