Gary Ocampo David (born July 13, 1978) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the
Pampanga Giant Lanterns
The Pampanga Giant Lanterns, also known as the Pampanga G Lanterns, are a professional basketball team in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) and the Pilipinas Super League (PSL). The team is owned by ADG Group of Companies. with t ...
of the
Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League
The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines.
History
Manny Pacquiao launched the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League on August 29, 2017, starting off as a semi-professional lea ...
(MPBL). He is a
five-time All-Star and co-holds the longest streak for consecutive games recording 20 points or more. Famously known as "El Granada" or "Mr. Pure Energy", he is widely hailed by fans and
Hall of Famers as one of the best scorers of all-time in the PBA.
In addition to basketball, David is also an active politician, serving as a councilor in his hometown
Dinalupihan
Dinalupihan, officially the Municipality of Dinalupihan ( tl, Bayan ng Dinalupihan), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bataan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 118,209 people.
Dinalupihan, the only ...
since 2022.
College and amateur career
David started out as an intramural player at the
Lyceum of the Philippines University
Lyceum of the Philippines University ( fil, Pamantasang Liseo ng Pilipinas) also referred to by its acronym LPU is a private, non-sectarian, coeducational higher education institution located at intramuros in the City of Manila, Philippines. ...
, the same school he later powered to three runner-up finishes in the
NCRAA versus a star-studded
St. Francis of Assisi
Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a mystic Italian Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most venerated figures in Christianit ...
team led by behemoth brothers
Yancy and
Ranidel de Ocampo
Ranidel Rozal de Ocampo (born December 8, 1981) is a Filipino former professional basketball player and assistant coach for the TNT Tropang Giga of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He is the younger brother of Yancy de Ocampo where b ...
.
From Lyceum, he joined the Montaña Pawnshop Jewelers in the
Philippine Basketball League
The Philippine Basketball League (PBL) was a commercial semi-professional basketball league in the Philippines. The league was composed of several commercial teams with several collegiate and provincial stars.
History
The PBL was formed on Ma ...
, winning an MVP award in 2003.
Professional career
Philippine Basketball Association
Rookie season
David entered the
2004 PBA Draft, and was selected as the tenth overall pick by the then-
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 Atlant ...
. The Tigers, headed by then-coach
Chot Reyes
Vincent "Chot" P. Reyes (born August 1, 1963) is a Filipino basketball head coach for the TNT Tropang Giga for the Philippine Basketball Association. He is also the head coach of the Philippine national basketball team, where he led the team to a ...
, were coming of a banner
year
A year or annus is the orbital period of a planetary body, for example, the Earth, moving in its orbit around the Sun. Due to the Earth's axial tilt, the course of a year sees the passing of the seasons, marked by change in weather, the hou ...
in which they finished runners-up in the first and second conference's and winning the
2003 Reinforced Conference title in which
Johnny Abarrientos
Johnny Abarrientos (born July 17, 1970) is a Filipino retired professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. He was also a many-time member of the Philippine National team, and was the 1996 PBA Most Valuable Player, bec ...
,
Rudy Hatfield
Rudolph Conse "Rudy" Hatfield II (born September 13, 1977) is an American-Filipino retired professional basketball player who played for Laguna Lakers in the Metropolitan Basketball Association and for Tanduay Rhum Masters, Pop Cola Panthers, Coc ...
and
Jeffrey Cariaso
Jeffrey Joaquin Cariaso is a Filipino-American coach and retired professional basketball player. He is the former head coach of the Converge FiberXers of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He also played for various PBA teams, mostly ...
was still in the fold. During his rookie season, David found himself coming off the bench with insignificant minutes due to the depth of the team. As the season progressed, David played more minutes as the team's sixth man but was then shipped to the
Air21 Express
The Air21 Express were a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) that debuted in the 2011–12 season. The team debuted as the Shopinas.com Clickers during the 2011–12 PBA Philippine Cup. In 2014, the fran ...
in the middle of the season.
Mr. Pure Energy, multiple awards and injury
Air21's acquisition of David was considered a major steal in the 2005 mid-season. He immediately played significant amount minutes as he backed up then star
Ren-Ren Ritualo
Florendo R. "Renren" Ritualo Jr. (born June 14, 1979) is a Filipino former professional basketball player and current assistant coach. He last played for the Shopinas.com Clickers of the Philippine Basketball Association and is currently an ass ...
