Meralco guard Chris Banchero gestures after hitting the first four-point shot in the PBA early in the second quarter against Magnolia.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
The 50th anniversary celebration is among the things to be anticipated with eagerness and scrutiny this 2025, a year which the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) hopes would be one to remember.
April 9 will mark the landmark birthday of Asia’s first play-for-pay league, and PBA officials had promised to make the occasion a commemoration of the past and a transition to the future.
READ: Chris Banchero hits first-ever PBA four-point shot
“We want to have a new look going into our 50th year,” PBA commissioner Willie Marcial once said.
Expected to be the highlight of the celebration is the naming of the league’s 50 Greatest Players with the addition of 10 more from the list that was crafted in 2015, but not without controversy.
The league is expected to slowly finalize plans within the weeks leading up to the anniversary date, which will be held while the season-ending Philippine Cup takes place. The PBA is currently in its 49th season with the 50th slated for September after Gilas Pilipinas takes part in the Fiba Asia Cup.
READ: PBA Finals: TNT, Ginebra show little fondness for four-point line
“We have a lot of gimmicks in store for our 50th anniversary,” said Marcial.
As the league turns 50, action on the hard court and how teams get to be competitive remain the main topics for the rest of the new year.
Dipping averages
PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
One interesting feature is whether the four-point line would remain beyond the ongoing 49th season, especially with current numbers in the Commissioner’s Cup showing a bit of a difference from the previous conference.
Through 41 games, teams have made 74 of 339 attempts from the longest arc measured at 27 feet for a 21.8-percent clip. It is slightly down from the Governors’ Cup, which saw 27.6-percent converted shots (240-of-868 in 94 games).
Teams have made an average of just 0.90 fours out of 4.13 tries, down from 1.3 of 4.6 in the first conference, which could mean that there’s more emphasis on going for better percentage shots or attempting the conventional three-pointer than in the previous tourney.
Guest team Hong Kong Eastern is the most consistent four-point shooting team at 46.2 percent, but at a minimum, connecting on 6-of-13, while Blackwater is tops among regular PBA ballclubs in makes, attempts and percentage with 17-of-51 for .333.
The trend could continue when action in the midseason conference resumes on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum, with a big clash between sister teams San Miguel Beer and Barangay Ginebra, who have both combined for 2-of-42 from four.
NorthPort and Rain or Shine are ranked 1-2 in the standings at 6-1 and 4-1, respectively, while Converge is tied with Eastern for third at 6-2. NorthPort faces a stacked schedule to finish the elims, with Ginebra, Meralco, Rain or Shine and San Miguel due up.