2021 PBA season explained
The 2021 PBA season was the 46th season of the Philippine Basketball Association. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season's start, originally scheduled on April 11, 2021,[1] has been delayed until July 16, 2021.[2] The league's Board of Governors announced that the season had two conferences: the Philippine Cup and the Governors' Cup.[3]
The first activity of the season was the PBA season 46 draft held on March 14, 2021.[4]
Executive board
Teams
Player quotas
Filipino-foreigners
The PBA allows for each team to have up to five players classified as "Filipino-foreigners" in their roster. Filipino-foreigners are natural-born Filipinos who are born outside the Philippines. Natural-born Filipinos born inside the Philippines are not classified as such, and a team can as many of them as roster size permits.[5]
Imports
Naturalized Filipinos and foreigners can play as imports. They can only play in import-laced conferences, and usually a team is mandated to have at least one for the duration of the tournament.
A list of imports was provided on those conferences' articles.
Arenas
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Metro Manila, the season started to be played at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig, in a closed-circuit format, with no spectators allowed for the meantime.[6] On August 6, Metro Manila (of which Pasig is included) was placed under enhanced community quarantine, the highest level of quarantine; the league originally planned to continue at Lipa, Batangas.[7] The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) allowed the PBA to resume in places which were under either modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) or regular general community quarantine (GCQ); with the placement of Batangas under GCQ with heightened restrictions, this removed it from the places the league can play at.[8] The PBA settled in their choice to play in Pampanga for the meantime, as they don't see the quarantine classification in Metro Manila from going to regular GCQ.[9] The PBA then got permission to play in the Don Honorio Ventura State University gym in Bacolor.[10]
For the first two weeks of the 2021 PBA Governors' Cup, the league returned to the Ynares Sports Arena. Quezon City then gave the permission for sports events to be held there with spectators; the PBA was expected to play at the Araneta Coliseum for the rest of the year starting December 15.[11] At the start of 2022, the PBA was also expected to return at the Mall of Asia Arena.[12] However, with the rise of COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila, the IATF-EID placed Metro Manila under alert level 3, causing the league to postpone the games for the week starting January 3.[13]
When the Governors' Cup resumed on February 11, the league announced that the games would be played at the Ynares Center in Antipolo for the duration of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification round to be played from February 24 to 28 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.[14]
The league began playing at Mall of Asia Arena on March 23 during the Governors' Cup semifinals.
Transactions
See main article: article and List of 2021 PBA season transactions.
Retirement
- On January 24, Cyrus Baguio announced his retirement. Baguio played for 6 franchises in his 17 seasons in the association.[15]
- On February 1, Harvey Carey announced his retirement. Carey played for TNT Tropang Giga for 17 seasons.[16]
- On March 21, JC Intal announced his retirement. Intal played for 4 franchises in his 13 seasons in the association.[17]
- On May 15, Jay-R Reyes announced his retirement. Reyes played for 8 franchises in his 14 seasons in the association.[18]
- On May 25, Marc Pingris announced his retirement. Pingris played for 3 franchises in his 15 seasons in the association.[19]
- On December 29, Garvo Lanete announced his retirement. Lanete played for 3 franchises in his 6 seasons in the association.[20]
Coaching changes
Coaching changes| Team | 2020 season | 2021 season | Ref. |
|---|
| Off-season |
|---|
| | | [21] |
| | | [22] |
| In-season |
|---|
| | | [23] | |
Notable events
Pre-season
- The PBA Board of Governors approved a two-conference format this season. One All-Filipino tournament (Philippine Cup) to be held for four months and one import-laced tournament (Governors' Cup) to be held for six months.[3]
- On March 12, Ricky Vargas of TNT KaTropa was re-elected for a fourth consecutive term as the Chairman of the PBA Board of Governors. Bobby Rosales of Terrafirma Dyip was re-elected as Vice Chairman, while Richard "Dickie" Bachmann of the Alaska Aces was elected as treasurer. Bachmann was also appointed as the chairman of the PBA 3×3 tournament. Vargas became the longest-serving head of the PBA Board of Governors since the presidency of Ginebra San Miguel's Carlos "Honeyboy" Palanca III (1983 to 1986) and the chairmanship of Formula Shell's Reynaldo Marquez (1987 to 1990).[24]