. David brought high energy to Air21's running game and was a major factor of the Express securing the third-place finish in that
season's Fiesta conference. David exploded for 19 points to carry the Express to its first-ever Final Four appearance after upsetting the
Darvin Ham
Darvin Ham Sr. (born July 23, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Texas Tech Re ...
-led
Talk 'N Text Phone Pals
Talk may refer to:
Communication
* Communication, the encoding and decoding of exchanged messages between people
* Conversation, interactive communication between two or more people
* Lecture, an oral presentation intended to inform or instruct ...
, 117–110, in Game 5 of the quarterfinals on January 20, 2006 in Antipolo City.
Throughout the course of the season, David improved his numbers significantly by averaging 21.3 points per game with 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists to go as he took the role of being the team's main man. He then got injured causing
Air21
Air21 Airlines was a short-lived United States airline based in Fresno, California, led by Mark Morro, founded by David Miller and co-founded by David J. VanderLugt. The airline operated five Fokker F28 Fellowship 64-passenger twin engine jet ...
's semi-finals bid to go down the drain. Despite improving his numbers and collecting numerous awards along the way, David remained an underrated superstar for most of his early years.
Prior to an unfortunate elbow injury, David was having an impressive season and was on the verge of a probable
MVP
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
award, only losing in the voting process to eventual winner
Willie Miller
William Ferguson Miller MBE (born 2 May 1955) is a Scottish former professional football player and manager, who made a club record 560 league appearances for Aberdeen. Sir Alex Ferguson described Miller as "the best penalty box defender in th ...
. He also earned several awards during the
season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
including the
PBA Most Improved Player and belonged to the
Mythical First Team and the
All-Defensive First Team. Despite several injuries in the past, David took the cudgels as the team's go-to-guy after former franchise player
Renren Ritualo
Florendo R. "Renren" Ritualo Jr. (born June 14, 1979) is a Filipino former professional basketball player and current assistant coach. He last played for the Shopinas.com Clickers of the Philippine Basketball Association and is currently an assi ...
was shipped to
Talk 'N Text
TNT (formerly known as Piltel, Mobiline, Phone Pal, and still unofficially known as Talk 'N Text) is a cellular service of Smart Communications in the Philippines. By April 2000, Piltel launched its GSM brand, Talk 'N Text. Piltel also reporte ...
and the energetic
Ronald Tubid
Ronald Tubid (born October 15, 1981) is a Filipino professional basketball coach and former player who is the team manager of the Terrafirma Dyip of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He last played for the San Miguel Beermen of the P ...
to
Ginebra.
![GD vs Red Bull](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/GD_vs_Red_Bull.jpg)
In the
2007-08 PBA season, David played only 2 games during the
Philippine Cup with limited minutes due to the fact that he was still recovering from a knee injury he suffered the season before. He then came back to full action during the
Fiesta Conference but mostly coming of the bench. During the middle of the conference, however, David regained his starting spot and minutes and quickly became the team's go-to-guy along with
Arwind Santos. The two led the Express to 1st place in the elimination round with an 11-7 win–loss slate. The Express received an automatic semi-final berth then they faced the
Magnolia Beverage Masters which they won the series 4-2. The Express barge into the
Fiesta Conference Finals against the
Barangay Ginebra Kings
A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...
led by Best Import
Chris Alexander and Best Player of the Conference
Jayjay Helterbrand
Anthony "Jayjay" Helterbrand (born Lamberto Romero Vicente, Jr. on October 14, 1976) is a Filipino-American basketball player for the Boracay Islanders of the Pilipinas Super League. He previously played with the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel of ...
along with the tournament's leading scorer
Mark Caguioa
Mark Anthony Yu Caguioa (born November 19, 1979) is a Filipino professional basketball player who last played for the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Known as The Spark and as MC47 from his initials an ...
. The series went down to the wire which the eventually lost in seven games. David led the team in scoring again after the season, despite the injury, averaging 16.3 points per game.
