The 2014–15 PBA season was the 40th season of the
Philippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines, composed of twelve company-branded Franchising, franchise teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia ...
(PBA). The season formally opened on October 19, 2014, and finished on July 17, 2015. The league continued to use the three-conference format, starting with the
Philippine Cup. The
Commissioner's Cup and the
Governors' Cup were the second and third conferences for this season, respectively.
This was also the first season that the league had 12 regular teams. The two new teams were
Kia Sorento
The Kia Sorento () is a series of two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive family SUVs manufactured by the South Korean manufacturer Kia since 2002 through four generations. Initially a compact SUV built on a body-on-frame chassis, the second-g ...
and
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 started as one of the founding teams in the ...
. Although the
NLEX Road Warriors
The NLEX Road Warriors is a professional basketball team owned by Manila North Tollways Corporation, NLEX Corporation, a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) since the 2014 ...
had been approved as an
expansion team
An expansion team is a new team in a sports league, usually from a city that has not hosted a team in that league before, formed with the intention of satisfying the demand for a local team from a population in a new area. Sporting leagues also ...
, their owners instead opted to buy the
Air21 Express franchise.
The first event of the season was the
2014 PBA Expansion Draft in July, for expansion teams
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 started as one of the founding teams in the ...
and
Kia Sorento
The Kia Sorento () is a series of two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive family SUVs manufactured by the South Korean manufacturer Kia since 2002 through four generations. Initially a compact SUV built on a body-on-frame chassis, the second-g ...
, followed by the
2014 PBA draft, held on August 24, 2014.
This season previously held the record for most games played overall in a season, having 257 games played throughout the whole year. It surpassed the previous record of 249 games, previously set during the
2012–13 season. This record was later broken the
following season.
Board of governors
Executive committee
*
Chito Salud
Angelico Tiu Salud (born June 17, 1962), better known as Chito Salud, is a Filipino lawyer and sports executive who currently serves as team governor of the Converge Fiber Xers in PBA. He was the first president and CEO of the Philippine Basket ...
(Commissioner)
*
Patrick Gregorio (Chairman, representing Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters)
* Robert Non (Vice-Chairman, representing San Miguel Beermen)
* Eric Arejola (Treasurer, representing GlobalPort Batang Pier)
Teams
Arenas
Like several
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...
-centric leagues, most games are held at arenas within
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...
, and sometimes,
Antipolo
Antipolo, officially the City of Antipolo (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Rizal (province), Rizal, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, ...
. Games outside this area are called "out-of-town" games, and are usually played on Saturdays. Provincial arenas usually host one game, rarely two; these arenas typically host only once per season, but could return occasionally.
Main arenas
Out-of-town arenas
Aside from games outside
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...
and
Antipolo
Antipolo, officially the City of Antipolo (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Rizal (province), Rizal, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, ...
, the PBA played two games outside the Philippines, in
Dubai
Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
. It was the second time the league held games in the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
.
Transactions
Player movement
*The
expansion draft
An expansion draft, in professional sports, occurs when a sports league decides to create one or more new expansion teams or sports franchising, franchises. This occurs mainly in Sports in North America, North American sports and closed leagues. O ...
for incoming teams
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 started as one of the founding teams in the ...
and
Kia Sorento
The Kia Sorento () is a series of two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive family SUVs manufactured by the South Korean manufacturer Kia since 2002 through four generations. Initially a compact SUV built on a body-on-frame chassis, the second-g ...
was held on July 18, 2014.
Danny Ildefonso
Danilo Cabonitalla Ildefonso (born December 9, 1976) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. He currently serves as an assistant coach for both the Converge FiberXers of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and the NU Bulld ...
of the
Meralco Bolts and
Reil Cervantes of
Barako Bull Energy
The Barako Bull Energy were a Philippine Basketball Association that began in 2002 as the FedEx Express.
From its first season until 2005, the team was dubbed as the FedEx Express before changing to Air21 Express. From the 2009 PBA Fiesta C ...
were selected as the first picks of Blackwater and Kia respectively.
