Solomon Jemuel Rayos Mercado (born May 6, 1984) is a Filipino-American former professional basketball 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 ...

(PBA).

Professional career

Rain or Shine Elasto Painters

Mercado was originally drafted by the Alaska Aces as the fifth pick in the 2008 PBA draft. However, he was immediately traded to the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, together with

Eddie Laure Eddie Bicoy Laure (born July 6, 1977) is a Filipino former professional basketball player and politician. Known by many as The Dominator and more recently, The Bounty Hunter for his daring and stunning ability to search and get loose balls on t ...

for

Joe Devance Joe Calvin Devance Jr. (born February 19, 1982) is a Filipino-American former professional basketball player who won 12 championships over the course of his career with the Alaska Aces, the Magnolia franchise, and the Barangay Ginebra San Migu ...

and the 2009 and 2010 second round picks of Alaska. With all the focus on

Gabe Norwood Gabriel Daniel Viloria Norwood (born February 9, 1985) is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He played college basketball at George Mason Uni ...

, that year's first pick overall, and not much hype he scored a record 29 points in his rookie debut game, the highest since

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 ...

scored 32 points for Mobiline in his debut. Since then, he slowly became one of the PBA's elite point guards.

PBA Fiesta Conference 2009

If not for a hamstring injury that sidelined him in a couple of games into their semifinal series 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 ...

, Rain or Shine would have gone farther in the Fiesta Conference. A member of the All-Rookie Team, Mercado finished second to teammate

for Rookie of the Year honors. Mercado emerged as the team's top scorer with 13.5 points per game and his 4.5 assists per night did not only lead the team but was also number 6 overall among locals. The only glitch in his rookie season was his 2.9 turnovers per game which ranked seventh overall and led the rookies in that category.

Sophomore Season (Philippine Cup)

He has been the team's cornerstone as he always led the Painters to winning games. Against 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 a knockout game, he scored 28 points to lead them. But unfortunately they would end up short after losing to the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants.

PBA Fiesta Conference 2010

He averaged 17.7 points in the eliminations then had a 45-point outburst against the

B-Meg Derby Ace Llamados 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 ...

. In another knock out game against the

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

, he delivered crucial plays, despite fouling out, in a come from behind win. Against the Llamados in Game 3, he almost recorded a triple double with 16 points 15 assists 9 rebounds. But, in Game 5 of the series, they lost to the Llamados.

Meralco Bolts

Before the start of the

2011 PBA Commissioner's Cup The 2011 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner's Cup was the second conference of the 2010–11 PBA season. The tournament began on February 18 and ended on May 8, 2011. The tournament was an import-laden format, which requires an ...

, he and

Jay-R Reyes Jay-R C. Reyes (born July 16, 1984) is a Filipino former professional basketball player who last played for the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters of the Philippine Basketball Association. Professional career Reyes was the youngest player in the 200 ...

were among the eight players involved in the three-way trade between Meralco, Rain or Shine and

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 ...

in what was easily one of the biggest trades that happened in that season. Mercado, along with

Paolo Bugia Ramon Paolo Vlajar Bugia (born January 19, 1981) is a Filipino former professional basketball player and executive who currently serves as the team manager for the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). H ...

were shipped to the Bolts for Beau Belga. He was still able to perform the same way he did with the Elasto Painters. However, it was not enough for the Bolts to past the eliminations of the latter conference.

GlobalPort Batang Pier

Before the start of the 2013 PBA Commissioner's Cup, he along with

Kelly Nabong Kelly Berry Nabong (born November 17, 1988) is a Filipino-American basketball player for the Blackwater Bossing of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He was selected 17th overall in the 2012 PBA draft by the Rain or Shine Elasto Painte ...

