Joel Diomar "JD" Cagulangan (born January 24, 2000) is a Filipino basketball player for the

Suwon KT Sonicboom Suwon KT Sonicboom () is a professional basketball club based in Suwon, South Korea which plays in the Korean Basketball League. Their home games are played at the Suwon KT Sonicboom Arena. Founded in 1997, the team was initially based in Gwangju ...

of the

Korean Basketball League The Korean Basketball League () or simply KBL is a professional men's basketball league in South Korea which was established in 1997. The league consists of ten teams and each team plays a total of 54 games (27 home and 27 away) in the regular s ...

(KBL).

Early life and education

Cagulangan first played for

Northern Mindanao Northern Mindanao (; Maranao language, Maranao: ''Pangotaraan Mindanao''; ) is an Regions of the Philippines, administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region X. It comprises five Provinces of the Philippines, provinces: Bukidnon, ...

in the 2013 Palarong Pambansa during elementary days before being recruited by

La Salle Green Hills La Salle Green Hills ("LSGH") is a private Catholic school run by the Philippine District of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in Ortigas Avenue, Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. It was established in 1959 by the D ...

(LSGH). In NCAA Season 93 (2017) finals, Cagulangan converted both of his free throws to put LSGH up for good to defeat the Malayan Red Robins and help the Greenies capture their first NCAA title, and the first NCAA championship for a Lasallian school since 1954. Cagulangan was named Finals MVP for his heroics.

College career

Cagulangan debuted for the

De La Salle Green Archers The De La Salle Green Archers and Lady Archers are the varsity teams representing De La Salle University in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, among other leagues. The "Green Archer" is the traditional university mascot. Whi ...

in UAAP Season 82 (2019), but left after the season due to limited playing time and transferred to the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; ) is a Higher education in the Philippines#State universities and colleges, state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by List of Philippine laws, Re ...

(UP). Prior to completing his move to UP, he enrolled at Saint Clare College of Caloocan during the pandemic, which allowed him to play 4 years for UP without doing residency for a year. He helped the

UP Fighting Maroons The UP Fighting Maroons are the collegiate varsity teams of the University of the Philippines Diliman. The teams play in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), the Philippines' premier college sports league. UP is one o ...

claim the UAAP Season 84 (2022) men's basketball championship, their first UAAP title since

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

, with a game-winning three-pointer in Game 3 of their best-of-three championship series against the

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 ...

, breaking the 69-all deadlock with .5 seconds left in overtime. Cagulangan was named Season 87 (2024) Finals MVP when the

Fighting Maroons The UP Fighting Maroons are the collegiate varsity teams of the University of the Philippines Diliman. The teams play in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), the Philippines' premier college sports league. UP is one ...

won the title over his former team,

, on December 15, 2024, at

Smart 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 "the Big Dome" ...

Professional career

On December 17, 2024, Cagulangan signed with the

of the

(KBL).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cagulangan, JD 2000 births 21st-century Filipino sportsmen Filipino men's basketball players Living people De La Salle Green Archers basketball players UP Fighting Maroons men's basketball players Point guards People from Butuan Basketball players from Agusan del Norte Suwon KT Sonicboom players Filipino expatriate basketball people in South Korea