- July 9: The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) have approved the proposal from the league to open its 46th season on July 16. The announcement came from the monthly Games and Amusements Board press conference.[25]
Philippine Cup
- July 18: Barangay Ginebra San Miguel started wearing their "Bagong Tapang" jerseys. The jerseys replace their light uniforms. The said jerseys were launched in April and were made available to fans beginning on May 1.[26]
- July 21: Four games involving the TNT Tropang Giga and the Terrafirma Dyip were postponed due to TNT players' inconclusive COVID-19 test results.[27]
- August 3: The league suspended their games beginning August 4 after the government declared that Metro Manila was under Enhanced Community Quarantine from August 6 to 20. The league have appealed to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) if they can continue their tournament in Batangas, which was under a more relaxed quarantine restrictions.[28]
- August 23: The league announced that they got the approval of Pampanga governor Dennis Pineda to resume their games at the Don Honorio Ventura State University in Bacolor starting September 1.[29]
Midseason break
- The league announced that the inaugural 3x3 season would start on November 20.[30]
- November 9: The PBA board of governors have approved to revise the league's policy for Fil-foreigner to be eligible for the PBA draft. Fil-foreigners are only required to submit a Philippine passport upon application to the draft.[31] The board also increased the number of Fil-foreigner players per team from five to seven.[32]
Governors' Cup
- December 10: The Quezon City government approved the PBA's request to play their games with spectators. The games were played at the Smart Araneta Coliseum with half capacity allowed starting December 15.[33]
- December 25: The Magnolia Pambansang Manok Hotshots retired the jersey numbers of PJ Simon (#8) and Marc Pingris (#15), during halftime of their game against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.[34]
- January 3, 2022: The league postpones its scheduled games for the first week of January after Metro Manila was put on Alert Level 3 due to the rising COVID-19 cases.[35]
- January 6: The league postpones the Governors' Cup indefinitely. Team scrimmages are also suspended.[36]
- January 30: The league announced that the Governors' Cup would resume on February 11.[37] Subsequently, the league announced on February 12 that spectators were allowed to watch the games inside the playing venues beginning February 16.[38]
- February 16: Alaska Aces team owner Wilfred Uytengsu announced that the franchise was leaving the PBA at the end of the 2021 season.[39]
- February 18: The PBA announced that the Hong Kong-based Bay Area Chun Yu Phoenixes from EASL would enter the league as a guest team during the Governors' Cup of season 47.[40] Their participation was formally announced on March 21.[41] It was also announced that the team would compete under the name Bay Area Dragons, so as not to confuse their nickname with current PBA team Phoenix Super LPG.[42]
- February 28: After the IATF-EID announced that Metro Manila would be under Alert Level 1 from March 1 to 15, the league announced that the Smart Araneta Coliseum would be back to full capacity starting on March 2.[43]
- March 6: The Alaska Aces retired the jersey number of Sonny Thoss (#7), during halftime of their game against Magnolia Pambansang Manok Hotshots.[44]
- March 19: The Alaska Aces played its final PBA game after being eliminated by the NLEX Road Warriors in their do-or-die quarterfinal game, 96–80. At the end of the game, the league held a short tribute to the Alaska franchise then Commissioner Willie Marcial sounded the ceremonial "final buzzer" at center court.[45]
- March 23: The PBA Board of Governors unanimously approved the sale of the Alaska franchise to Converge ICT Solutions Inc. Former PBA commissioner Chito Salud became its team governor.[46]
- April 20: A fire broke out at the construction area beside the Smart Araneta Coliseum at around 11:00 am while the games of the 2021 PBA 3x3 second conference grand finals was underway. The 3x3 games were postponed and subsequently, Game 6 of the Governors' Cup finals between Barangay Ginebra and Meralco were rescheduled to April 22.[47]
Opening ceremonies
The opening ceremony for this season was held at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig on July 16, 2021. Due to COVID-19 related restrictions, the traditional parade of teams with muses was not done and a “simple” opening ceremonies were held instead.[48]
The first game of the Philippine Cup between the Alaska Aces and the Blackwater Bossing was played after the opening ceremonies.
