Dylan Simon Rosales Ababou (born December 7, 1986) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. He played for seven teams during his career in 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). He was drafted 10th overall in

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

by the

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 ...

. Ababou was one of the key players of the

UST Growling Tigers The UST Growling Tigers, Tigresses, Tiger Cubs and Tigress Cubs are the Collegiate athletics, collegiate and high school men's and women's varsity teams of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in the University Athletic Association of the Phili ...

who won the

UAAP The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), established in 1938, is an athletic association of eight Metro Manila universities in the Philippines. The eight-member schools are Adamson University (AdU), Ateneo de Manila Univer ...

title in

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

. He was also named the 2009 UAAP Season

MVP MVP most commonly refers to: * Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition * Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering MVP may also refer to: ...

. He also played for the

Philippines men's national basketball team The Philippines men's national basketball team (), commonly known as Gilas Pilipinas, is the basketball team representing the Philippines. The team is managed by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (Basketball Federation of the Philippines or s ...

Early life

Dylan Ababou was born in

Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has been ...

to parents Rachid Ababou and Rosemarie Rosales. He was raised by his grandmother and started playing basketball when he was 8 years old.

College career

Ababou played for the

men's basketball team in the

University Athletic Association of the Philippines The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), established in 1938, is an athletic association of eight Metro Manila universities in the Philippines. The eight-member schools are Adamson University (AdU), Ateneo de Manila Univ ...

from 2005 to 2009. He also had interest in playing for either San Beda or UP. In

, he was one of the members of the 2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team who won the title against the heavily favored

Ateneo Blue Eagles The Ateneo Blue Eagles are the collegiate varsity teams of the Ateneo de Manila University that play in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), the premiere collegiate league in the Philippines. The Ateneo collegiate ...

2–1. He also won the Sixth Man of the Year award for that season. Ababou was crowned the Season MVP on his final year with the Tigers.

Professional career

Barako Bull Energy (2011–12)

In the

2011 PBA draft The 2011 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Basketball Association draft, rookie draft was an event at which teams drafted players from the amateur ranks. The event was held at Robinson's Place Ermita in Manila on August 28, 2011 ...

, he was drafted 10th overall by the

. In his first game with the Energy he scored 20 points on 8 of 13 FG as he led the Energy to a victory against the

Barangay Ginebra Kings The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the precolonial polities of the same name, modern barangays are political subdivisio ...

, 88–75. Ababou became a key player for the Energy since then and entered the starting lineup. The Energy made the quarterfinals but were knocked off by the

Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters The TNT Tropang 5G is a professional basketball team currently owned by Smart Communications, a subsidiary of the PLDT, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) since 1990. The ...

who had a twice-to-beat advantage.

Barangay Ginebra Kings (2012–15)

Ababou was traded from the Energy to the Barangay Ginebra Kings alongside

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 ...

from the

B-Meg Llamados San Miguel Corporation (), abbreviated as SMC, is a Philippine multinational conglomerate with headquarters in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. The company is one of the largest and most diversified conglomerates in the Philippines. Originally fou ...

. The Llamados got

JC Intal John Christopher Antonio "JC" Intal (; born November 18, 1983) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. He played for four teams during his career in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He is married to television host and ...

from the Kings while the Energy got Ronald Tubid and

Reil Cervantes Reil T. Cervantes (born August 16, 1986) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Caloocan Batang Kankaloo franchise of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) and Pilipinas Super League (PSL). He was drafted 9th by Barangay ...

from the Kings. He participated in the 2012 Rookies/Sophomores/Juniors vs Veterans Game during the 2012 All-Star Weekend. In that game, him and

James Yap James Carlos Agravante Yap Sr. (born February 15, 1982) is a Filipino professional basketball player who last played for the Blackwater Bossing of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Known by his nickname Big Game James, he is widel ...

of the Veterans team both scored 44 points, breaking Samboy Lim's record of most points scored in an All-Star game. The record would eventually be broken by Terrence Romeo in 2018. He helped Ginebra reach the Finals berth playoff in the 2012 Governors' Cup. At the end of his rookie season, he was named to the All-Rookie Team. Early into his second season, he tore his ACL. He was out for ten months. He was almost traded for Barako Bull's 2013 1st round pick, but the trade was altered, and Rico Maierhofer and Willy Wilson were sent instead. He returned with 16 points in 17 minutes in a win over the

San Mig Coffee Mixers 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 ...

