Japeth Paul Cabrera Aguilar (born January 25, 1987) is a Filipino professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for the

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 ...

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 Franchising, franchise teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia ...

(PBA). He first played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for 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 ...

of 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 ...

(UAAP), but after two seasons, he moved to the

Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky University (WKU) is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States. It was founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a few decades earlier. It operates regional campuses in Glas ...

Hilltoppers in the Division I of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

in the United States.

College career

UAAP

Japeth Aguilar suited up as a college

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...

for the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles in the

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

. However, his first season stint was cut short due to

appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the Appendix (anatomy), appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever and anorexia (symptom), decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these t ...

, but still managed to score 13 points, grab 11 rebounds and block 10 shots in 55 minutes of action in 10 games. On his sophomore year, he bounced back from a disappointing first season as he averaged 5.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.2 blocked shots per contest to help lead the Blue Eagles to a 10–4 finish in

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

. He scored in double digits on three occasions, while he just missed a double-double twice after posting nine points and a career-best 10 boards in Ateneo's season opener as well as 10 points and eight rebounds later in the year in a win over

Far Eastern University Far Eastern University (), also referred to by its acronym FEU, is a Private university, private research non-sectarian university in Manila, Philippines. Created by the merger of Far Eastern College and the Institute of Accounts, Business and ...

. Aguilar shot a high 55.4 percent from the field for the season, and he was credited with multiple blocks in 12 of the Blue Eagles’ 16 games — that included a career high of seven as well as two other contests with five or more. He led the UAAP in rejections during his sophomore season, with a total of 48 blocks in 16 games.

NCAA Division I

Japeth Aguilar later transferred to

, where he saw action with the Hilltoppers mostly as a reserve. He entered the NCAA as a junior in 2007. This made him the first Philippine-born player to play in the NCAA Division I. He recorded four points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals in his collegiate début against Kennesaw State on November 9, 2007. He then collected two points, five rebounds and a game-best three blocks on November 13 against Kentucky Wesleyan. He was injured in practice after the victory over Kentucky Wesleyan and missed the rest of the year. In his senior season, Aguilar only played 14 games and averaged five minutes per game.

Return to the Philippines

PBA and Smart Gilas

As expected, the Burger King Whoppers nabbed Aguilar as its overall No.1 draft pick in the 2009 PBA draft; however days after the draft, he boldly declared that he would join the Smart Gilas Pilipinas developmental basketball program coached by

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

Rajko Toroman Rajko Toroman ( sr-Cyrl, Рајко Тороман; born February 10, 1955) is a Serbian professional basketball coach. Coaching career Before 2016, he served as a team consultant for the Barako Bull Energy Cola and the Petron Blaze Boosters ...

, a move which caused controversy within the PBA and angst especially by the team that drafted him. PBA governor Lito Alvarez even went to the extent of banning Aguilar from the league for his refusal to sign with the Whoppers. An amicable settlement was reached on October 9, 2009, two days before the 35th PBA season. With SBP president Manny Pangilinan and executive director Noli Eala intervening and at Alvarez's behest, Aguilar signed the one-year contract with the Whoppers. The deal required him to play a few games with the Burger King Whoppers after which he would be traded to the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters (Pangilinan's PBA team), which in turn would release him to Smart Gilas. Alvarez also pointed out that the No. 18 uniform was ready even before Aguilar signed the contract. Aguilar played his only professional game with the Whoppers against the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants in the PBA season opener, which ended in a 93–80 loss to the Giants. Immediately after, Aguilar got his wish as the Whoppers traded him to the Tropang Texters in exchange for future draft picks, indirectly through

Barako Bull Energy Boosters The Barako Bull Energy Boosters were a professional basketball team of the Philippine Basketball Association owned by the Photokina Marketing Corporation. They entered the league in 2000, after a successful stint in the semi-professional Phili ...

which acted as the

conduit Conduit may refer to: Engineering systems * Conduit (fluid conveyance), a pipe suitable for carrying either open-channel or pressurized liquids * Electrical conduit, a protective cover, tube or piping system for electric cables * Conduit cur ...

team. As expected, TNT loaned him to Smart Gilas where he stayed until after the 2012 London Olympics Asian Qualifier as per his Gilas contract. He then played for TNT during the 2011–12 season.

