Peter June Libo-on Simon (born June 1, 1980) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. He has formerly played 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 ...

, playing for 16 years with the

Magnolia Hotshots The Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots, or simply known as the Magnolia Hotshots, are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team is owned by San Miguel Food and Beverage, Inc., a subsidiary of San Migue ...

franchise. Simon was drafted 43rd overall in the 2001 PBA draft by 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. ...

. His moniker is Scoring Apostle.

Amateur career

College career

Simon was relatively unknown in the Philippine college basketball scene. But to hardcore basketball fans, and especially the

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...

-based fans, Simon was one of the biggest collegiate basketball heroes in Davao. Born in

Makilala, Cotabato Makilala, officially the Municipality of Makilala ( hil, Banwa sang Makilala; ceb, Lungsod sa Makilala; tl, Bayan ng Makilala), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cotabato, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a popula ...

, he built his reputation as one of the fiercest and most exciting basketball warriors down south by joining in various competitions and leaving his marks on them. He collected three MVP trophies in the collegiate leagues in

Davao City Davao City, officially the City of Davao ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dabaw; ), is a first class highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of , making it the largest city in the Philippines in terms of lan ...

and reigned five times as the Sultan of Slams.

Metropolitan Basketball Association

Having created a status in various collegiate and commercial leagues in Mindanao, Simon was easily handpicked to be a part of the Davao Eagles in the

Metropolitan Basketball Association The Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA), or Metroball, was a professional basketball league in the Philippines that ran from March 7, 1998, to July 26, 2002. History The MBA played its first game on March 7, 1998, at the Don Narciso Ramos ...

. Although his career with the Eagles did not start well, he caught fire as the 2001 MBA First Phase progressed. He was at the forefront of the Eagles onslaught in several games. He once sparked a fourth-quarter rally to upset the league-leading

Negros Slashers The Negros Slashers also known as the RCPI-Negros Slashers were a professional basketball team in the Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998 to 2002. The team enjoyed considerable success, winning the MBA National Championship in 2002, the ...

. He engaged with

Laguna Lakers The Laguna Lakers (or the FedEx-Laguna Lakers) were a professional basketball team in the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998 to 2001. The team was owned by Bert Lina, owner of the Federal Express franchise in the Philippines ...

' Biboy Simon in a fiery shootout and at the same time registering his career-high 25 points. Coming off the bench, he scored a new career-high 28 points as they outclassed

Nueva Ecija Patriots The Nueva Ecija Patriots were a professional basketball team in the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1999 to 2001. The Patriots were derived from the province's origin during the Philippine revolution against the Spanish coloni ...

during which he made five Blitz Three baskets in the game. In his best outing as an Eagle, Simon fired yet another new career-high 41 points as he was simply unstoppable. At the end of the season, Simon's hard work and heroics on the court paid off as he was named as the Discovery Player of the Year. Also, while playing in the MBA, he became a member of the

Philippine national basketball team The Philippines men's national basketball team ( fil, Pambansang koponan ng basketbol ng Pilipinas), commonly known as Gilas Pilipinas, is the basketball team representing the Philippines. The team is managed by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipi ...

. In his first stint with the national team, PJ Simon scored 14 points to backup

Reynel Hugnatan Reynel Frances T. Hugnatan (born November 3, 1978) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Meralco Bolts of the Philippine Basketball Association. He was picked 9th overall by the Coca-Cola Tigers in the 2003 PBA draft. PBA caree ...

as the MBA All-Stars opened its 25th

William Jones Cup The R. William Jones Cup (), also known as the Jones Cup, is an international basketball tournament organized by the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA) held annually since 1977 in Taiwan. It was named in honor of basketball promoter ...

campaign on a high note, tripping the much taller Russian club Lokomotive Novosibirsk, 78–68, at the

Taipei Physical Education College Tianmu Campus, University of Taipei () is a campus in Dunhua North Road, Songshan District, Taipei, Taiwan. History The campus was originally founded as Taipei Physical Education College () in 1968. In August 2013, it was merged with Taipei Muni ...

Gym.

Philippine Basketball League

Following the disbandment of the MBA in July 2002, Simon was immediately enlisted by Dazz Dishwashing Liquid, the Lamoiyan Corporation's

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 ...

franchise. In no time, he created a big mark in the star-studded 2002–03 PBL Challenge Cup. For his efforts, PJ Simon was selected into the Second Mythical Team during the Individual Players Achievement Awards. He also helped the team barge into the Finals. In his first PBL Finals appearance, PJ Simon led Dazz in a losing cause by scoring 18 points as they surrendered to the Welcoat Paintmasters in overtime in Game 1 at the

Quezon Convention Center The Quezon Convention Center is a multi-purpose convention center in Quezon located near the Provincial Capitol in Lucena, Philippines, Lucena, Quezon, Philippines. The venue has hosted local and regional basketball competitions, conce ...

