The 2007–08 PBA season was the 33rd 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 franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...

. The season was formally opened on October 14, 2007, at the

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 as "the Big ...

. The league started the season with the Philippine Cup, or the traditional All-Filipino Conference, while capping off the season with the import-laiden Fiesta Conference. Renauld "Sonny" Barrios was appointed as commissioner while serving as an officer in charge of the league until a replacement for former commissioner Noli Eala will be found. The first activity of the season was the 2007 PBA Draft last August 19 at the Market Market in Taguig.

Board of governors

Executive committee

* Noli Eala (commissioner until August 7, 2007) *

Sonny Barrios Renauld N. Barrios, better known as Sonny Barrios, is the seventh commissioner of the Philippine Basketball Association and the current executive director of Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas. Before serving as commissioner, he took on the role in a ...

(officer-in-charge starting August 8, 2008) * Tony Chua (chairman, representing Red Bull Barako) * Joaquin L. Trillo (vice-chairman, representing Alaska Aces) * Robert Non (treasurer, representing Barangay Ginebra Kings)

Teams

Pre-season events

San Miguel Corporation San Miguel Corporation, abbreviated as SMC, is a Philippine multinational conglomerate headquartered in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. The company is one of the largest and most diversified conglomerates in the Philippines. Originally founded i ...

changed the name of the San Miguel Beermen to the Magnolia Beverage Masters; "Magnolia" was their product name from 1985-87. * Gec Chia and Paolo Hubalde of 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 ...

were traded to the

Air21 Express The Air21 Express were a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) that debuted in the 2011–12 season. The team debuted as the Shopinas.com Clickers during the 2011–12 PBA Philippine Cup. In 2014, the fran ...

for

Paul Artadi Paul Anthony Dy Artadi (born May 5, 1981) is a Filipino politician, basketball coach, and former professional player. On his eleven-year career in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), he played the point guard position and was a three-ti ...

who was traded by the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants. * Joseph Yeo of the

Coca Cola Tigers The Powerade Tigers were a professional basketball team that played in the Philippine Basketball Association from 2002 to 2012. The franchise was owned by Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Inc. (CCBPI) when the company acquired Cosmos Bottling ...

and the team's 2009 second round draft pick rights were traded to the Sta. Lucia Realtors for Mark Isip and Cesar Catli. *On October 3, Magnolia Beverage Masters'

Danny Seigle Daniel Charles Seigle (born June 14, 1976) is a Filipino-American basketball coach and retired player. He is the head coach of the De La Salle Green Archers men's basketball team and a team consultant for the San Miguel Alab Pilipinas of the ASE ...

and Brgy. Ginebra's Billy Mamaril had an altercation during a pre-season tune-up game at the Greenmeadows Gym. OIC Commissioner Sonny Barrios fined Seigle P10,000. *New rules were approved in order to make the league rules more consistent to

FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its nam ...

's rules rather than the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, 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 i ...

(NBA): **The controlled handcheck foul will be implemented. **The three-point arc would now be reset to 20 feet and 6 inches (FIBA standard) from 22 feet. **The key would now be trapezoidal (FIBA) instead of rectangular (NBA). *With a change in their team name, Magnolia unveiled their new logo and uniforms, using the blue and white motif. Alaska replaced their red uniforms with their black alternates first used in the 2007 Fiesta Conference Finals, while Purefoods replaced their navy blue dark uniforms with their red alternates from the 2007 Fiesta Conference. Red Bull introduced a new slightly-modified logo and uniforms, and Sta. Lucia slightly modified their old uniforms, adding a diagonal stripe on the shoulders.

Opening ceremonies

The season began on October 14 with the Magnolia Beverage Masters defeating the

, 121-112. The muses for the participating teams are as follows:

2007–08 Philippine Cup

Notable events

Red Bull Barako Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

head coach

Yeng Guiao Joseller "Yeng" Medina Guiao (born March 19, 1959) is a Filipino professional basketball head coach, politician, commentator and sports commissioner. He is currently the head coach of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters of the Philippine Basketba ...

was suspended for one game after verbally confronting league technical group chief Perry Martinez after their game against the

. Serving the suspension against the Welcoat Dragons, assistant Gee Abanilla became the head coach for the game, in which Red Bull won. * Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants point guard

Roger Yap Rogelio "Roger" Yap (born August 3, 1977) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. He last played for the Manila Stars of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). He was drafted by Purefoods in 2001 as the ninth pick overal ...

was suspended for one game after hitting

LA Tenorio Lewis Alfred Vasquez Tenorio (born July 9, 1984) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He is also an assistant coach for the Letran Knights of the Philipp ...

of the Magnolia Beverage Masters; he served the suspension against the Welcoat Dragons in which Purefoods won. *In Welcoat Dragons' 126-125 overtime win against the

Talk 'N Text Phone Pals Talk may refer to: Communication * Communication, the encoding and decoding of exchanged messages between people * Conversation, interactive communication between two or more people * Lecture, an oral presentation intended to inform or instruct ...

