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 the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), but after two seasons, he moved to the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers in the Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States.

College career

UAAP

Japeth Aguilar suited up as a college

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

for the Ateneo de Manila University

Blue Eagles The Blue Eagles were the helicopter aerobatic team of the British Army Air Corps. It was one of only eight professional helicopter teams in the world, along with the Royal Navy Black Cats, Sarang of the Indian Air Force, the Scorpion aeroba ...

in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

. However, his first season stint was cut short due to appendicitis, but still managed to score 13 points, grab 11 rebounds and block 10 shots in 55 minutes of action in 10 games. On his sophomore year, he bounced back from a disappointing first season as he averaged 5.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.2 blocked shots per contest to help lead the Blue Eagles to a 10–4 finish in

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

. He scored in double digits on three occasions, while he just missed a double-double twice after posting nine points and a career-best 10 boards in Ateneo's season opener as well as 10 points and eight rebounds later in the year in a win over

Far Eastern University Far Eastern University (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Pamantasan ng Malayong Silanganan''), also referred to by its acronym FEU, is a Private university, private non-sectarian Liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Manila, Philippines ...

. Aguilar shot a high 55.4 percent from the field for the season, and he was credited with multiple blocks in 12 of the Blue Eagles’ 16 games — that included a career high of seven as well as two other contest with five or more. He led the University Athletic Association of the Philippines in rejections during his sophomore season, with a total of 48 blocks in 16 games.

NCAA Division I

Japeth Aguilar later transferred to Western Kentucky University, where he saw action with the Hilltoppers mostly as a reserve. He entered the NCAA as a junior in 2007. During the season, he posted eight points, eight rebounds, four blocked shots, three assists and two steals in just 32 minutes of action in the Hilltopper's first two contests. He recorded four points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals in his collegiate début against

Kennesaw State Kennesaw State University (KSU) is a public research university located in the state of Georgia with two different campuses in the Atlanta metropolitan area, one in Kennesaw and the other in Marietta on a combined of land. The school was found ...

on November 9, 2007. He then collected two points, five rebounds and a game-best three blocks on November 13 against Kentucky Wesleyan. He was injured in practice after the victory over

Kentucky Wesleyan Kentucky Wesleyan College (KWC) is a private Methodist college in Owensboro, Kentucky. The college is known for its liberal arts programs. Fall 2018 enrollment was 830 students. History Kentucky Wesleyan College was founded in 1858 by the Kent ...

and missed the rest of the year.

Return to the Philippines

Powerade Team Pilipinas

After his stint with the Hilltoppers and NBA tryouts, Aguilar returned to the Philippines to join the Gilas program to represent the Philippines coached by then Rajko Toroman and Chot Reyes mentored that captured the silver medal in 2013 FIBA Asia Cup in Manila and earned the berth that represented the country in World Basketball in Spain, which brings back the glory days of Philippine basketball in International Scene. Nonetheless, He played one of the vital cog in that tournament. Since he was not selected in the NBA draft - Nevertheless, he left the land of promise, pursued his basketball career in the PBA and became the first pick overall in the 2009 PBA draft.

PBA and Smart Gilas

As expected, the Burger King Whoppers nabbed Aguilar as its overall No.1 draft pick in the 2009 PBA draft; however days after the draft, he boldly declared that he would join the Smart Gilas Pilipinas developmental basketball program coached by Serbian Rajko Toroman, a move which caused controversy within the PBA and angst especially by the team that drafted him. PBA Governor Lito Alvarez even went to the extent of banning Aguilar from the league for his refusal to sign with the Whoppers. An amicable settlement was reached on October 9, 2009, two days before the 35th PBA season. With SBP president Manny Pangilinan and executive director Noli Eala intervening and at Alvarez's behest, Aguilar signed the one-year contract with the Whoppers. The deal required him to play a few games with the Burger King Whoppers after which he would be traded to Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters (Pangilinan's PBA team), which in turn would release him to Smart Gilas. Alvarez also pointed out that the No. 18 uniform was ready even before Aguilar signed the contract. Aguilar played his only professional game with the Whoppers against the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants in the PBA season opener, which ended in a 93–80 loss to the Giants. Immediately after, Aguilar got his wish as the Whoppers traded him to the Tropang Texters in exchange for future draft picks, indirectly through

Barako Bull Energy Boosters The Barako Bull Energy Boosters were a professional basketball team of the Philippine Basketball Association owned by the Photokina Marketing Corporation. They entered the league in 2000 after a successful stint in the semi-professional Philipp ...

which acted as the conduit team. As expected, TNT loaned him to Smart Gilas where he stayed until after the 2012 London Olympics Asian Qualifier as per his Gilas contract.