Pursuing the NBA dream

After his contract with Talk 'N Text expired in 2012, Aguilar decided to pursue opportunities to play in the NBA. He is the first player born and raised in the Philippines to ever receive an invitation to work out with an NBA team. Days before the evaluation, Aguilar attended some open workouts hosted by the Bakersfield Jam of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

. Aguilar's team lost but he had managed to put up some notable statistics. He finished the game with 10 points (shooting five from nine field goal attempts), five blocks, four rebounds and an assist. His performance also included three dunks. In late September 2012, Aguilar was invited to a two-day workout with the

New Orleans Hornets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

. He also attended work outs with the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. Shortly after, in early October 2012, Aguilar worked out with NBA D-League team, the

Santa Cruz Warriors The Santa Cruz Warriors are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Santa Cruz, California, and are affiliated with the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors play their home games at Kaiser Permanente Arena. Prior to ...

. The Warriors expressed that they would draft him if he was still available when their turn came in the draft.

Santa Cruz Warriors

On November 2, Japeth Aguilar's pursuit of his NBA dream got closer to reality after he became the first ever Filipino to be drafted in the NBA Development League. The Santa Cruz Warriors, the D-League affiliate of the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

, selected Aguilar as the thirteenth pick in the seventh round of the 2012 NBA D-League draft, selected as 109th overall out of 139 players. Aguilar was described as a "work in progress" by the New Orleans Hornets talent scout Don Sellers. After surviving two cuts, Santa Cruz Warriors waived Aguilar on November 22. After being the last man cut from the Warriors, he was offered a spot on the practice line-up, and signed a practice player contract. However, he changed his mind and decided to consider other options.

Return to PBA

GlobalPort Batang Pier (2013)

After a failed attempt to play in NBA, he returned to the Philippines and requested a trade from the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters. He was then traded to

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

Rabeh Al-Hussaini Rabeh Ahmed T. Al-Hussaini (born August 11, 1988) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Basilan Viva Portmasters of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League. A power forward (basketball), power forward/center (basketball), center, ...

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (2013–present)

On June 11, 2013, GlobalPort was part of a 4-team trade and Aguilar was sent to

. Aguilar was paired with Greg Slaughter and they were dubbed the "Twin Towers". In his first game for the Kings, Aguilar tallied 18 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks against San Mig Super Coffee Mixers. He tallied his first double-double the next game against the

Rain or Shine Elasto Painters The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association owned by Asian Coatings Philippines, Inc. It debuted in the league in the 2006–07 PBA season after acquiring the franchise righ ...

by logging 19 points and 10 rebounds. In a December 8, 2013, game against his former team Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters, Aguilar knocked down a 3-point shot to give the Kings a 97–95 lead with 1.1 seconds remaining. In the subsequent play, he blocked the game-tying field goal attempt by Ranidel de Ocampo to secure the victory. He finished the game with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 7 blocks in 38 minutes. On December 28, 2013, against the Meralco Bolts, he knocked down the game winning 3 point shot at the buzzer to attain an 83–82 victory. He finished the game with 15 points and 11 rebounds. With his newfound confidence, he now leads the team in scoring, and is one of the leading candidates for Best Player of the Conference trophy in the 2013–14 PBA Philippine Cup, trailing statistical points leader June Mar Fajardo. On October 14, 2016, he was recognized during the PBA Leo Awards Night as he was named to the PBA All-Defensive Team and PBA Mythical Second Team. On January 6, 2022, Aguilar signed a three-year contract extension with Barangay Ginebra.

National team career

Aguilar first played for Philippines men's national team in 2009. He played for Powerade Team Pilipinas in the

2009 FIBA Asia Championship The 2009 in sports, 2009 FIBA Asia Championship for Men was the biennial Asian continental championship and also served as the FIBA Asia qualifying tournament for the 2010 FIBA World Championship. The tournament was held from August 6 to 16, 2009 i ...

but saw limited action. When the team transitioned into its Gilas era, Aguilar became the team's starting power forward. However, for the

2011 FIBA Asia Championship The 2011 FIBA Asia Championship for Men is the intercontinental championship for basketball organized by FIBA Asia that doubles as a qualifying tournament for the men's basketball tournament of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England, United ...