, both teams converted 29

three-point field goals A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or trey) is a field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two poi ...

, a new PBA record. *On November 26, the

traded

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 ...

to the

Coca-Cola Tigers Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance bar, temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pembe ...

in exchange for

Ali Peek Albert Henry "Ali" Peek (born February 13, 1975) is a Filipino-American retired professional basketball player who played in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). During his playing days, he played mostly at the center position, although h ...

and a first-round pick. *

players

Mark Cardona Mark Reynan Mikesell Cardona (born November 13, 1981) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Boracay Islanders of the Pilipinas Super League. From a successful college career with the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers, C ...

and Harvey Carey were suspended after their altercation against Welcoat Dragon

Jojo Tangkay Jercules "Jojo" Tangkay (born November 26, 1976 in Aloguinsan, Cebu) is a professional basketball player who last played for the ARQ Builders–Lapu-Lapu City Heroes of the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup. He was drafted 16th overall by the Sta. Luci ...

. The two Phone Pals will be suspended on their game against the

, while Carey would also be suspended on Talk 'N Text's game against the Sta. Lucia Realtors. Both Carey and Cardona were fined 20,000

pesos The peso is the monetary unit of several countries in the Americas, and the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries the peso uses the same sign, "$", as many currencies named "dollar ...

each. The case of Welcoat's Ryan Araña's flagrant foul on

on their loss against the

was deferred.Air21 acquires Espinas; Carey Cardona fined, suspended
Philippine Daily Inquirer Araña was later suspended on Welcoat's defeat against

. *The

acquired Gabby Espinas from the Magnolia Beverage Masters in exchange for one of Air21's first round picks in the 2008 Draft. *On January 17, 2008, the PBA Board of Governors named officer-in-charge

as the new commissioner up to the end of the season after a deadlock ensued between governors that supported Atty. Chito Salud and Lambert Ramos. Barrios has yet to accept his appointment. *

's Carlo Sharma and

Jondan Salvador Jondan Y. Salvador (born October 12, 1980) is a Filipino professional basketball player who last played for the Marikina Shoemasters of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). He was drafted by the Purefoods Chunkee Giants in the 2005 ...

of the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants were suspended for one game after figuring in a fistfight which led to their ejection from the game. Aside from the suspension, Sharma was fined P25,000 while Salvador was fined P20,000. Sharma served his suspension on game 1 of their quarterfinals series against the Magnolia Beverage Masters, in which Red Bull won; Salvador will serve his suspension in game 1 of their semifinals series against Red Bull, in which Purefoods won. *On January 24, Barrios accepted his appointment as commissioner.

Elimination round

Playoffs

Finals

*Finals MVP:

Dennis Espino Dennis Espino (born December 20, 1973) is a Filipino retired professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. He was drafted first overall by Sta. Lucia in 1995 PBA draft. Player Profile Espino is known for his physical ...

( Sta. Lucia) *Best Player of the Conference:

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 a ...

( Sta. Lucia)

Mid-season break

*The

acquired Nic Belasco from the Welcoat Dragons in exchange for

Mark Isip Mark Gracer P. Isip (born December 10, 1980 ) is a Filipino professional basketball coach and former player. Isip played college basketball for the FEU Tamaraws, where he is currently an assistant coach. He was then drafted sixth overall by the ...

and Coke's 2010 and 2011 second round draft picks. *

Caloy Garcia Carlos Jose "Caloy" Garcia is a Filipino professional basketball coach and former TV host. He is currently serving as team consultant for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the Philippine Basketball Association. Early life Caloy Garcia was born ...

was named as the new head coach of the Welcoat Dragons on March 18 after

Leo Austria Leovino R. Austria (born March 14, 1958), better known as Leo Austria, is a Filipino former professional basketball player and the current head coach of the San Miguel Beermen in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Playing career Aus ...

resigned from his post. *On March 19,

Mike Cortez Mike Salonga Cortez (born November 10, 1980) is a Filipino-American former professional basketball player. He last played for the Blackwater Elite of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Cortez gained prominence in the amateur ranks for ...

and

Ken Bono Karl Kenneth Odani Bono (born June 19, 1984) is a Filipino basketball player who last played for the TNT KaTropa of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He played collegiate basketball for the Adamson Soaring Falcons in the Universit ...

of the Alaska Aces were traded to the Magnolia Beverage Masters for

and

Larry Fonacier Larry Alexander Nacua Fonacier (born May 13, 1982) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the NLEX Road Warriors of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He was drafted fourteenth overall by the Red Bull Barako in the 2005 PBA ...

. * Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants' center

Romel Adducul Rommel Adducul (born April 21, 1976) is a Filipino former professional basketball player who currently serves as an assistant coach for the Adamson Soaring Falcons of the UAAP. Career In college, Adducul, a three-time Most Valuable Player, led ...

took a leave of absence after being diagnosed to be afflicted with

nasopharyngeal cancer Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), or nasopharynx cancer, is the most common cancer originating in the nasopharynx, most commonly in the postero-lateral nasopharynx or pharyngeal recess ( fossa of Rosenmüller), accounting for 50% of cases. NPC occurs ...

. This event triggered a four team trade between Purefoods, Magnolia, Coca-Cola and Barangay Ginebra. Magnolia dealt

Enrico Villanueva Jose Enrico Pascual Villanueva (born June 23, 1980) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. He last played for the NLEX Road Warriors of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Amateur career Villanueva first played for the A ...

and Willy Wilson to Coca-Cola in exchange for

Chester Tolomia Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Local ...

. Then Coke traded Villanueva to Purefoods for

Marc Pingris Jean Marc Prado Pingris Jr. (born October 16, 1981) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. Known as one of the best defenders and rebounders in PBA history, he was named one of the league's 40 Greatest Players. He spent 14 season ...

. Pingris was then traded to Magnolia in exchange of the team's future draft pick and Wilson was sent to Barangay Ginebra in exchange for Mark Macapagal.

PBA Ateneo-La Salle Showdown

A game was held for the benefit of the PBA Players' Educational Trust Fund at the

featuring players from UAAP archrivals

Ateneo Ateneo may refer to: Cultural institutions * Ateneo de la Juventud, a society of Mexican writers, philosophers and intellectuals * Ateneo de Madrid, a private cultural institution located in the capital of Spain * Ateneo de Ponce, a nonprofit, ...

and La Salle.

Studio 23 Studio 23 (officially Studio 23, Inc. and previously AMCARA Broadcasting Network) was a Filipino television network owned by ABS-CBN Corporation. The network was named for its flagship station in Metro Manila, DWAC-TV and carried on UHF ch ...

aired the event with

ABS-CBN Sports ABS-CBN Sports was a sports division of the Philippine media conglomerate ABS-CBN, which aired some of the notable sporting events in the Philippines. ABS-CBN Sports began in 1998 as the main broadcaster for the network-backed basketball leagu ...

producing.

2008 Fiesta Conference

Notable events

' Homer Se was fined P20,000 for a flagrant foul-penalty 1 on their game against the Sta. Lucia Realtors when he put up a fighting stance after the looseball scramble between Williams and Air21 guard Wynne Arboleda directed towards SLR rookie Ryan Reyes and import Jamar Brown.Se Fined P20,000 for 2 Offenses in Air21 – SLR Game
/ref>

Elimination round

Playoff

Finals

*Finals MVP: Ronald Tubid and

Eric Menk Eric Conrad Menk (born August 24, 1974) is a Filipino-American former professional basketball player who played in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and the Asean Basketball League. Known as Major Pain, Menk is a four-time PBA champion ...

(Barangay Ginebra) *Best Player of the Conference: Jayjay Helterbrand (Barangay Ginebra) *Best Import of the Conference: Chris Alexander (Barangay Ginebra)

2008 PBA All-Star Weekend

The 2008 PBA All-Star Weekend was held from April 25 to April 27 at

Bacolod Bacolod, officially the City of Bacolod (; hil, Dakbanwa/Syudad sang Bacolod; fil, Lungsod ng Bacolod), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Regions of the Philippines, region of Western ...

Negros Occidental Negros Occidental ( hil, Nakatungdang Negros; tl, Kanlurang Negros), officially the Province of Negros Occidental, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region. ...

