Davao Occidental Tigers

The Davao Occidental Tigers (also known as Davao Occidental Tigers – Cocolife due to sponsorship reasons) are a Filipino professional basketball team based in the Davao metropolitan area and representing the province of Davao Occidental. The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League as a member of the league's South Division. The team hasn't played any home games in Davao Occidental, but has played at a variety of venues across Metro Davao.

The franchise was founded as an expansion team in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) for its 2018–19 season. Following their title in the 2021 MPBL finals, they moved to the Pilipinas Super League (PSL) and became one of its founding members, before returning to the MPBL in 2024.

The Tigers are one of four teams based in Mindanao and the only one from the Davao Region. They are also one of the more successful teams in Philippine regional basketball, with four finals appearances across both the MPBL and PSL. Of those four appearances, the Tigers won the 2021 MPBL finals and the 2022 Pilipinas Super League finals.

The Tigers are one of five teams based in Mindanao and the lone team based in Davao Region.

History

2018–2021: First MPBL stint

Davao Occidental Tigers were established in 2018 as an expansion team in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League. The Tigers were one of three teams to be based in Mindanao at the time, alongside General Santos and Zamboanga. The team led by Mark Yee saw immediate success, clinching the South Division's top seed with a 20–5 record.

In the playoffs, Tigers swept Cebu City in the First Round, as well as Bacoor City in the division semifinals. In the South Division finals, they met the defending champion Batangas City Athletics. Although Batangas City forced a game 3 in overtime, the series was won by Davao Occidental and they faced San Juan Knights in the 2019 MPBL finals. The series went back-and-forth with both teams alternating wins, all coming down to a winner-take-all game in Davao City. Tigers led by three points heading into the last minute, however, Jhonard Clarito scored four consecutive points for San Juan as Davao Occidental lost the game and the series by a single point.

Looking to come back after a stunning finals loss, Davao Occidental kept the same core heading into the 2019–20 season. Once again the team clinched the top seed in the South Division with a record of 26–4. This made Davao Occidental Tigers the first, and currently only, MPBL team to clinch the best division record in back-to-back seasons.

To begin their 2020 playoff campaign, Tigers first beat Bicol in three games. They then met Zamboanga in the division semifinals, with the first game ending up as the lowest-scoring in the MPBL history. Davao Occidental then matched up with Basilan in the South Division finals. With the series tied 1–1, it saw an abrupt ending following the suspension of the playoffs due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. When the playoffs continued the following year, multiple Basilan members were tested positive for the virus, thus the series was awarded to Davao Occidental, creating a finals rematch against San Juan. Davao Occidental got their revenge and won the series in four games, thus winning their first league championship in franchise history.

2021–2024: FilBasket and Pilipinas Super League

Following their MPBL championship run, Davao Occidental Tigers took part in the inaugural tournament of FilBasket, the 2021 Subic Championship. The team clinched second place in the elimination round with a 7–3 record. After winning against Burlington EOG in the quarterfinals, Tigers experienced déjà vu when they lost to San Juan in the semifinals by a single point.

In 2021, the team became a founding member of the Pilipinas Super League, formally moving from the MPBL. Before their PSL debut, the Tigers secured to participation in the ASEAN Basketball League. Unfortunately, the 2022 season was cancelled due to the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Southeast Asia. Much like their MPBL debut, the lead the PSL with the best record in the 2022 Pearl of the Orient Cup, finishing 13–1. The team then swept both Basilan and Cagayan de Oro on their way to the first PSL championship. In the following 2022–23 DUMPER Cup, Davao Occidental remained among the best teams with the second-best record of the elimination round. The team did suffer losses against Boracay and the Pampanga Royce, before ultimately meeting the Pampanga G Lanterns led by Justine Baltazar. Davao Occidental ended up getting swept as the Lanterns won their first league championship.

2024: Second MPBL stint

On March 29, 2024, Davao Occidental announced that they would return to the MPBL for the 2024 season.

2025: New Era

On May 20, 2025, after a 3-4 start to the Davao Occidental 2025 season announced that they would be transitioning into a new era. Under new management, announcing a new interim Head Coach Clive Castillo - an assistant at London Lions - to lead the team in the short term.

Rivalries

San Juan Knights

Davao Occidental's rivalry against the San Juan Knights began in the MPBL when both teams met in back-to-back national finals series (2019 and 2021). Despite Davao Occidental competing in other leagues since then, both teams would still encounter each other whenever they compete in the same league. As of February 2024, the Davao Occidental Tigers have met the San Juan Knights a total of fifteen times across all leagues.

Current roster

Head coaches

Notable players

Individual award winners

MPBL finals Most Valuable Player
* Mark Yee – 2020–21

All-MPBL First Team
* Mark Yee – 2019, 2020

All-MPBL Second Team
* Leo Najorda – 2020

PSL Finals Most Valuable Player
* Emman Calo – 2022

PSL Most Valuable Player
* Gab Dagangon – 2022
* John Wilson – 2023

PSL Mythical Team
* Robby Celiz – 2022
* Gab Dagangon – 2022
* John Wilson – 2023

All-Stars

MPBL All-Star selections
* Leo Najorda – 2019
* Mark Yee – 2019, 2020
* Arthur dela Cruz – 2024
* Mac Tallo – 2024

MPBL All-Star head coaches
* Don Dulay – 2019, 2020

PSL All-Star selections
* Kyt Jimenez – 2023
* Michole Solera – 2023

PBA players

Ex-PBA players

* Alvin Abundo
* Robby Celiz
* Jervy Cruz
* Bonbon Custodio
* Arthur dela Cruz
* Biboy Enguio
* James Forrester
* Paulo Hubalde
* Brian Ilad
* James Martinez

* Leo Najorda
* Billy Robles
* Larry Rodriguez
* Renzo Subido
* Mac Tallo
* John Wilson
* Mark Yee
* Valandre Chuaca

Drafted to PBA
* Kyt Jimenez – 76th overall, season 48

Season-by-season records

Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League

Pilipinas Super League

References

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{{Davao Occidental Tigers 2021 MPBL Lakan Cup Champions

Davao Occidental
Pilipinas Super League teams
2018 establishments in the Philippines
Basketball teams established in 2018
Sports in Davao Occidental