Return to Barako (2015)

In March 2015, Ababou and James Forrester were traded for the 1st round draft pick of the Barako Bull Energy from

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 first trade made under the leadership of Ginebra's new head coach

Frankie Lim Francisco "Frankie" Lim (born February 29, 1960) is a Filipino former basketball player, basketball coach and executive. He played 15 seasons in the PBA. He later became a successful coach, leading his alma mater San Beda Red Lions to four NCA ...

. He helped Barako Bull make the 2015 Governors' Cup quarterfinals.

TNT Franchise (2015–16)

On October 8, 2015, the PBA office approved the trade that sent Ababou to the

for a 2016 second round pick.

Constant trades (2016–17)

On November 14, 2016, Ababou was traded by the TNT to the

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 ...

for Frank Golla. In 2017, he was traded to the

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 ...

for

KG Canaleta Rommel Niño T. "KG" Canaleta (born February 12, 1982) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Biñan Tatak Gel of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) and Pilipinas Super League (PSL). He is also a former assistant coach ...

. He debuted with 17 points in a loss to Ginebra. Later that year, he was involved in a three-team trade that sent him to the

Phoenix Fuel Masters The Phoenix Fuel Masters is a professional basketball team owned by Phoenix Petroleum, Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc., which debuted in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) in the 2015–16 PBA season, 2016 2016 PBA Commissioner's C ...

. He failed to get a new contract with Phoenix and became a free agent.

Kia Picanto / Columbian Dyip (2017–18)

Ababou was able to sign a one-conference deal with the

Kia Picanto The Kia Picanto is a city car that has been produced by the South Korean car manufacturer, Kia, since 2003. Other names of the car include Kia Morning () in South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan (first two generations) and Chile, Kia EuroStar in Taiwan ...

. Before the start of the 2019 season, he was left off the roster.

PBA return bid and retirement (2021)

Ababou attempted to return to the PBA via its 3x3 tournament, joining guest team Platinum Karaoke in late 2021. However he got injured ten days prior to the tournament. Riddled by injuries for a significant part of his career, Ababou decided to retire from competitive basketball.

PBA career statistics

Season-by-season averages

, - , align=left rowspan=2, , align=left , Barako Bull , rowspan=2, 42 , , rowspan=2, 22.6 , , rowspan=2, .406 , , rowspan=2, .299 , , rowspan=2, .816 , , rowspan=2, 3.1 , , rowspan=2, .7 , , rowspan=2, .2 , , rowspan=2, .3 , , rowspan=2, 8.0 , - , align=left , Barangay Ginebra , - , align=left , , align=left , Barangay Ginebra , 6 , , 8.5 , , .267 , , .222 , , 1.000 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , .0 , , .5 , , 2.7 , - , align=left , , align=left , Barangay Ginebra , 27 , , 9.3 , , .317 , , .235 , , .727 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , .3 , , .1 , , 2.9 , - , align=left rowspan=2, , align=left , Barangay Ginebra , rowspan=2, 18 , , rowspan=2, 10.8 , , rowspan=2, .400 , , rowspan=2, .387 , , rowspan=2, .875 , , rowspan=2, 1.1 , , rowspan=2, .2 , , rowspan=2, .2 , , rowspan=2, .0 , , rowspan=2, 3.7 , - , align=left , Barako Bull , - , align=left , , align=left ,

TNT Troponin T (shortened TnT or TropT) is a part of the troponin complex, which are proteins integral to the contraction of skeletal and heart muscles. They are expressed in skeletal and cardiac myocytes. Troponin T binds to tropomyosin and helps ...