Retirement
*January 9, 2015:
Jimmy Alapag formally announced his retirement during a press conference at the
Smart Araneta Coliseum
The Araneta Coliseum, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Smart Araneta Coliseum, is an indoor multi-purpose sports arena that is part of the Araneta City in the Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines. Nicknamed "the Big Dome" ...
prior to the second game of the
2014–15 PBA Philippine Cup finals between the
Alaska Aces and the
San Miguel Beermen
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 Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Magnolia ...
. However, he came out of retirement after nine months and played for two more seasons with the
Meralco Bolts. He later retired for the second time during the end of the
2015–16 season.
*May 18, 2015:
Kerby Raymundo officially announced his retirement.
Coaching changes
*July 9, 2014:
Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters head coach
Norman Black was moved to the
Meralco Bolts, replacing
Ryan Gregorio
Paul Ryan C. Gregorio (born April 7, 1972) and nicknamed by some as "Coach R.G." is a Filipino professional basketball coach.
He was head coach of the Meralco Bolts in the Philippine Basketball Association from 2010 to 2014. Gregorio began his ...
as head coach. Replacing Black in Talk 'N Text is assistant coach
Jong Uichico
Joseph Enrique "Jong" Floro Uichico (born July 15, 1962) is a Filipino professional basketball coach who is currently serving as the head coach of NLEX Road Warriors in the Philippine Basketball Association. Uichico is a former Philippine nati ...
.
*August 2, 2014:
Leo Austria was named as the head coach of the
San Miguel Beermen
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 Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Magnolia ...
. Coach
Biboy Ravanes was demoted to assistant coach and active consultant
Todd Purves will have a minimal role with the team.
*October 18, 2014:
Barako Bull Energy
The Barako Bull Energy were a Philippine Basketball Association that began in 2002 as the FedEx Express.
From its first season until 2005, the team was dubbed as the FedEx Express before changing to Air21 Express. From the 2009 PBA Fiesta C ...
fired head coach
Siot Tanquingcen
Bethune "Siot" Tanquingcen is a Filipino professional basketball head coach. He is currently an assistant coach for the NU Bulldogs and the NLEX Road Warriors.
As coach, Tanquingcen has won three PBA championships: two with Barangay Ginebra San M ...
. He was replaced by assistant coach
Koy Banal
*November 27, 2014:
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 N ...
appointed assistant coach
Eric Gonzales as the team's interim head coach, while former head coach
Pido Jarencio was reassigned as the team's consultant.
*January 5, 2015: Team manager
Alfrancis Chua
Alfrancis P. Chua (born January 17, 1966) is a Filipino sports executive and former basketball player and coach. He is currently the team manager of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and the sports director of San Miguel Corporation (SMC), overseei ...
announced the reappointment of
Ato Agustin as Ginebra head coach after two conferences with
Jeffrey Cariaso. Cariaso was then hired by Alaska as an assistant coach.
*March 30, 2015:
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel
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, Ginebra San Miguel, Inc. (formerly, La Tondeña Distiller ...
fired head coach
Ato Agustin. He was replaced by assistant coach
Frankie Lim.
*March 31, 2015:
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 N ...
reinstated consultant
Pido Jarencio as the team's head coach. Interim head coach
Eric Gonzales was relegated as the assistant coach.
Notable events
Pre-season
*The PBA's developmental league held its
annual draft at the PBA office in Libis, Quezon City on September 15.
Moala Tautuaa was selected by the
Cagayan Valley Rising Suns as the first pick of the draft.
*Team officials of the
San Mig Super Coffee Mixers announced that the team will be renamed as the ''
Purefoods Star Hotshots'' starting this season's Philippine Cup.
Philippine Cup
* The league's opening ceremonies and the first two games of the elimination round at the
Philippine Arena set the all-time indoor Philippine sports attendance record of 52,612.
*The
Grand Slam championship ring ceremony of the
Purefoods Star Hotshots (formerly known as the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers) was held on October 22, before the start of their game against the
Alaska Aces.