, Jaypee Belencion and

Yousif Aljamal Yousif B. Aljamal Jr. (born in Pampanga on June 14, 1983) is a Filipino former professional basketball player who last played for the GlobalPort Batang Pier in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He is also a former NCAA Most Valuable P ...

were traded to

GlobalPort Batang Pier The NorthPort Batang Pier is a Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) team that first played in the 2012–13 PBA season. The team took over the franchise of the Powerade Tigers in 2012 after it was sold to Sultan 900 Capital, Inc. Besides Nor ...

for

Rey Guevarra Rey Francis J. Guevarra (born November 24, 1986) is a Filipino professional basketball player who last played for the Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Guevarra was selected by the Air21 Express third ov ...

Vic Manuel ឴ Victorino Aranas Manuel (born June 18, 1987) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the San Miguel Beermen of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Amateur career Manuel possessed tremendous athleticism and agility uncommon ...

Josh Vanlandingham Joshua Thomas "Josh" Vanlandingham (born January 22, 1984) is an American-born Filipino-German former professional basketball player. He last played for the Alaska Aces of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Born in Snohomish, Washington ...

and 2015 first round pick.

San Miguel Beermen

Before the start of the

2014 PBA Commissioner's Cup The 2014 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner's Cup, also known as the 2014 PLDT Home TVolution-PBA Commissioner's Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the second conference of the 2013–14 PBA season. The tournament started on Ma ...

, Mercado was traded to San Miguel in exchange 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 for ...

. At the start of 2014 PBA Governors' Cup, Mercado changed his jersey number from 0 to 7.

Return to GlobalPort

Before the 2014–15 PBA Philippine Cup trade deadline, just before the playoffs, Mercado was traded back to GlobalPort, together with San Miguel's 2018 and 2019 second round picks, in exchange for Cabagnot.

Barako Bull Energy

On January 8, 2015 Mercado was traded again by GlobalPort, this time to Barako Bull which gave up

Denok Miranda Dennis Ellera "Denok" Miranda (born July 14, 1982), is a Filipino professional basketball player who last played for the Laguna Heroes of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). He was drafted third overall by Coca-Cola Tigers, Coca-Co ...

and a 2016 second round pick.

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel

On May 4, 2015 before the start of

2015 PBA Governors' Cup The 2014–15 PBA season, 2015 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) PBA Governors' Cup, Governors' Cup, also known as the 2015 Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company, PLDT Home TVolution-PBA Governors' Cup for sponsor (commercial), sponsors ...

Mercado was traded to Barangay Ginebra in exchange of

Joseph Yeo Joseph Henry Lim Yeo (born September 7, 1983) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Manila Stars of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). He was drafted third overall by the Coca-Cola Tigers in 2006. Amateur career Y ...

. Mercado promised that he will do anything for Ginebra because he says he is in his best shape of his career. Mercado debuted for Barangay Ginebra on May 8, 2015 against the team that drafted him, the Alaska Aces, but his new team lost.

PBA career statistics

Season-by-season averages

, - , align=left , , align=left , Rain or Shine , 36 , , 31.1 , , .389 , , .263 , , .622 , , 3.3 , , 4.5 , , .8 , , .1 , , 13.5 , - , align=left , , align=left , Rain or Shine , 46 , , 34.5 , , .413 , , .315 , , .683 , , 3.8 , , 4.6 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 16.7 , - , align=left rowspan=2, , align=left , Rain or Shine , rowspan=2, 29 , , rowspan=2, 37.1 , , rowspan=2, .393 , , rowspan=2, .282 , , rowspan=2, .592 , , rowspan=2, 5.0 , , rowspan=2, 4.8 , , rowspan=2, 1.1 , , rowspan=2, .2 , , rowspan=2, 17.7 , - , 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 ...

, - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 37 , , 31.5 , , .384 , , .266 , , .551 , , 3.6 , , 3.8 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 13.6 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 37 , , 35.5 , , .393 , , .272 , , .691 , , 3.6 , , 6.9 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 16.2 , - , align=left rowspan=2, , align=left , GlobalPort , rowspan=2, 33 , , rowspan=2, 30.6 , , rowspan=2, .375 , , rowspan=2, .191 , , rowspan=2, .646 , , rowspan=2, 3.3 , , rowspan=2, 4.2 , , rowspan=2, .6 , , rowspan=2, .1 , , rowspan=2, 12.3 , - , align=left , San Miguel , - , align=left rowspan=4, , align=left , San Miguel , rowspan=4, 33 , , rowspan=4, 26.7 , , rowspan=4, .390 , , rowspan=4, .200 , , rowspan=4, .651 , , rowspan=4, 2.9 , , rowspan=4, 3.8 , , rowspan=4, .7 , , rowspan=4, .1 , , rowspan=4, 8.5 , - , align=left , GlobalPort , - , align=left , Barako Bull , - , align=left ,

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 ...

, - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 48 , , 25.0 , , .410 , , .324 , , .565 , , 2.7 , , 3.2 , , .5 , , .1 , , 8.1 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 57 , , 24.4 , , .394 , , .250 , , .561 , , 3.2 , , 3.3 , , .7 , , .2 , , 7.8 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 44 , , 20.6 , , .408 , , .321 , , .625 , , 2.4 , , 2.5 , , .8 , , .3 , , 6.5 , - , align=left rowspan=2, , align=left ,

, rowspan=2, 39 , , rowspan=2, 19.6 , , rowspan=2, .415 , , rowspan=2, .278 , , rowspan=2, .535 , , rowspan=2, 2.6 , , rowspan=2, 2.6 , , rowspan=2, .8 , , rowspan=2, .2 , , rowspan=2, 5.5 , - , align=left , NorthPort , - , -class=sortbottom , align=center colspan=2 , Career , 439 , , 28.3 , , .396 , , .275 , , .625 , , 3.3 , , 3.9 , , .8 , , .2 , , 11.1

International career

Mercado is also a member of the Philippine National Basketball team,

Smart Gilas 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 ...

. He was personally handpicked by

Rajko Toroman Rajko Toroman ( sr-Cyrl, Рајко Тороман; born February 10, 1955) is a Serbian professional basketball coach. Coaching career Before 2016, he served as a team consultant for the Barako Bull Energy Cola and the Petron Blaze Boosters i ...

alongside

Kelly Williams Kelly Williams (born February 7, 1982) is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for the TNT Tropang Giga in the PBA. He played collegiate basketball at Oakland University, an NCAA Division I school in the United States, and he ...

and

. He played for the Philippines in the

2010 Asian Games The 2010 Asian Games (), officially known as the XVI Asian Games () and also known as Guangzhou 2010 (), was a regional multi-sport event celebrated from November 12 to November 27, 2010 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, although several events ...

and the 2012 William Jones Cup.

Philippine Team Statistics

, - , align="left" , 2012 William Jones Cup , align="left" ,

, 8 , , 17.25 , , .178 , , 0.00 , , .575 , , 3.125 , , 2.875 , , 0.5 , , 0.125 , , 5.63

Personal life

Mercado is previously engaged to actress

Denise Laurel Denise María Sanz Laurel (born September 30, 1987), better known as Denise Laurel, is a Filipino actress and singer. She is half-Spanish and half-Filipino. She is a granddaughter of former vice president Salvador Laurel and great-granddaughte ...

. However, on October 20, 2016, a day after Ginebra won their first title after 8 years, Laurel announced through her Instagram account that they have ended their relationship.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercado, Solomon 1984 births Living people Barako Bull Energy players Barangay Ginebra San Miguel players Basketball players at the 2010 Asian Games Basketball players from California Biola Eagles men's basketball players NorthPort Batang Pier players Meralco Bolts players Philippine Basketball Association All-Stars Philippines men's national basketball team players Filipino men's basketball players Point guards Rain or Shine Elasto Painters players San Miguel Beermen players Shooting guards American men's basketball players Asian Games competitors for the Philippines Alaska Aces (PBA) draft picks American sportspeople of Filipino descent Citizens of the Philippines through descent People from Yolo County, California