. The winners were: *Three-point Shootout:

Renren Ritualo Florendo R. "Renren" Ritualo Jr. (born June 14, 1979) is a Filipino former professional basketball player and current assistant coach. He last played for the Shopinas.com Clickers of the Philippine Basketball Association and is currently an assi ...

(

) *Slam Dunk Competition:

( Sta. Lucia Realtors) *Legends Shootout: Active players -

John Arigo John Hartley Ward Arigo (born December 10, 1978), in Charleston, South Carolina, is a Filipino-American retired professional basketball player having played for three teams in the Philippine Basketball Association over a nine-year career. He was ...

(

Dondon Hontiveros Donaldo "Dondon" Cabañes Hontiveros (born June 1, 1977) is a Filipino politician and former professional basketball player. He is a member of the Cebu City Council since June 30, 2022 and previously from 2019 to 2021. He was the Vice Mayor of ...

( Magnolia Beverage Masters),

(

)

Rookie-Sophomore Blitz Game

* Blitz Game MVP:

Ronjay Buenafe Ronald Jayson Buenafe (born May 27, 1983) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Valenzuela XUR Homes Realty Inc. of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). Professional career Being called as the "steal" of the 2007 d ...

(Rookies)

All-Star Game

* All-Star Game MVP: Peter June Simon (South All-Stars)

Awards

*Most Valuable Player:

(Sta. Lucia) *Rookie of the Year: Ryan Reyes (Sta. Lucia) *First Mythical Team: **

Mark Caguioa Mark Anthony Yu Caguioa (born November 19, 1979) is a Filipino professional basketball player who last played for the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Known as The Spark and as MC47 from his initials a ...

(Brgy. Ginebra) ** Jayjay Helterbrand (Brgy. Ginebra) ** Arwind Santos (Air21) **

(Coca-Cola) **Kelly Williams (Sta. Lucia) *Second Mythical Team: **

Cyrus Baguio Cyrus Marata Baguio (born August 19, 1980) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Valenzuela XUR Homes Realty Inc. of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). He also formerly played in the Philippine Basketball Associati ...

(Red Bull) **

Willie Miller William Ferguson Miller MBE (born 2 May 1955) is a Scottish former professional football player and manager, who made a club record 560 league appearances for Aberdeen. Sir Alex Ferguson described Miller as "the best penalty box defender in t ...

(Alaska) **

Kerby Raymundo Kerby Mariano Raymundo (born January 19, 1981) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. He last played for the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Known as The Kid, he was a former star player ...

(Purefoods) ** Nelbert Omolon (Sta. Lucia) ** Sonny Thoss (Alaska) *All-Defensive Team: **Kelly Williams (Sta. Lucia) **Ryan Reyes (Sta. Lucia) **Arwind Santos (Air21) **

(Magnolia) **

Wynne Arboleda Wynne Arboleda (born November 26, 1976) is a Filipino former basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He is known by his moniker "The Snatcher" in reference to his steals during games. Career Arboleda first played for ...

(Air21) *Most Improved Player: Cyrus Baguio (Red Bull) *Sportsmanship Award:

(Talk 'N Text)

Awards given by the PBA Press Corps

*Coach of the Year:

Boyet Fernandez Teodorico "Boyet" Fernandez III is a Filipino former professional basketball player and the former head coach of the San Beda Red Lions in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (Philippines) (NCAA). Playing career Fernandez first broke ...

(Sta. Lucia) *Mr. Quality Minutes: Peter June Simon (Purefoods) *Comeback Player of the Year:

Mike Hrabak Michael Allen Pasana Hrabak (born August 27, 1979) is a Filipino-Turkish former professional basketball player. He last played for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters of the Philippine Basketball Association. He was drafted second overall by Sh ...

(Red Bull) *Referee of the Year: Jess Fernandez *All-Rookie Team **Ryan Reyes (Sta. Lucia) **Chico Lañete (Purefoods) **Joe Devance (Welcoat) **Doug Kramer (Air21) **Ronjay Buenafe (Coca-Cola)

Board of governors

Executive committee

Teams

Pre-season events

Opening ceremonies

2007–08 Philippine Cup

Notable events

Elimination round

Playoffs

Finals

Mid-season break

PBA Ateneo-La Salle Showdown

2008 Fiesta Conference

Notable events

Elimination round

Playoff

Finals

2008 PBA All-Star Weekend

Rookie-Sophomore Blitz Game

All-Star Game

Awards

Awards given by the PBA Press Corps

Cumulative standings

Elimination rounds

Playoffs

References

External links