The San Juan Kings, previously known as the San Juan Knights, are a 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 ...

team representing

San Juan, Metro Manila San Juan, officially the City of San Juan ( fil, Lungsod ng San Juan), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 126,347 people. It is geographica ...

. They played 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 ...

(MBA) from 1999 to 2001, 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) since 2018, the

Filbasket The Filipino Basketball League, also known as Filbasket, is a professional basketball league founded in 2021 in the Philippines. Its first season was launched on October 28, 2021, featured eleven teams and ran for a period of 26 days. AICC Man ...

since 2021, and the

Pilipinas Super League The Pilipinas Super League (PSL) is a professional basketball league in the Philippines. History The Pilipinas Super League (PSL) was founded in December 2021 by former officials of another league; the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup. It was estab ...

(PSL) since 2022. They also participated in the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3. The team has been enjoying considerable success, winning the MBA National Championship in 2000 and the MBA first phase conference in 2001, as well as the MPBL National Championship in 2019. The Kings played their home games at the

PhilSports Arena The Philippine Institute of Sports Multi-Purpose Arena or PhilSports Arena is an indoor arena, indoor sporting arena located inside the PhilSports Complex in Pasig, Philippines. It was formerly known as the University of Life Theater and Recre ...

in 1999 to early 2000, the

San Juan Gym The San Juan Gymnasium is an indoor sporting arena in San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines. The arena was home to the Pilipinas MX3 Kings of the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) and has played host to a number of basketball games of the Philippine ...

in 2000, and in the

Filoil EcoOil Centre The Filoil EcoOil Centre, formerly Filoil Flying V Centre, Filoil Flying V Arena and The Arena in San Juan, also known as the Entertainment and Recreational Arena of the People (initials taken after former mayor and president Joseph Estrada's nic ...

since 2018.

History

The San Juan team, owned by former San Juan Mayor and Philippine senator

Jinggoy Estrada Jose Pimentel Ejercito Jr. (; born February 17, 1963), also known as Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada or simply Jinggoy Estrada, is a Filipino politician, film actor, and producer serving as a Senator since 2022, and previously from 2004 to 2016. H ...

and businessman Sandy Javier, was accepted in the league's second season in 1999, along with two others; Surigao and Nueva Ecija. San Juan was called Knights in reference to the concepts of gallantry and bravery. During the pre-season, the team was able to snare 6-9 man-mountain

Bonel Balingit Bonel P. Balingit (born November 30, 1967), also known as The Gentle Giant and Man-Mountain, is a Filipino retired professional basketball player who played as a center. Basketball career The hulking Bonel played for the University of the Visaya ...

from the PBA, offering him a three-year, P16 million contract. They also acquired playmaker and last year's member of the MBA mythical five -

Gherome Ejercito Gherome Eric Angeles Ejercito (; born March 19, 1977) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. He last played for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the Philippine Basketball Association. He also first played from the Pampanga Dra ...

, who was released by the

Pampanga Dragons The Pampanga Dragons were a professional basketball team of the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998 to 2000 and in 2002 as Pampanga Stars. The team was owned by Jose Antonio Gonzales II and was named Dragons because the father ...

since San Juan was owned by Gherome's cousin Jinggoy Estrada. The other Knights includes Christian Calaguio, 1998 NCAA Most Valuable Player, and point guard Chito Victolero. In April 2018, San Juan Knights returned to competitive basketball when it joined the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League, a then-newly established regional basketball league. In addition, the Knights was also known as San Juan Knights-Go for Gold powered by Big J Sports due to their sponsorship with Powerball Marketing & Logistics Corporation and its Go for Gold program along with Big J Sports; Big J was also sponsored another MPBL team,

Navotas Clutch The Navotas Uni-Pak Sardines were a professional basketball that last played in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). The team was one of the MPBL's charter teams and is the only one currently inactive. The team played its home games ...

, with PMLC also already owns the Go for Gold Scratchers basketball team in the

PBA Developmental 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 Phil ...

Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA)

MBA national championship

In the MBA's third season in 2000, the San Juan Knights captured the national title, they swept

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 ...

in the best-of-three semifinals and scored a 3–1 series victory over

Manila Metrostars The Manila Metrostars were a professional basketball team in the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998 to 2001. The team was the 1999 MBA National Champions and holds the MBA record of winning 22 consecutive games during the sa ...

in the Northern Conference finals. For the national championship, the Knights defeated the

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 ...

, four games to two, in the best-of-seven series. The fifth game had a debris-throwing incident at the University of St.La Salle Coliseum in Bacolod City. The Knights were way ahead, 87–65, with 11 minutes and 38 seconds left in the fourth quarter when play was stopped. The Negros Slashers conceded Game five, giving the San Juan Knights a 3–2 edge in the series with Game six to be held at San Juan's homecourt - San Juan Coliseum.

Head coaches

Philip Cezar Philip Dudley Cezar (born December 1, 1952) is a Filipino former basketball coach, player and politician. Known by the monikers "Mr. Stretch", "''Tapal'' King" and "The Scholar", he was part of the fabled Crispa Redmanizers ballclub of the Phil ...

MPBL roster

Head coaches

* Randy Alcantara (2018–present)

Notable players

MBA

* Randy Alcantara *

* Vilmer Banares *

Chris Calaguio Christian Jay Calaguio (born December 26, 1975, in Makati, Philippines) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. He last played for the San Miguel Beermen in the Philippine Basketball Association. He is a former San Beda Red Cub cage ...

* Danny Capobres * Gilbert Castillo *

Bruce Dacia The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been ...

* Rudy Distrito *

Kalani Ferreria Kalani may refer to: * Kalani (name), list of people with the name * Kalani (percussionist) or Kalani Das, American percussionist, clinician, performer, author, and educator * Kalani (''Star Wars''), a Separatist tactical droid in the ''Star Wars ...

* Philip Newton * Michael Otto *

Rafi Reavis Rafael Reavis (born July 27, 1977) is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for the Magnolia Hotshots of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Professional career Reavis first played for the San Juan Knights in the Metropol ...

* Omanzie Rodriguez *

Chito Victolero Ercito Victolero, known as Chito Victolero (born November 29, 1975) in Santa Maria, Bulacan, is a former Filipino professional basketball player and current coach. He is currently the head coach of the Magnolia Hotshots of the Philippine Basketba ...

MPBL

Mark Cardona Mark Reynan Mikesell Cardona (born November 13, 1981) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Boracay Islanders of the Pilipinas Super League. From a successful college career with the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers, ...

(2018–2020) * Jam Cortes (2018–2019) *

Samboy de Leon Rodel N. de Leon (born March 9, 1992) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the TNT Tropang Giga of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Prior to turning professional, he played for the Cafe France-CEU Bakers of the PBA Develo ...

(2018) * Larry Rodriguez (2018–2021) * John Wilson (2018–2021)

Filbasket

Rhenz Abando Rhenz Joseph Mamuyac Abando (born March 11, 1998) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Anyang KGC of the Korean Basketball League (KBL). College career Abando played two years at Philippine College of Science and Technology ...

(2021) * Justin Gutang (2021–2022)

MPBL records

References

{{MPBL Basketball teams established in 1999 1999 establishments in the Philippines Sports teams in Metro Manila Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League teams Metropolitan Basketball Association teams