Pursuing the NBA dream

Aguilar is the first player born and raised in the Philippines to ever receive an invitation to work out with an NBA team. Days before the evaluation, Aguilar attended some open workouts hosted by the Bakersfield Jam of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

. Aguilar's team lost but he had managed to put up some notable statistics. He finished the game with 10 points (shooting five from nine field goal attempts), five blocks, four rebounds and an assist. His performance also included three dunks. In late September 2012, Aguilar was invited to a two-day workout with the New Orleans Hornets. Shortly after, in early October 2012, Aguilar worked out with NBA D-League team, the

Santa Cruz Warriors The Santa Cruz Warriors are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Santa Cruz, California, and are affiliated with the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors play their home games at Kaiser Permanente Arena. Prior to ...

. The Warriors expressed that they would draft him if he was still available when their turn came in the draft.

2012 NBA D-League draft

He was the 109th overall draft pick of the 2012 NBA D-League draft; drafted 13th in the 7th round.

Santa Cruz Warriors

On November 2, Japeth Aguilar's pursuit of his NBA dream got closer to reality after he became the first ever Filipino to be drafted in the NBA Development League. Santa Cruz Warriors, the D-League affiliate of the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

, selected Aguilar as the thirteenth pick in the seventh round, selected as 109th overall out of 139 players. Aguilar, who attended a series of workouts with several NBA teams before joining the NBA D-League draft, was described as a "work in progress" by the New Orleans Hornets talent scout Don Sellers. After surviving two cuts, Santa Cruz Warriors waived Aguilar on November 22. On December 5, Japeth Aguilar signs a Practice Player Contract with Santa Cruz Warriors, Japeth Aguilar has not given up on his attempt to make it into the NBA. After being the last man cut from the NBA D-League team, the Santa Cruz Warriors, he was offered a spot on the practice line-up which he has now put a signature on. Aguilar now hopes that he can slowly make his way onto the active line-up and then make some heads turn to maybe make an NBA team.

Return to PBA

After a failed attempt to play in NBA, he requested a trade from the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters. He was then traded to GlobalPort Batang Pier for

Rabeh Al-Hussaini Rabeh Ahmed T. Al-Hussaini (born August 11, 1988) is a Filipino professional basketball player who last played for the Blackwater Elite of the PBA. A power forward/center, he played five seasons for the Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles in the Univer ...

. On June 11, 2013, GlobalPort was part of a 4-team trade and Aguilar was sent to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (2013–present)

Aguilar was paired with

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 ...

and they were dubbed the "Twin Towers". He is able to show his athleticism and jumping ability by routinely making a dunk almost every game and swatting shots. In his first game for the Kings, Aguilar tallied 18 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks against San Mig Super Coffee Mixers. He tallied his first double-double the next game against the

Rain or Shine Elasto Painters The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association owned by Asian Coatings Philippines, Inc. It debuted in the league in the 2006–07 PBA season after acquiring the franchise righ ...

by logging 19 points and 10 rebounds. In a December 8, 2013 game against his former team Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters, Aguilar knocked down a 3-point shot to give the Kings a 97–95 lead with 1.1 seconds remaining. In the subsequent play, he blocked the game-tying field goal attempt by Ranidel de Ocampo to secure the victory. He finished the game with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 7 blocks in 38 minutes. On December 28, 2013 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 ...