, 24 , , 8.4 , , .438 , , .389 , , 1.000 , , .5 , , .4 , , .2 , , .3 , , 2.8 , - , align=left rowspan=3, , align=left , Blackwater , rowspan=3, 26 , , rowspan=3, 9.8 , , rowspan=3, .347 , , rowspan=3, .386 , , rowspan=3, .750 , , rowspan=3, 1.4 , , rowspan=3, .3 , , rowspan=3, .1 , , rowspan=3, .1 , , rowspan=3, 2.8 , - , align=left , GlobalPort , - , align=left , Phoenix , - , align=left , , align=left , Kia / Columbian , 27 , , 9.7 , , .384 , , .222 , , .786 , , .4 , , .2 , , .4 , , .1 , , 2.8 , -class=sortbottom , align=center colspan=2 , Career , 170 , , 12.7 , , .384 , , .309 , , .819 , , 1.5 , , .4 , , .2 , , .2 , , 4.2

3x3 career

Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 (2019–2020)

Ababou then played for the

Pasig Grindhouse Kings Pasig, officially the City of Pasig (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly-urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 803,159 p ...

beginning in the President's Cup. He then joined the Big Boss Cement–Porac MSC Green Gorillas.

PBA 3x3

In 2021, Ababou joined Platinum Karaoke in the

PBA 3x3 PBA 3x3 was the men's 3x3 basketball, 3x3 basketball league of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). History The proposal to form PBA 3x3, a men's 3x3 basketball, 3x3 basketball league, was a result of a joint partnership between the Phi ...

. Just before the season started, he had an Achilles injury. In 2022, he left for the US to be with his family.

International career

In 2004, Ababou played for the RP Youth Team, competing in the 2004 Southeast Asia Junior Basketball Championship and in that year's Asia Basketball Confederation (ABC) Junior Men's Championship. Immediately after his collegiate career with the Tigers ended, Ababou was called to join the Smart Gilas

together with the likes of

Chris Tiu Christopher John Alandy-Dy Tiu (born July 15, 1985) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Ateneo Blue Eagles with whom he won the UAAP title in 2008. He went on to play his entire professional ...

JVee Casio Joseph Evans "JVee" D. Casio (born September 1, 1986) is a Filipino basketball player for the Blackwater Bossing of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He was drafted first overall by the Powerade Tigers in 2011 PBA draft. Early life Ca ...

Mac Baracael Marnel "Mac" Baracael (born April 14, 1985) is a Filipino professional basketball player who last played for the Pangasinan Heatwaves of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). Baracael was drafted sixth overall by the Alaska Aces in ...

and

Mark Barroca Andy Mark C. Barroca (born April 25, 1986) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He currently wears the number 14 to imply the birthdate of his ...

, players whom he faced during his college career. However, his tenure with Smart Gilas did not go well as he had limited playing time with the team. Also, the arrival of Marcio Lassiter and Chris Lutz to Smart Gilas did not bode well with Ababou as his playing time grew even more limited.

Personal life

Ababou is a Christian. He leads Bible studies with other PBA players. Ababou also owns several business ventures. In 2022, he was an analyst for the broadcast of

UAAP Season 84 UAAP Season 84 was the 2021–22 athletic year of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP). The Season 84 theme was "Fully Alive, Champions for Life" and the season's host was the De La Salle University. With the limitati ...

, and also commentated on PBA games. Ababou is married. In 2022, he moved to California to join his family, who had earlier migrated to the United States.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ababou, Dylan 1986 births Living people Barako Bull Energy draft picks Barako Bull Energy players Barangay Ginebra San Miguel players Basketball players from Leyte (province) Blackwater Bossing players Filipino men's 3x3 basketball players Filipino men's basketball players Filipino people of Moroccan descent NorthPort Batang Pier players Philippine Basketball Association All-Stars Philippines men's national basketball team players Phoenix Fuel Masters players Shooting guards Small forwards Terrafirma Dyip players TNT Tropang 5G players UST Growling Tigers basketball players Filipino Christians Filipino emigrants to the United States 21st-century Filipino sportsmen