[ Mixers to retire Codiñera jersey](_blank)
Nelson Beltran, 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, ...
, October 11, 2014
*The
Purefoods Star Hotshots retired the
jersey numbers of
Rey Evangelista (#7) and
Jerry Codiñera (#44) on November 9, 2014, before their game against
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel
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, Ginebra San Miguel, Inc. (formerly, La Tondeña Distiller ...
.
The team also wore retro style jerseys with similarities from their 1988 uniforms.
Commissioner's Cup
*The
Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters retired the
jersey number of
Jimmy Alapag during the halftime of the
All-Star Game
An all-star game is an exhibition game that showcases the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or division, bu ...
in Puerto Princesa Coliseum, Palawan on March 5, 2015, where he was added as the 13th man of the South All-Stars.
*Columbian Autocar Corporation (CAC) announced that they will change the moniker of their PBA team to
Kia Carnival
The Kia Carnival () is a minivan manufactured by Kia since 1998. It is marketed globally under various nameplates, prominently as the Kia Sedona.
The first-generation Carnival was introduced in January 1998, and was marketed in a single, shor ...
for the Commissioner's Cup.
*On February 15, 2015, Commissioner
Chito Salud
Angelico Tiu Salud (born June 17, 1962), better known as Chito Salud, is a Filipino lawyer and sports executive who currently serves as team governor of the Converge Fiber Xers in PBA. He was the first president and CEO of the Philippine Basket ...
announced during a press conference at the
Mall of Asia Arena that he will resign as the commissioner of the league at the end of the 2014-15 season for personal reasons. The board of governors, led by chairman Patrick Gregorio told the media that a replacement will be named before the end of the ongoing Commissioner's Cup. The replacement will be assigned as the deputy commissioner at the start of the Governors' Cup.
*During the board of governors meeting on March 7, 2015, they have decided to restructure the league and create the president/
chief executive officer
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization.
CEOs find roles in variou ...
position to manage the league's marketing, expansion and business related matters. The commissioner position (which will also be the league's
chief operating officer
A chief operating officer (COO), also called chief operations officer, is an executive in charge of the daily operations of an organization (i.e. personnel, resources, and logistics). COOs are usually second-in-command immediately after the C ...
) will handle the game-related matters. Outgoing commissioner
Chito Salud
Angelico Tiu Salud (born June 17, 1962), better known as Chito Salud, is a Filipino lawyer and sports executive who currently serves as team governor of the Converge Fiber Xers in PBA. He was the first president and CEO of the Philippine Basket ...
has been named as the league's first president/CEO.
Governors' Cup
*The Purefoods Star Hotshots silently dropped the "Purefoods" brand on their team name. The team will now be known as the "
Star 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, San Miguel Food and Beverage, I ...
". The team's new colors and uniforms debuted in their game against the
NLEX Road Warriors
The NLEX Road Warriors is a professional basketball team owned by Manila North Tollways Corporation, NLEX Corporation, a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) since the 2014 ...
last May 10.
*On May 14, Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines (BCAP) president and former PBA coach
Chito Narvasa was named as the 9th commissioner of the league, replacing Chito Salud at the end of the 2014-15 season.
Liga ng Bayan
A set of preseason games named "Liga ng Bayan" was scheduled from September 12 to October 12 and were held on various cities around the country. The results of the games are as follows:
Opening ceremonies
The
opening ceremonies
An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly constructed location or the start of an event. for this season was held at the
Philippine Arena in
Ciudad de Victoria,
Bocaue, Bulacan
Bocaue , officially the Municipality of Bocaue (), is a municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 141,412 people.
Among its tourist attractions are a town museum located near th ...
on October 19, 2014. The first games of the
Philippine Cup, Kia vs Blackwater and Barangay Ginebra vs Talk 'N Text immediately followed.
The muses for the participating teams are as follows:
Maegan Young, Alice Dixson, Ellen Adarna, Rachelle Ann Daquis, Ritz Azul lead PBA muses
Snow Badua, spin.ph, October 16, 2014
2014–15 Philippine Cup
Elimination round
Playoffs
Quarterfinals
= 1st phase
=
*Team has twice-to-beat advantage. Team #1 only has to win once, while Team #2 has to win twice.