, he knocked down the game winning 3 point shot at the buzzer to attain an 83–82 victory. He finished the game with 15 points and 11 rebounds. With his newfound confidence, he now leads the team in scoring, and is one of the leading candidates for Best Player of the Conference trophy in the

2013–14 PBA Philippine Cup The 2013–14 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup, also known as the 2013–14 PLDT Home DSL/myDSL-PBA Philippine Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the first conference of the 2013–14 PBA season. The tournament started on ...

, trailing statistical points leader

June Mar Fajardo June Mar Sotto Fajardo (; born November 17, 1989) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the San Miguel Beermen of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He is also known by his nickname "The Kraken” for his extraordinary siz ...

. On October 14, 2016 he was recognized during the PBA Leo Awards Night as he was named to the PBA All-Defensive Team and PBA Mythical Second Team. On January 6, 2022, Aguilar signed a three-year contract extension with Barangay Ginebra.

Career statistics

PBA

''As of the end of 2021 season''

Season-by-season averages

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Burger King Burger King (BK) is an American-based multinational chain store, chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida–based res ...

, 1 , , 24.0 , , .333 , , .000 , , .600 , , 9.0 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , 1.0 , , 10.0 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

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 ...

, 52 , , 15.4 , , .450 , , .125 , , .664 , , 4.1 , , .5 , , .3 , , 1.3 , , 6.6 , - , align=left rowspan=2, , align=left , GlobalPort , rowspan=2, 18 , , rowspan=2, 25.2 , , rowspan=2, .420 , , rowspan=2, .267 , , rowspan=2, .667 , , rowspan=2, 6.2 , , rowspan=2, 1.1 , , rowspan=2, .4 , , rowspan=2, 1.8 , , rowspan=2, 9.6 , - , 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 ,

, 43 , , 30.4 , , .508 , , .200 , , .668 , , 7.6 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 2.1 , , 13.7 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 33 , , 25.0 , , .521 , , .400 , , .724 , , 7.6 , , .8 , , .3 , , 1.5 , , 11.6 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 49 , , 30.4 , , .499 , , .267 , , .682 , , 7.0 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , 1.7 , , 13.7 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 62 , , 29.8 , , .506 , , .234 , , .686 , , 7.8 , , 1.5 , , .3 , , 1.9 , , 13.9 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 52 , , 28.4 , , .553 , , .270 , , .691 , , 7.0 , , 1.8 , , .5 , , 1.2 , , 16.4 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 52 , , 27.9 , , .562 , , .375 , , .593 , , 6.8 , , 1.7 , , .5 , , 1.6 , , 14.5 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 22 , , 29.8 , , .573 , , .250 , , .615 , , 8.3 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , 1.4 , , 15.6 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 25 , , 27.9 , , .541 , , .000 , , .692 , , 5.4 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 1.4 , , 13.0 , -class=sortbottom , align="center" colspan="2" , Career , 409 , , 27.0 , , .520 , , .258 , , .669 , , 6.8 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , 1.6 , , 13.0

National team

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2009 FIBA Asia Championship The 2009 FIBA Asia Championship for Men was the biennial Asian continental championship and also served as the FIBA Asia qualifying tournament for the 2010 FIBA World Championship. The tournament was held from August 6 to 16, 2009 in Tianjin, China ...

, align=left rowspan="11" , , 6 , , 13.5 , , .526 , , .000 , , .667 , , 3.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 4.3 , - , align=left ,

2011 William Jones Cup The 2011 TAIYEN William Jones Cup was the 33rd tournament of the William Jones Cup that took place at the Hsinchuang Gymnasium in New Taipei, Republic of China (commonly known as Taiwan) from August 6 to 13, 2011. Men's tournament Squads South Af ...

, 9 , , 21.5 , , .545 , , .000 , , .647 , , 4.0 , , 1.1 , , 0.4 , , 1.9 , , 6.6 , - , align=left ,

2011 FIBA Asia Championship The 2011 FIBA Asia Championship for Men is the intercontinental championship for basketball organized by FIBA Asia that doubles as a qualifying tournament for the Basketball at the Summer Olympics, men's basketball tournament of the 2012 Summer Oly ...

, 5 , , 8.2 , , .565 , , .000 , , .700 , , 3.2 , , 0.0 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 6.6 , - , align=left ,

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 ...

, 9 , , 15.0 , , .541 , , .000 , , .800 , , 3.9 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 0.9 , , 5.8 , - , align=left ,

2014 FIBA Asia Cup 2014 FIBA Asia Cup was the 5th FIBA Asia Cup, a top-level international basketball tournament of FIBA Asia. The tournament was held in Wuhan, Hubei, China from 11–19 July 2014. Iran won the tournament by defeating Chinese Taipei 89–79 in the f ...

, 6 , , 13.7 , , .500 , , .000 , , .625 , , 2.8 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.9 , , 5.2 , - , align=left ,

2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup The 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 17th edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the tournament previously known as the FIBA World Championship. Hosted by Spain, it was the last tournament to be held on the then-current four-year cycle ...

, 4 , , 7.5 , , .400 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.5 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.5 , - , align=left , 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament , 1 , , 2.3 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , - , align=left ,

2017 FIBA Asia Cup The 2017 FIBA Asia Cup (formerly known as the FIBA Asia Championship) was the 29th continental basketball championship in Asia. The tournament was organised by FIBA Asia. It took place from 8 to 20 August 2017, a week earlier from the initial sche ...

, 6 , , 23.5 , , .389 , , .500 , , .583 , , 6.3 , , 1.2 , , 0.0 , , 1.8 , , 6.0 , - , align=left ,

2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification was the first FIBA Basketball World Cup, World Cup for which teams had to qualify for under the new qualification system. The process determined 31 out of the 32 teams that participated at the 2019 ...

, 11 , , 16.2 , , .524 , , .200 , , .706 , , 3.4 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 0.8 , , 5.2 , - , align=left ,

2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 18th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men's national basketball teams. The tournament was hosted in China and was rescheduled from 2018 to 2019, becoming the first since 1967 FIBA World Ch ...

, 5 , , 20.9 , , .367 , , .250 , , .500 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.2 , , 4.8 , - , align=left ,

2019 Southeast Asian Games The 2019 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 30th Southeast Asian Games, or the 30th SEA Games, and commonly known as Philippines 2019, was the 30th edition of the Southeast Asian Games, a biennial regional multi-sport event which ...

, 5 , , 13.4 , , .625 , , .000 , , .560 , , 5.4 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 0.6 , , 7.0

NCAA

, - , align=left , 2007–2008 , align=left rowspan="2" , Western Kentucky , 3 , , , , 13.3 , , .400 , , .000 , , 0.8, , 3.3 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.3 , , 2.7 , - , align=left , 2008–2009 , 14 , , , , 5.1 , , .563 , , .000 , , 0.6, , 0.9 , , 0.0 , , 0.1 , , 0.4 , , 1.5

Esports

In 2018, Japeth Aguilar became a Mobile Legends: Bang Bang ambassador for the LIGA event relating the esport game to basketball. Aguilar said that MLBB shares common characteristics with basketball where players form a bond and work together as a team.

Personal life

Aguilar's father, Peter, was also a basketball player in the PBA. In October 2019, Aguilar married his longtime girlfriend and former beauty queen Cassandra Naidas.

References

External links

WKUSports.com – Japeth Aguilar Player Profile

CBSSports.com – NCAA Basketball – Japeth Aguilar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aguilar, Japeth 1987 births Living people Barako Bull Energy players Barangay Ginebra San Miguel players Basketball players at the 2010 Asian Games Basketball players at the 2014 Asian Games Basketball players from Pampanga Centers (basketball) Kapampangan people Filipino expatriate basketball people in the United States NorthPort Batang Pier players Mapúa University alumni Philippine Basketball Association All-Stars Philippines men's national basketball team players Filipino men's basketball players Power forwards (basketball) Small forwards TNT Tropang Giga players Ateneo Blue Eagles men's basketball players Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball players 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup players Asian Games competitors for the Philippines 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup players Southeast Asian Games gold medalists for the Philippines Southeast Asian Games competitors for the Philippines Southeast Asian Games medalists in basketball Competitors at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games Barako Bull Energy draft picks