Lucena City Lucena, officially the City of Lucena ( fil, Lungsod ng Lucena), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Calabarzon region of the Philippines. It is the capital city of the province of Quezon where it is geographically situated but, in t ...

. Although Dazz failed to win the title, a change of the team's name had boded well for the Lamoiyan franchise's fortunes. Hapee Toothpaste opened its championship run in the 2003 Sunkist PBL Unity Cup by defeating Viva Mineral Water behind the blazing guns of PJ Simon and Ryan Dy. Then in the deciding Game 5 of Unity Cup finals, Hapee rode again on the heroics of PJ Simon to capture the crown. For that, he and teammate

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 ...

were later awarded by the PBL Press Corps as co-Final MVPs. In the 2003 PBL-CBF Dual Meet Finals, he and

Allan Salangsang Allan Salangsang (born October 15, 1976) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. He was drafted twenty-seventh overall by Tanduay in the 2001 PBA draft. Player profile Salangsang was drafted 27th overall by Tanduay in the 2001 PBA ...

combined for 35 points off the bench as they powered Fash Liquid to beat Grachiya Energy Boosters, 86–76, at the

Cebu Coliseum The Cebu Coliseum is an indoor arena in Cebu City, Philippines. Its seating capacity is around 5,000. The coliseum hosts various sports events and concerts in Cebu and is the primary venue for CESAFI games. It was also the home of the Cebu Gems of ...

. The following conference, PJ Simon edged out other illustrious cagers to bag the 2003–04 PBL Platinum Cup MVP with the print, radio, and TV media solidly rallying behind him. Joining PJ Simon in the Mythical Team were

Jojo Tangkay Jercules "Jojo" Tangkay (born November 26, 1976 in Aloguinsan, Cebu) is a professional basketball player who last played for the ARQ Builders–Lapu-Lapu City Heroes of the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup. He was drafted 16th overall by the Sta. Luc ...

, Fash teammate

, and future Purefoods teammates

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 ...

and

Ervin Sotto Ervin Amedo Sotto (born July 30, 1981) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. He was also an assistant coach for the NLEX Road Warriors. He was the seventh overall pick in the 2004 PBA draft by the Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs ...

. He also led his team in another title, beating the Welcoat Paintmasters in a hotly contested five-game series.

Professional career

Magnolia Hotshots (2004–2020)

2021-1225 PBA Mark Pingris and Peter June Simon jersey retirement

While still playing for Fash in the PBL, Purefoods offered him a two-year contract as a rookie free agent. He was actually drafted by the

as the 43rd overall pick in the 2001 PBA draft. He toiled for a while in the MBA and PBL where he further enhanced his skills. But like his stints in the MBA and PBL, his PBA career did not start hot as he played behind fellow star rookie

. In Purefoods' seventh game in the 2004–05 Philippines Cup, however, PJ got his game going as he led Purefoods in a come-from-behind win over

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

, by scoring four of his team-high 18 points in the final eleven seconds of the game. In his first three seasons in the PBA, PJ Simon only showed flashes of his brilliance far and wide. In the 2007 PBA Fiesta Cup, he was named Accel PBA Player of the Week for the period May 6 to 13. He came up with a team-high 22 points in a game against Coke on May 4 then on May 13, he exploded for PBA career-high 31 points and also grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Purefoods in routing Ginebra, 117–105. The 2007–08 season proved to be the coming-out party for Simon. While he was still in the giant shadow of his more famous teammates, he created his niche by being the "super sub" for his team. As Purefoods set a franchise-record of 7–0 to start a season, he was the biggest hero in two of those wins. He scored 15 of his game-high 27 points in the first quarter to lead Purefoods to its fifth straight win as they massacred Ginebra, 103–76, on November 4, 2007. Then ten days later, he once more top-scored for Purefoods by making 22 points in their 100–81 rout of

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 ...

, tying the franchise's best to start in the All-Filipino Cup. In the Finals, Simon had four scintillating games. Purefoods lost, however, to Sta. Lucia in seven games. But nevertheless, PJ Simon averaged 13.3 points to firmly establish himself as Purefoods' primary offensive option off the bench. Owing to his impressive performance in the

2007–08 PBA Philippine Cup The 2007–08 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup or known as the 2007–08 Smart PBA Philippine Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the first conference of the 2007–08 PBA season. The tournament was formally opened on October ...

, he was selected in a reserve role to take part in the 2008 All-Star Game held in

Bacolod City Bacolod, officially the City of Bacolod (; hil, Dakbanwa/Syudad sang Bacolod; fil, Lungsod ng Bacolod), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the region of Western Visayas, Philippines. It is the capital of the province of Negros Occident ...

. Simon did not disappoint the fans, as although he only played for 20 minutes, he scored 29 points on 11-of-14 field goals and 4-of-4 on the free-throw line to tow the South team in a thrilling victory in overtime over the North squad, 163–158. With that, he was cited as the Most Valuable Player, his first major PBA award. In the 2009–10 Philippine Cup Finals, Purefoods swept Alaska, 4–0, to be crowned 2009–2010 PBA Philippine Cup champions. The Llamados entered the

2010–11 PBA Philippine Cup The 2010-11 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup was the first conference of the 2010-11 PBA season. The tournament started on October 3, 2010, with the new team, Meralco Bolts defeating the Brgy. Ginebra Kings in the openin ...

as defending champions. In the first round of the tournament, Simon averaged 17.4 points per game, while the team ended the Classification Phase with a 7–7 record. On November 10, 2010, Simon scored a career-high 42 points against 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 fra ...

. Him and two-time MVP

led the team to the quarter-finals, in which the Llamados scored back-to-back wins against 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 ...

. For the series, Simon averaged 29.0 points and his contributions helped the Llamados to overcome Meralco in two games. However, they couldn't keep up the momentum in the semi-finals after losing 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 ...

in six games. The 2011–12 season saw Simon and his team, B-Meg, being favorites in winning possibly the

Grand Slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

title with their new coach being the legendary 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 ...

. Simon helped the Llamados to a 10–4 win–loss record in the 2011–12 Philippine Cup, but unfortunately, the Llamados were knocked out in the quarterfinals after an upset by the

Powerade Tigers The Powerade Tigers were a professional basketball team that played in the Philippine Basketball Association from 2002 to 2012. The franchise was owned by Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Inc. (CCBPI) when the company acquired Cosmos Bottling Co ...

led by

Gary David Gary Ocampo David (born July 13, 1978) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Pampanga Giant Lanterns of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). He is a five-time All-Star and co-holds the longest streak for consecutiv ...

. After being upset in the Philippine Cup, B-Meg decided to keep their roster from the Philippine Cup intact. Their only addition to the roster is their import

Denzel Bowles Denzel Bowles (born May 1, 1989) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Professional career 2011–12 season Bowles began his professio ...

, who eventually won the Best Import of the Conference. Bowles helped the team to a 3rd-place finish in the elimination round. B-Meg was able to win the quarterfinal series against

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 ...

and the semis against rivals

Barangay Ginebra The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The most popular team in the league, it is owned by Ginebra San Miguel, Inc. (formerly, La Tondeña Distillers, Inc.), a subsidia ...

. Simon and Co. faced the

in the final, where they won the series in seven games. Going into the Governors' Cup, B-Meg gained confidence following their championship in the Commissioner's Cup, but they lost to Rain or Shine in seven games. Simon averaged 12.0 points per game on 47% field goal shooting. Simon played a total of 64 games in the 2012–13 season, a career-high for him at the time. Although, Simon and his teammates were not able to make the finals in the first two conferences, being knocked out in the semi-finals in the Philippine Cup and Commissioner's Cup. In the Governors' Cup, they made a finals appearance and became the eventual champion, beating its sister team

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 ...

in a tightly contested seven-game series. Simon averaged 12.8 points in 28.0 minutes of action in 64 games. The

2013–14 PBA season The 2013–14 PBA season was the 39th season of the Philippine Basketball Association. The season formally opened on November 17, 2013, and finished on July 9, 2014. The league continued to use the three-conference format, starting with the Phil ...

was probably the best season for Simon. Aside of him and the Mixers winning a rare

in the 2013–14 season, he was a part of the PBA Second Mythical Team along with teammate

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 ...

, Paul Lee,

Sonny Thoss Joachim Gunther "Sonny" Thoss (born December 7, 1981) is a German-Filipino former professional basketball player. He played his entire career in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) with the Alaska Aces, where his jersey number is retire ...

, and Rookie of the Year

Greg Slaughter Gregory William Slaughter (born May 19, 1988) is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for the Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka of the B2 League. He was selected first overall by the Barangay Ginebra in the 2013 PBA draft. Sports commentators ...

. Simon was also awarded 2013–14 PBA Mr. Quality Minutes by the PBA Press Corps Simon and also scored the most 2-point shots and the most number of total points among other players during the 2013–14 season. Thanks to his great performance off the bench, playing in a new career high 66 games and playing at an average of 28.4 minutes per game and scoring 13.5 points per game, he was a vital part of San Mig's Grand Slam season. Despite finishing the elimination round of all the three conferences at a combined 18–18 win–loss record, with their Commissioner's Cup record at 4–5, a losing record, they still cruised past their opponents, with Simon being a vital part of the offense, providing outside shooting off the bench.

PBA career statistics

Season-by-season averages

, - , align="left" , , align="left" , Purefoods , 62 , , 14.9 , , .448 , , .309 , , .744 , , 1.7 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , .1 , , 6.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Purefoods , 28 , , 9.6 , , .383 , , .258 , , .805 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .2 , , 0 , , 4.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Purefoods , 39 , , 21.6 , , .476 , , .443 , , .798 , , 3.1 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , .1 , , 12.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Purefoods , 50 , , 22.7 , , .470 , , .304 , , .737 , , 2.5 , , .8 , , .5 , , .1 , , 13.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Purefoods , 27 , , 24.7 , , .498 , , .366 , , .728 , , 2.4 , , .9 , , .4 , , .1 , , 14.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Purefoods / B-Meg , 52 , , 13.4 , , .399 , , .333 , , .698 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , .1 , , .1 , , 5.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , B-Meg , 42 , , 31.6 , , .506 , , .372 , , .771 , , 3.4 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , .1 , , 17.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , B-Meg , 58 , , 30.6 , , .479 , , .323 , , .733 , , 3.9 , , 1.5 , , .6 , , .3 , , 12.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , San Mig Coffee , 64 , , 28.0 , , .463 , , .321 , , .767 , , 3.4 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , .1 , , 12.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , San Mig Super Coffee , 66 , , 28.4 , , .479 , , .358 , , .722 , , 3.4 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , .1 , , 13.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Purefoods / Star , 41 , , 21.5 , , .489 , , .377 , , .765 , , 2.1 , , .7 , , .3 , , .0 , , 9.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Star , 36 , , 26.0 , , .466 , , .454 , , .783 , , 2.3 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , .1 , , 12.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Star , 46 , , 12.9 , , .426 , , .340 , , .778 , , 1.5 , , .9 , , .1 , , .1 , , 5.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Magnolia , 49 , , 10.8 , , .430 , , .425 , , .691 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , .2 , , .0 , , 5.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Magnolia , 26 , , 6.9 , , .413 , , .297 , , .889 , , .7 , , .4 , , .1 , , .0 , , 3.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Magnolia , 1 , , 11.4 , , .667 , , .000 , , .000 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 4.0 , -class=sortbottom , align=center colspan=2 , Career , 687 , , 21.0 , , .467 , , .357 , , .753 , , 2.4 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , .1 , , 10.1

Personal life

Simon is the youngest in the brood of three of Pedro Simon, Jr., a teacher and the late Cristina. He is the only athlete in the family, although his father played some basketball but not in the commercial leagues. After his mother succumbed to cancer, his father remarried. From his father and stepmother Flor, Simon has a half-brother and a half-sister.Surprise for Simon
" SPORTING CHANCE By Joaquin Henson,

The Philippine Star ''The Philippine Star'' (self-styled ''The Philippine STAR'') is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines and the flagship brand of the Philstar Media Group. First published on July 28, 1986, by veteran journalists Betty Go-Belmonte, ...

, May 1, 2008 His older siblings are Maricris and Anthony, both have families of their own and are based in North Cotabato. Simon is a member of

Victory Christian Fellowship Victory Christian Fellowship of the Philippines, Inc. is an evangelical multi-site church based in Taguig City, the Philippines. It is a member of Every Nation Churches. History Victory was started by missionaries Steve and Deborah Murrell, wh ...

. Along with close friend and Purefoods teammate

, Simon guested at

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...

Pinoy Big Brother ''Pinoy Big Brother'', more popularly known by its abbreviated title ''PBB'', is the Philippine version of the '' Big Brother'' reality game show franchise. The word '' Pinoy'' in the title is a colloquial term for the Filipino people. Is a Phi ...

on April 23, 2008.

References

External links

PeterJuneSimon.com – Official WebsitePeter June Simon's PBA.ph profileCreative Work 4 Purefoods
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Peter June 1980 births Living people Basketball players from Davao City Filipino Christians Filipino men's basketball players Magnolia Hotshots players People from Cotabato Philippine Basketball Association All-Stars Philippine Basketball Association players with retired numbers Shooting guards Sta. Lucia Realtors draft picks UM Wildcats basketball players