= 2nd phase
=
Semifinals
Finals
*Finals MVP: Arwind Santos (San Miguel Beermen
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 Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Magnolia ...
)
*Best Player of the Conference: June Mar Fajardo (San Miguel Beermen
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 Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Magnolia ...
)
2015 Commissioner's Cup
Elimination round
Playoffs
Quarterfinals
*Team has twice-to-beat advantage. Team #1 only has to win once, while Team #2 has to win twice.
Semifinals
Finals
*Finals MVP: Ranidel de Ocampo ( Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters)
*Best Player of the Conference: Jayson Castro ( Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters)
*Bobby Parks Best Import of the Conference: Wayne Chism (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 ...
)
2015 Governors' Cup
Elimination round
Playoffs
Quarterfinals
*Team has twice-to-beat advantage. Team #1 only has to win once, while Team #2 has to win twice.
Semifinals
Finals
*Finals MVP: June Mar Fajardo (San Miguel Beermen
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 Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Magnolia ...
)
*Best Player of the Conference: June Mar Fajardo (San Miguel Beermen
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 Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Magnolia ...
)
*Bobby Parks Best Import of the Conference: Romeo Travis
Romeo Travis (born December 10, 1984) is an American born naturalized Macedonian former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the University of Akron.
High school career
Travis was born in Akron, Ohio. As a high scho ...
( Alaska Aces)
Individual awards
Leo Awards
*Most Valuable Player: June Mar Fajardo ( San Miguel)
*Rookie of the Year: Stanley Pringle ( GlobalPort)
*First Mythical Team:
** Jayson Castro ( Talk 'N Text)
** Paul Lee ( Rain or Shine)
** Greg Slaughter ( Barangay Ginebra)
** June Mar Fajardo ( San Miguel)
** Arwind Santos ( San Miguel)
*Second Mythical Team:
** Stanley Pringle ( GlobalPort)
** Terrence Romeo ( GlobalPort)
** Asi Taulava (NLEX
The North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), signed as E1 of the Philippine expressway network, partially as N160 of the Philippine highway network, and partially as R-8 of the Metro Manila arterial road network, is a controlled-access highway that ...
)
** Ranidel de Ocampo ( Talk 'N Text)
** Calvin Abueva (Alaska
Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
)
*All-Defensive Team:
** Chris Ross ( San Miguel)
** Chris Exciminiano (Alaska
Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
)
** June Mar Fajardo ( San Miguel)
** Gabe Norwood ( Rain or Shine)
** Calvin Abueva (Alaska
Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
)
*Most Improved Player: Terrence Romeo ( GlobalPort)
*Sportsmanship Award: June Mar Fajardo ( San Miguel)
Awards given by the PBA Press Corps
* Defensive Player of the Year: June Mar Fajardo ( San Miguel)
* Scoring Champion: Terrence Romeo ( GlobalPort)
* Baby Dalupan Coach of the Year: Leo Austria ( San Miguel)
* Mr. Quality Minutes: Calvin Abueva (Alaska
Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
)
* Bogs Adornado
William "Bogs" Adornado (born May 26, 1951) is a Filipino professional basketball coach and former player. He is one of the Philippine Basketball Association's Greatest Players and was inducted to its Hall of Fame in 2005. He was a three-time ...
Comeback Player of the Year: Alex Cabagnot ( San Miguel)
* Danny Floro Executive of the Year: Patrick Gregorio ( Talk 'N Text)
* Order of Merit: Paul Lee ( Rain or Shine)
*All-Rookie Team
** Stanley Pringle ( GlobalPort)
** Chris Banchero (Alaska
Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
)
** Jake Pascual ( Barako Bull)
** Matt Ganuelas-Rosser ( Talk 'N Text)
** Jericho Cruz ( Rain or Shine)
Cumulative standings
Elimination rounds
Playoffs
References
External links
PBA Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:2014-15 PBA season
PBA