, PBA pros Kelly Williams and Ranidel De Ocampo were added to the team, putting him in the back of the rotation. Aguilar was offered the chance to train with the Philippines for the 2012 Jones Cup, but declined as he wanted to explore opportunities in the US. He got another chance to play for Gilas in the

2013 FIBA Asia Championship The 2013 in sports, 2013 FIBA Asia Cup, FIBA Asia Championship for Men was the intercontinental championship for basketball organized by FIBA Asia that served as the qualifying tournament for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. The tourna ...

, where he averaged 5.8 points and 3.9 rebounds on 54% shooting in 25 minutes, and helped Gilas qualify for the 2014 FIBA World Cup. Aguilar was included in the 21-man pool for the

2023 FIBA World Cup The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 19th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men's national basketball teams, held from 25 August to 10 September 2023. The tournament was the second to feature 32 teams and was hosted by multipl ...

, where he was eventually included in the final 12-man lineup.

Career statistics

PBA

''As of the end of 2023–24 season''

Season-by-season averages

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Burger King Burger King Corporation (BK, stylized in all caps) is an American multinational chain store, chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacks ...

, 1 , , 24.0 , , .333 , , .000 , , .600 , , 9.0 , , 2.0 , , , , 1.0 , , 10.0 , - , align=left , , align=left , Talk 'N Text , 52 , , 15.4 , , .450 , , .125 , , .664 , , 4.1 , , .5 , , .3 , , 1.3 , , 6.6 , - , align=left rowspan=2, , align=left , GlobalPort , rowspan=2, 18 , , rowspan=2, 25.2 , , rowspan=2, .420 , , rowspan=2, .267 , , rowspan=2, .667 , , rowspan=2, 6.2 , , rowspan=2, 1.1 , , rowspan=2, .4 , , rowspan=2, 1.8 , , rowspan=2, 9.6 , - , align=left , Barangay Ginebra , - , align=left , , align=left , Barangay Ginebra , 43 , , 30.4 , , .508 , , .200 , , .668 , , 7.6 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 2.1 , , 13.7 , - , align=left , , align=left , Barangay Ginebra , 33 , , 25.0 , , .521 , , .400 , , .724 , , 7.6 , , .8 , , .3 , , 1.5 , , 11.6 , - , align=left , , align=left , Barangay Ginebra , 49 , , 30.4 , , .499 , , .267 , , .682 , , 7.0 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , 1.7 , , 13.7 , - , align=left , , align=left , Barangay Ginebra , 62 , , 29.8 , , .506 , , .234 , , .686 , , 7.8 , , 1.5 , , .3 , , 1.9 , , 13.9 , - , align=left , , align=left , Barangay Ginebra , 52 , , 28.4 , , .553 , , .270 , , .691 , , 7.0 , , 1.8 , , .5 , , 1.2 , , 16.4 , - , align=left , , align=left , Barangay Ginebra , 52 , , 27.9 , , .562 , , .375 , , .593 , , 6.8 , , 1.7 , , .5 , , 1.6 , , 14.5 , - , align=left , , align=left , Barangay Ginebra , 22 , , 29.8 , , .573 , , .250 , , .615 , , 8.3 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , 1.4 , , 15.6 , - , align=left , , align=left , Barangay Ginebra , 25 , , 27.9 , , .541 , , .000 , , .692 , , 5.4 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 1.4 , , 13.0 , - , align=left , , align=left , Barangay Ginebra , 45 , , 23.6 , , .532 , , .222 , , .673 , , 5.8 , , .9 , , .4 , , 1.5 , , 11.2 , - , align=left , , align=left , Barangay Ginebra , 34 , , 24.4 , , .538 , , .000 , , .777 , , 6.0 , , .7 , , .2 , , 1.2 , , 11.6 , -class=sortbottom , align="center" colspan="2" , Career , 488 , , 26.5 , , .522 , , .250 , , .674 , , 6.6 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , 1.6 , , 12.7

National team

, - , align=left ,

, align=left rowspan="11" , , 6 , , 13.5 , , .526 , , .000 , , .667 , , 3.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 4.3 , - , align=left , 2011 William Jones Cup , 9 , , 21.5 , , .545 , , .000 , , .647 , , 4.0 , , 1.1 , , 0.4 , , 1.9 , , 6.6 , - , align=left ,

, 5 , , 8.2 , , .565 , , .000 , , .700 , , 3.2 , , 0.0 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 6.6 , - , align=left ,

, 9 , , 15.0 , , .541 , , .000 , , .800 , , 3.9 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 0.9 , , 5.8 , - , align=left ,

2014 FIBA Asia Cup 2014 in sports, 2014 FIBA Asia Challenge, FIBA Asia Cup was the 5th FIBA Asia Cup, a top-level international basketball tournament of FIBA Asia. The tournament was held in Wuhan, Hubei, China from 11–19 July 2014. Iran national basketball team, ...