Philippine Cup
See main article: 2021 PBA Philippine Cup. The Philippine Cup started on July 16, was suspended on August 3, restarted on September 1, and ended on October 29, 2021.
Playoffs
Quarterfinals
|}|}*Team has twice-to-beat advantage. Team 1 only has to win once, while Team 2 has to win twice.
Semifinals
|}
Finals
See main article: 2021 PBA Philippine Cup Finals. |}
Governors' Cup
See main article: 2021 PBA Governors' Cup. The Governors' Cup started on December 6, 2021, was suspended on January 5, 2022, restarted on February 11, and ended on April 22.
Playoffs
Quarterfinals
|}*Team has twice-to-beat advantage. Team 1 only has to win once, while Team 2 has to win twice.
Semifinals
|}
Finals
See main article: 2021 PBA Governors' Cup Finals. |}
Awards
Leo Awards
See main article: The PBA Leo Awards.
PBA Press Corps Annual Awards
Cumulative standings
Playoffs
This includes one-game playoffs to determine the last playoff participant.
3x3
See main article: 2021 PBA 3x3 season. The 3x3 season started on November 20, 2021, and ended on July 3, 2022. The final legs of the third conference were held in concurrence with the Philippine Cup of the succeeding PBA season.
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: PBA Season 46 opening, two-conference plan up in the air. ESPN5. April 4, 2021.
- News: PBA reopens shop July 16 at Ynares Arena in Pasig . July 9, 2021 . PBA.ph . July 9, 2021 . en.
- News: Terrado . Reuben . PBA to stage two-conference season under a semi-bubble format . March 9, 2021 . spin.ph . March 9, 2021 . en.
- https://www.pba.ph/news/application-forms-for-season-46-draft-available-monday Application forms for Season 46 Draft available Monday
- Web site: 2021 PBA Season – Philippine Cup . ABS-CBN News . Philippine Basketball Association.
- Web site: Masoy. Niel Victor C.. July 10, 2021. PBA gets go signal to start season on July 16. July 12, 2021. The Manila Times. en.
- Web site: PBA eyeing to continue season in Batangas as NCR shifts to ECQ. August 19, 2021. Rappler. en.
- Web site: Ulanday. John Bryan. Batangas out as PBA venue in planned resumption under heightened quarantine. August 19, 2021. Philstar.com.
- Web site: Dalupang. Denison Rey A.. August 16, 2021. PBA moves toward to resuming play in Pampanga. August 19, 2021. INQUIRER.net. en.
- Web site: PBA all set for restart at Don Honorio Ventura State University gym on Wednesday. August 29, 2021. SunStar. Yahoo! News. en-PH.
- Web site: PBA to welcome back fans next week upon return to Big Dome. December 10, 2021. Spin.ph. en.
- Web site: Lozada. Bong. December 30, 2021. PBA set to return to MOA Arena in January. December 31, 2021. INQUIRER.net. en.
- Web site: January 3, 2022. PBA postpones all games this week due to Alert Level 3. January 5, 2022. RAPPLER. en-US.
- Web site: PBA to swing by Ynares-Antipolo late February. February 18, 2022. PBA.ph. en-PH.
- Web site: Cyrus Baguio finally retires after impressive 17-year PBA career. January 24, 2021. Spin.ph. Ramos . Gerry . en. January 24, 2021.
- Web site: Devoted TnT Tropang Giga Harvey Carey retires after 19 PBA seasons. February 1, 2021. Spin.ph. Ramos . Gerry . en. February 1, 2021.
- Web site: JC Intal announces retirement after 13 seasons in PBA. March 21, 2021. Spin.ph. Leongson . Randolph . en. March 21, 2021.
- Web site: Jayr Reyes calls end to pro career after 15 years in the PBA. May 15, 2021. Spin.ph. Terrado . Reuben . en. May 15, 2021.
- Web site: Marc Pingris calls it a career after playing 16 years in the PBA. May 25, 2021. Spin.ph. Ramos . Gerry . en. May 25, 2021.
- Web site: NorthPort gunner Garvo Lanete retires at the age of 32 . December 29, 2021 . Spin.ph.
- Web site: TnT welcomes back Chot Reyes as head coach after letting Mark Dickel go. Spin.ph. February 13, 2021.
- Web site: Dioquino. Delfin. Chris Gavina takes over as Rain or Shine head coach. Rappler. March 1, 2021.
- Web site: Dioquino. Delfin. September 19, 2021. Ariel Vanguardia in, Nash Racela out as Blackwater coach. live. September 29, 2021. Rappler. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20210920032032/https://www.rappler.com/sports/pba/ariel-vanguardia-replaces-nash-racela-blackwater-bossing-head-coach . September 20, 2021 .
- News: History made as PBA chair Vargas is elected to fourth straight term . March 12, 2021 . PBA.ph . March 12, 2021 . en.
- News: PBA gets IATF go-signal for July 16 start to 2021 season: GAB . July 9, 2021 . spin.ph . July 9, 2021 . Terrado . Reuben . en.
- News: Barangay Ginebra Kings unveil new 'Bagong Tapang' jerseys for 2021 season . July 25, 2021 . ESPN5 . April 23, 2021 . Villanueva . Eros . en.
- News: More games postponed as part of PBA COVID-19 protocols . July 25, 2021 . spin.ph . July 21, 2021 . Terrado . Reuben . en.
- News: More games postponed as part of PBA COVID-19 protocols . August 3, 2021 . PBA.ph . August 3, 2021 . en.
- News: It's green and go for PBA season resumption in Pampanga . September 4, 2021 . spin.ph . August 23, 2021 . Terrado . Reuben . en.
- News: PBA 3X3 launch set on Nov. 20 . November 10, 2021 . PBA.ph . November 5, 2021 . en.
- News: PBA eases restrictions on Fil-foreigners' eligibility . November 10, 2021 . PBA.ph . November 9, 2021 . en.
- News: Finally, the PBA relaxes its eligibility rules for Fil-foreigners . November 10, 2021 . spin.ph . November 9, 2021 . Terrado . Reuben . en.
- News: Fans welcome back as PBA games return to Big Dome . December 11, 2021 . PBA.ph . December 10, 2021 . en.
- News: Ramos . Gerry . Emotional Pingris, Simon look back on journeys during jersey retirement . February 16, 2022 . spin.ph . March 21, 2022 . en.
- News: PBA postpones all scheduled games this week . January 3, 2022 . PBA.ph . January 3, 2022 . en.
- News: PBA postpones games temporarily, suspends team scrimmages . January 6, 2022 . PBA.ph . January 6, 2022 . en.
- News: PBA Governors' Cup resumes on Feb. 11 . January 30, 2022 . PBA.ph . January 30, 2022 . en.
- News: PBA welcomes fans back, starts accepting ticket reservations . January 30, 2022 . PBA.ph . February 12, 2022 . en.
- News: Catacutan . Dodo . Alaska to bid the PBA goodbye at the end of the conference . February 16, 2022 . spin.ph . February 16, 2022 . en.
- News: EASL Greater China rep to see action in PBA. February 23, 2022 . PBA.ph . February 18, 2022 . en.
- News: PBA gives guest team Bay Area Dragons the red carpet . March 21, 2022 . PBA.ph . March 21, 2022 . en.
- News: Ramos . Gerry . PBA to welcome first foreign guest team in 22 years . March 21, 2022 . spin.ph . March 20, 2022 . en.
- News: PBA games back to full capacity. March 1, 2022 . PBA.ph . March 1, 2022 . en.
- News: Terrado . Reuben . Sonny Thoss jersey retirement turns into reunion for Aces greats . March 6, 2022 . spin.ph . March 21, 2022 . en.
- News: Final buzzer sounds for great Alaska franchise . March 21, 2022 . PBA.ph . March 20, 2022 . en.
- News: Ramos . Gerry . Converge is newest PBA member after 11-0 board approval of Alaska sale . March 23, 2022 . spin.ph . March 23, 2022 . en.
- News: Ginebra-Meralco IV Game 6 postponed due to Big Dome fire . April 20, 2022 . PBA.ph . April 20, 2022 . en.
- News: Everything you need to know about coming PBA season . July 11, 2021 . spin.ph . July 11, 2021 . Terrado . Reuben . en.