David was 100% healthy and back in full force during the
2008-09 PBA season. The Express had a formidable starting lineup with
Arwind Santos,
Ranidel de Ocampo
Ranidel Rozal de Ocampo (born December 8, 1981) is a Filipino former professional basketball player and assistant coach for the TNT Tropang Giga of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He is the younger brother of Yancy de Ocampo where b ...
,
Wynne Arboleda
Wynne Arboleda (born November 26, 1976) is a Filipino former basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He is known by his moniker "The Snatcher" in reference to his steals during games.
Career
Arboleda first played for t ...
and
Homer Se in his side, David immediately led the
Air21 Express
The Air21 Express were a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) that debuted in the 2011–12 season. The team debuted as the Shopinas.com Clickers during the 2011–12 PBA Philippine Cup. In 2014, the fran ...
as one of the contenders to win the title. Unfortunately, after trading fellow star
Ranidel de Ocampo
Ranidel Rozal de Ocampo (born December 8, 1981) is a Filipino former professional basketball player and assistant coach for the TNT Tropang Giga of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He is the younger brother of Yancy de Ocampo where b ...
to the
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 ...
, the team only managed to muster 1 win in the next 4 games without de Ocampo. Before the trade, the Express were holding on a 7-6 win–loss record and an almost guaranteed quarterfinals seat but then went down to the wildcard phase with an 8-10 record. His team finished at a disappointing 8th spot. They faced the
Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants during the first round of the wildcard phase which they convincingly won 94-82. However, they eventually lost to the
San Miguel Beermen in the second round, 105-86, and failed to booked a quarterfinals seat. He led his team again in scoring during the
Philippine Cup with 19.2 points per game including 4.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists.
During the
Fiesta Conference, the newly named
Burger King Whoppers
Burger or Burgers may refer to:
Food and drink Foods
* Hamburger, a sandwich consisting of one or more cooked beef patties, placed inside a sliced bread roll or bun roll.
** Cheeseburger, a hamburger with added cheese(s)
* Ground beef, minced b ...
finished at the number 4 spot and earned a twice-to-beat advantage entering the wildcard phase. They squandered the
Alaska Aces, 96-90, and booked a best-of-3 quarterfinals seat against the
Sta. Lucia Realtors
The Sta. Lucia Realtors were a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) from 1993 to 2010. Prior to joining the PBA, it played in the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) from 1987 to 1992.
In 2015, a new Sta. ...
which they also won, 2-1 and earned a spot in the final four which they were pitted against the no. 1 team
San Miguel Beermen. They lost the series 4-2. David, himself, struggled during the semifinals series in which he even scored 0 in game 4, his first ever zero point performance since his rookie season. The Whoppers won third place honors.
Return to Coca-Cola and struggles
Before the start of the
2009-10 PBA season, David's tandem partner
Arwind Santos, was traded to the
San Miguel Beermen in exchange for power forward
Marc Pingris
Jean Marc Prado Pingris Jr. (born October 16, 1981) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. Known as one of the best defenders and rebounders in PBA history, he was named one of the league's 40 Greatest Players.
He spent 14 season ...
and sophomore
Ken Bono
Karl Kenneth Odani Bono (born June 19, 1984) is a Filipino basketball player who last played for the TNT KaTropa of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He played collegiate basketball for the Adamson Soaring Falcons in the University At ...
plus San Miguel's first round pick in the
2010 Draft. Burger King got the first overall pick in the
2009 Draft in which they used to get the 6-foot-9
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
Japeth Aguilar
Japeth Paul Cabrera Aguilar (born January 25, 1987) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He first played college basketball for the Ateneo Blue Eagles of ...
. But shortly after Japeth's PBA Debut, he was then traded to the
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 ...
for him to be able to play for the
Smart Gilas Pilipinas National Team. David was yet again left alone. Expected to lead his team all by himself, David started slow during the
2009–10 Philippine Cup by only averaging 14.1
points per game
Points per game, often abbreviated PPG, is the average number of points scored by a player per game played in a sport, over the course of a series of games, a whole season, or a career. It is calculated by dividing the total number of points by nu ...
and only winning 5 out of 16 games with the
Burger King Whoppers
Burger or Burgers may refer to:
Food and drink Foods
* Hamburger, a sandwich consisting of one or more cooked beef patties, placed inside a sliced bread roll or bun roll.
** Cheeseburger, a hamburger with added cheese(s)
* Ground beef, minced b ...
. At that point, he was already asking for a trade. On January 4, 2010, he was then traded 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 Atlant ...
for
Alex Cabagnot
Alexander Cabagnot Jr. (born December 8, 1982) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Terrafirma Dyip of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He plays the point guard position. Alex once had a rivalry with Mark Caguioa fo ...
and
Wesley Gonzales
Wesley Olan Gonzales (born July 27, 1980 in Manila, Philippines) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. Gonzales last played for the Barako Bull Energy Cola before retiring after a stellar college career and a 10-year stint in the P ...
. Because of their dismal record before David's arrival, Coca-Cola ended up in the
wildcard
Wild card most commonly refers to:
* Wild card (cards), a playing card that substitutes for any other card in card games
* Wild card (sports), a tournament or playoff place awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal pla ...
phase. They faced David's former team
Burger King Whoppers
Burger or Burgers may refer to:
Food and drink Foods
* Hamburger, a sandwich consisting of one or more cooked beef patties, placed inside a sliced bread roll or bun roll.
** Cheeseburger, a hamburger with added cheese(s)
* Ground beef, minced b ...
in the first round of the wildcard and beat 118-112 but were eventually eliminated by the
Rain or Shine Elasto Painters after losing, 84-99. He teamed up with
Asi Taulava
Pauliasi Taulava (born March 2, 1973) is a Tongan-born Filipino professional basketball player for the NLEX Road Warriors of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He is the oldest active player in the league.
Standing 6 ft 9 in (2. ...
to form a dangerous duo.
2010 PBA Fiesta Conference was a blast for David as he led the PBA in scoring with 21.9
points per game
Points per game, often abbreviated PPG, is the average number of points scored by a player per game played in a sport, over the course of a series of games, a whole season, or a career. It is calculated by dividing the total number of points by nu ...
along with 3.4
rebounds
'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...
and 2.3
assists per game. The Tigers started out the conference winning four of their first five assignments but shortly after, they suffered a 6-game losing streak that affected their bid for the automatic quarterfinal berth. And due again to the lack of support, his team again wounded up in the
wildcard
Wild card most commonly refers to:
* Wild card (cards), a playing card that substitutes for any other card in card games
* Wild card (sports), a tournament or playoff place awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal pla ...
phase with an 8–10 record. They easily beat the
Sta. Lucia Realtors
The Sta. Lucia Realtors were a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) from 1993 to 2010. Prior to joining the PBA, it played in the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) from 1987 to 1992.
In 2015, a new Sta. ...
, 100-84, to move on to the second phase of the wildcard stage but were met again by the
Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. They were eliminated again by the
Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 98-93, and took the final spot in the
Quarterfinals
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
. Despite being the league's leading scorer, a poor finish by the team caused David to lose the Best Player of the Conference Award to
San Miguel Beermen's
Jay Washington
Anthony Jay Washington (born November 10, 1981) is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for Yokohama Excellence of the Japanese B.League.
College career
Born in Zambales, Philippines, Washington played for the Eckerd College Tr ...
.
Coca-Cola Tigers / Powerade Tigers
=2010–11 season
=
David started strong in the
Philippine Cup, averaging a league best 21.5
points while adding 3.3
rebounds
'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...
and 3.5
assists. However, his team failed to reach the quarterfinals and was eliminated with a dismal 3–11 record, highlighted by an 8-game losing streak.
With only 9 remaining games to be played in the
Commissioner's Cup, David quickly got his game going as he led the league again in scoring with an average of 23.5
points along with 3.0
rebounds
'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...
and 2.6
assists, highlighted by back-to-back 30-point performances, dropping 36 points against the
Brgy. Ginebra Kings and 35 points against the
San Miguel Beermen. Unfortunately, the Tigers once again failed to reach the playoffs, as they finished in 9th place with a 2–7 record.
In the
Governors Cup, David was only able to play 5 games because of an injury. Still, he still managed to produce 19.6
points, 2.6
rebounds
'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...
and 1.4
assists. Despite being tied with
Rain or Shine and
B-Meg after compiling a 4–4 record, Powerade did not make the playoffs as the quotient system did not favor them.
=2011–12 season
=
In the
2011–12 PBA Philippine Cup, David led his team to 6 wins and 8 losses during eliminations, as Powerade finished 8th to begin the playoffs. The team pulled off a huge upset as they defeated the 1st seeded
B-Meg Llamados twice to advance to the next round. This marked the Tigers' first semi-finals appearance in 7 years, the last being in 2004.
During the playoffs, Gary David scored 30 points or more in almost every game. Impressed by David's string of high-scoring games, veteran PBA statistician Fidel Mangonon commented via
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
: "Since I worked in the PBA starting in late '91 as a sportswriter, Gary David is the 1st local player to score at least 30 pts in 5 straight games." In their next game, David had another 30-point outing as he extended his streak to 6 consecutive games. He was able to anchor his team past the Rain or Shine in the semifinals. Powerade battled with the
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 ...
in the Finals series. Despite the Tropang Texters beating Powerade in 5 games to become back-to-back Philippine Cup champions, David's sterling performance is still regarded as one of the best in PBA playoff/finals history.
David was named the Best Player of the Conference for the
PBA Philippine Cup, beating
Petron Blaze Boosters
The San Miguel Beermen are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). It is one of three PBA clubs owned by the San Miguel Corporation group of companies along with the Magnolia Hotshots and Barangay Ginebra ...
'
Arwind Santos, despite the latter leading in statistical points. David became just the third player from the Coca-Cola franchise to win the plum after
Jeffrey Cariaso
Jeffrey Joaquin Cariaso is a Filipino-American coach and retired professional basketball player. He is the former head coach of the Converge FiberXers of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He also played for various PBA teams, mostly ...
and
Rudy Hatfield
Rudolph Conse "Rudy" Hatfield II (born September 13, 1977) is an American-Filipino retired professional basketball player who played for Laguna Lakers in the Metropolitan Basketball Association and for Tanduay Rhum Masters, Pop Cola Panthers, Coc ...
. He also became the first and only player from an eighth-seeded team to receive the award. David tallied averages of 25 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and a steal per game in the Philippine Cup.
In the early days of February, it was reported that David will be rewarded accordingly by his team, to be given a three-year contract-extension deal worth P15.1 million. Powerade top official JB Baylon has confirmed that they are giving David the maximum monthly pay of P420,000—allowed under the league's amended salary cap rule. With David's constant improvement came his wage increases. He received P250,000 a month in 2009, P300,000 in 2010 and P350,000 at present.
On March 25, 2012, he became the 64th and latest member of the PBA 5,000-point club, a plateau he reached with his first of two charities at the 3:43 mark of the third period.
Meralco Bolts
On October 11, 2013, David was traded to the
Meralco Bolts
The Meralco Bolts is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team began in 2010 after the Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) acquired the PBA franchise of the Sta. Lucia Realtors. The team is one of three ...
with AJ Mandani in exchange for
Chris Ross, Chris Timberlake and Meralco's 2016 and 2017 second round picks He made his debut in a Bolts' uniform on November 17 in a losing effort against the
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 ...
, 80-89, scoring 26 points and grabbing 7 rebounds.
On March 13, 2016, David was penalized by the management of Meralco Bolts due to "insubordination, lack of dedication to the team; and breach of contract which states that he’s obligated to play in official PBA games at all times" during a game against
NLEX Road Warriors in the
2016 PBA Commissioner's Cup, according to the One Meralco Sports' website.
David was seated in the bench during the game period. At the fourth quarter, coach
Norman Black
Norman Augustus Black (born November 12, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the CBA, NBA, and PBA. He's the current head coach for the Meralco Bolts.
He has since settled in the Philippines. He is also ...
asked David to check in, but he said that he does not want to play. In an investigation, the team cleared that there were no physical impediments for Gary to not to enter the game. Meralco suspended David for one game and fined for an undisclosed amount of money. The suspension was served during the team's game against
Blackwater Elite
The Blackwater Bossing is a professional basketball team owned by Ever Bilena, Inc. that is playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) beginning in the 2014–2015 season. The franchise began as one of the founding teams in the PB ...
on March 18. In his part, David states that he is suffering an ankle injury during the game and asked his fans to understand his current situation. Four days later, David was officially dropped from the Meralco roster, becoming an unrestricted free agent in the process.
San Miguel Beermen
On April 7, 2016, after weeks of speculation on where David would sign, his agent confirmed that David is set to play for the
San Miguel Beermen.
Mahindra Floodbuster
On November 29, 2016, David signed a 1-year contract with
Mahindra Floodbuster
The Terrafirma Dyip is a professional basketball team playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The team is owned by Terrafirma Realty Development Corporation and originally played under its affiliate company Columbian Autocar Cor ...
. He was waived from the team on May 30, 2017.
Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League
Bataan Defenders
David debuted at the
Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League
The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines.
History
Manny Pacquiao launched the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League on August 29, 2017, starting off as a semi-professional lea ...
with the
Bataan Defenders in February 2018.
National team career
After winning the MVP plum in 2003 in the
PBL, David was chosen to be part of the Philippine team that would compete in the
2003 Southeast Asian Games, starring alongside college rival
Ranidel De Ocampo
Ranidel Rozal de Ocampo (born December 8, 1981) is a Filipino former professional basketball player and assistant coach for the TNT Tropang Giga of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He is the younger brother of Yancy de Ocampo where b ...
,
University of the East
The University of the East ( fil, Pamantasan ng Silangan), also known as UE, is a leading private university located in Manila, Philippines. Founded in 1946, business tycoon Lucio Tan acquired the university in 1990. UE was once labeled as the ...
star
James Yap
James Carlos Agravante Yap Sr. (born February 15, 1982) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Known by his nickname Big Game James, he had played for ...
,
Ateneo de Manila's Rich Alvarez
Richard Alvarez (born October 30, 1980) is a Japanese-born Filipino former professional basketball player and coach. He last played for the Kia Picanto of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He was the first overall pick of 2004 PBA D ...
, and
PSBA's Marc Pingris
Jean Marc Prado Pingris Jr. (born October 16, 1981) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. Known as one of the best defenders and rebounders in PBA history, he was named one of the league's 40 Greatest Players.
He spent 14 season ...
. They won the tournament and brought home the gold medal.
![2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup Croatia vs Philippines (2)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/2014_FIBA_Basketball_World_Cup_Croatia_vs_Philippines_%282%29.jpg)
David was then chosen to be part of the
Smart Gilas Pilipinas 2.0 that would be built to compete for the
2014 World Championships. In August 2012, the national team competed in its first international tournament, the
2012 William Jones Cup. In the team's third assignment, they faced long time rival
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. David bailed out the Nationals, who squandered a 14-point lead before trailing by 12, with two clutch baskets in a row to propel the Philippines to a 3-0 start. They then beat
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
in the next game thanks to a rally that was started by David after hitting a three-pointer after being down by nine. After losing to
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
, David helped the Nationals beat 3-time defending champions
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, 77-75 in thrilling fashion. He then led the Nationals along with
LA Tenorio
Lewis Alfred Vasquez Tenorio (born July 9, 1984) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He is also an assistant coach for the Letran Knights of the Philip ...
, to win the gold medal in the
2012 Jones Cup after beating the
USA select team, 76-75. It was the country's first championship in the Asian level since 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 ...
anchored by coach
Tim Cone
Earl Timothy Cone (born December 14, 1957) is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He is the most accomplished coach in PBA history with t ...
ruled the 1998 edition of the Jones Cup.
He was part of the squad that took the silver in the
2013 FIBA Asia Championship
The 2013 FIBA Asia Championship for Men was the intercontinental championship for basketball organized by FIBA Asia that served as the qualifying tournament for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. The tournament was held from August 1–1 ...
. He was also included in the national team's final lineup for the
2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the
2014 Asian Games
The 2014 Asian Games ( ko, 2014년 아시아 경기대회/2014년 아시안 게임, Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the 17th Asian Games ( ko, 제17회 아시아 경기대회/제17회 ...
. He was also included in the initial pool for the
2015 FIBA Asia Championship
The 2015 FIBA Asia Championship was the 28th and last edition of the FIBA Asia Championship in men's basketball in Asia. It was organised by FIBA Asia.
At the FIBA Asia Congress held in Doha, Qatar, the Central Board awarded the hosting rights to ...
but did not make the cut.
''Correct as of August 11, 2013.''
PBA career statistics
''Correct as of October 4, 2016''
Season-by-season averages
, -
, align=left ,
, style="text-align:left;",
Coca-Cola
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 ...
/
FedEx
FedEx Corporation, formerly Federal Express Corporation and later FDX Corporation, is an American multinational conglomerate holding company focused on transportation, e-commerce and business services based in Memphis, Tennessee. The name "Fe ...
, 53 , , 15.0 , , .384 , , .263 , , .718 , , 2.1 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .1 , , 6.9
, -
, align=left ,
, align=left , Air21
, 27 , , 17.6 , , .437 , , .276 , , .722 , , 1.8 , , .7 , , .4 , , .2 , , 9.9
, -
, align=left ,
, align=left , Air21
, 39 , , 31.8 , , .476 , , .303 , , .829 , , 3.4 , , 1.7 , , .9 , , .1 , , 20.6
, -
, align=left ,
, align=left , Air21
, 33 , , 27.2, , .413 , , .360 , , .812 , , 2.4 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , .1 , , 15.4
, -
, align=left ,
, align=left , Air21
, 45 , , 28.9 , , .423 , , .290 , , .850 , , 3.6 , , 2.1 , , .6 , , .1 , , 17.2
, -
, align=left ,
, align=left , Burger King / Coca-Cola
, 39 , , 31.5 , , .452 , , .320 , , .795 , , 3.3 , , 2.3 , , .7 , , .1 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 18.2
, -
, align=left ,
, align=left , Powerade
, 28 , , 35.0 , , .448 , , .368 , , .810 , , 3.1 , , 2.8 , , .6 , , .2 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 21.8
, -
, align=left ,
, align=left , Powerade
, 49 , , 37.3 , , .439 , , .362 , , .853 , , 3.8 , , 2.3 , , .9 , , .1 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 25.8
, -
, align=left ,
, align=left ,
GlobalPort
, 31 , , 34.4 , , .387 , , .300 , , .849 , , 3.4 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , .1 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 18.8
, -
, align=left ,
, align=left ,
Meralco
The Manila Electric Company (), also known as Meralco (, ), is an electric power distribution company in the Philippines. It is Metro Manila's only electric power distributor and holds the power distribution franchise for 22 cities and 89 munic ...
, 36 , , 35.2 , , .414 , , .332 , , .799 , , 4.6 , , 1.9 , , .5 , , .1 , , 16.5
, -
, align=left ,
, align=left , Meralco
, 42 , , 26.7 , , .403 , , .327 , , .822 , , 2.7 , , 1.7 , , .6 , , .1 , , 13.3
, -
, align=left ,
, align=left , Meralco /
San Miguel
, 35 , , 17.6 , , .422 , , .354 , , .755 , , 1.9 , , .6 , , .3 , , .1 , , 8.5
, -
, align=left ,
, align=left ,
Mahindra
, 8, , 12.2 , , .345 , , .296 , , .600 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , .5 , , .0 , , 6.5
, - class=sortbottom
, align=center colspan=2 , Career
, 465 , , 28.0 , , .428 , , .328 , , .818 , , 3.0 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , .1 , , 16.0
Personal life
David is a native of
Dinalupihan, Bataan
Dinalupihan, officially the Municipality of Dinalupihan ( tl, Bayan ng Dinalupihan), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bataan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 118,209 people.
Dinalupihan, the only ...
.
Aware that he cannot play basketball forever, David has made a few investments, including a 10-door
residential/commercial apartment in
Pandi, Bulacan. He also plans to add more apartment units and enter the livestock business.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:David, Gary
1978 births
Living people
Barako Bull Energy players
Basketball players at the 2014 Asian Games
Basketball players from Bataan
NorthPort Batang Pier players
Terrafirma Dyip players
Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League players
Meralco Bolts players
Lyceum Pirates basketball players
Philippine Basketball Association All-Stars
Philippines men's national basketball team players
Filipino men's basketball players
Powerade Tigers players
San Miguel Beermen players
Shooting guards
Filipino sportsperson-politicians
Southeast Asian Games gold medalists for the Philippines
Southeast Asian Games medalists in basketball
2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup players
Competitors at the 2003 Southeast Asian Games
Asian Games competitors for the Philippines
Powerade Tigers draft picks