, 6 , , 13.7 , , .500 , , .000 , , .625 , , 2.8 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.9 , , 5.2 , - , align=left ,

2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup The 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 17th edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the tournament previously known as the FIBA World Championship. The tournament was held from 30 August to 14 September 2014. Hosted by Spain, it was the la ...

, 4 , , 7.5 , , .400 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.5 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.5 , - , align=left , 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament , 1 , , 2.3 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , - , align=left , 2017 FIBA Asia Cup , 6 , , 23.5 , , .389 , , .500 , , .583 , , 6.3 , , 1.2 , , 0.0 , , 1.8 , , 6.0 , - , align=left ,

2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification was the first World Cup for which teams had to qualify for under the new qualification system. The process determined 31 out of the 32 teams that participated at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. ...

, 11 , , 16.2 , , .524 , , .200 , , .706 , , 3.4 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 0.8 , , 5.2 , - , align=left ,

2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 18th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men's national basketball teams, held from 31 August to 15 September 2019. The tournament was hosted in China and was rescheduled from 2018 to 2019, b ...

, 5 , , 20.9 , , .367 , , .250 , , .500 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.2 , , 4.8 , - , align=left ,

2019 Southeast Asian Games The 2019 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 30th Southeast Asian Games, or the 30th SEA Games, and commonly known as Philippines 2019, were the 30th edition of the SEA Games, Southeast Asian Games, a biennial regional multi-sport ...

, 5 , , 13.4 , , .625 , , .000 , , .560 , , 5.4 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 0.6 , , 7.0

NCAA

, - , align=left , 2007–2008 , align=left rowspan="2" , Western Kentucky , 3 , , , , 13.3 , , .400 , , .000 , , 0.8, , 3.3 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.3 , , 2.7 , - , align=left , 2008–2009 , 14 , , , , 5.1 , , .563 , , .000 , , 0.6, , 0.9 , , 0.0 , , 0.1 , , 0.4 , , 1.5

Esports

In 2018, Japeth Aguilar became a Mobile Legends: Bang Bang ambassador for the LIGA event relating the

esport Esports (), short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, played individually or as teams. ...

game to basketball. Aguilar said that MLBB shares common characteristics with basketball where players form a bond and work together as a team.

Personal life

Aguilar's father, Peter, was also a basketball player in the PBA. In 2018, he threw a chair at

Nathan Sobey Nathan Adam Sobey (born 14 July 1990) is an Australian professional basketball player for Santeros de Aguada of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional. He is also contracted with the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the National Basketball League (N ...

, who was also punched by bystander Jio Jalalon, in the Philippines–Australia basketball brawl in 2018. In October 2019, Aguilar married his longtime girlfriend and former beauty queen Cassandra Naidas.

References

External links

WKUSports.com – Japeth Aguilar Player Profile

CBSSports.com – NCAA Basketball – Japeth Aguilar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aguilar, Japeth 1987 births Living people 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup players 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup players 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup players Asian Games gold medalists for the Philippines Asian Games medalists in basketball Ateneo Blue Eagles men's basketball players Barako Bull Energy draft picks Barako Bull Energy players Barangay Ginebra San Miguel players Basketball players at the 2010 Asian Games Basketball players at the 2014 Asian Games Basketball players at the 2022 Asian Games Basketball players from Pampanga Centers (basketball) Competitors at the 2019 SEA Games Filipino expatriate basketball people in the United States Filipino men's basketball players 21st-century Filipino sportsmen Kapampangan people Mapúa University alumni NorthPort Batang Pier players Philippine Basketball Association All-Stars Philippines men's national basketball team players Power forwards Small forwards SEA Games gold medalists for the Philippines SEA Games medalists in basketball TNT Tropang 5G players Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball players