The Phoenix Fuel Masters is a professional basketball team owned by Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc., which debuted 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) in the

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

Commissioner's Cup. The franchise began after the company acquired the second Barako Bull team in January 2016.

History

In March 2011, Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc., a sponsor of the PBA games, had expressed interest in acquiring a PBA franchise and were in talks to acquire the franchise of the original

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 ...

team (owned by the Energy Food and Drink, Inc.). For the sale to proceed, a two-thirds approval from the PBA Board of Governors was needed (7 out of 10 votes). However, it failed to get the necessary number of votes. Reportedly,

San Miguel Corporation 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 fo ...

(SMC) intended to rename its PBA team as the

Petron Blaze Boosters The San Miguel Beermen are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). It is one of three PBA clubs owned by the San Miguel Corporation group of companies along with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Magnolia ...

for the

2011 PBA Governors Cup The 2011 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors' Cup is the third and last conference of the 2010-11 PBA season. The tournament started on June 11 and ended on August 21. The Barako Bull Energy Boosters have extended their leave of a ...

, hence its objection to the proposed entry of Phoenix Petroleum, a business competitor of Petron, in 2011. SMC reverted to playing as the San Miguel Beermen in 2014. In July 2011, the PBA franchise of the original Barako Bull Energy Boosters was acquired by the Lina Group of Companies (

Alberto Lina Alberto David Lina (April 23, 1948 – February 25, 2025) was a Filipino businessman and government official who served as Commissioner of Bureau of Customs. He first served as commissioner from February 4, to July 8, 2005, and again in April ...

), owner of the original

Air21 Express Air21 Express may refer to * Barako Bull Energy, Philippine basketball team named as "Air21 Express" from 2005 to 2009, and from 2010 to 2011 * Air21 Express (2012–2014) The Air21 Express was a professional basketball team in the Philippine B ...

team, reportedly for 50 million

pesos The peso is the monetary unit of several Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, as well as the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries of the Americas, the symbol commonly known a ...

. The franchise went on to play as the Shopinas.com Clickers and, later, as the second

team. In June 2014, the Lina Group sold this franchise to Manila North Tollways Corporation and became the

NLEX Road Warriors The NLEX Road Warriors is a professional basketball team owned by Manila North Tollways Corporation, NLEX Corporation, a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) since the 2014 ...

The Start Of Fuel Masters

In January 2016, Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc. sealed a deal to acquire the team known as the second

Barako Bull 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 Co ...

team (also known as the original

team) from the Lina Group, reportedly in the amount of 100 million pesos. The PBA board of governors unanimously approved the sale on January 20, 2016. In addition, the board also gave its approval for Phoenix Petroleum to play in the

2016 PBA Commissioner's Cup The 2016 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner's Cup, also known as the 2016 Oppo-PBA Commissioner's Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the second conference of the 2015–16 PBA season. The tournament allowed teams to hire forei ...

instead of waiting until the 2016–17 PBA season. The coaching staff, players' contracts and contractual obligations will be carried over by the new owners. On February 10, 2016, the Phoenix Fuel Masters officially announced their entry into the PBA with a press conference, followed by the unveiling of their new uniforms, held at Novotel Manila in

Araneta Center Araneta City (stylized in all lowercase), formerly and still commonly known as Araneta Center, is a Transit-oriented development, transit oriented, commercial Mixed-use development, mixed-use urban development in Quezon City, Philippines. Situ ...

, Cubao. The Fuel Masters debuted in the PBA with a 118–106 win over the NLEX Road Warriors at the

, with Nigerian

Kenny Adeleke Andrew Kehinde "Kenny" Adeleke (born February 10, 1983) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player who has played 12 seasons in the NBA, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. In 2006–07 he was the top rebounder in the Israel Basketball P ...

as import. After four games, he was waived and

Kevinn Pinkney Kevinn Lamar Pinkney (born October 10, 1983) is an American professional basketball player. Professional career Despite a highly successful career as a power forward at the University of Nevada, Reno where he also played with 2007 draft prospect ...

took his place as the team reinforcement. On May 31, 2016, Phoenix announced the appointment of

Westports Malaysia Dragons The Kuala Lumpur Dragons are a professional basketball team based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia that last played in the ASEAN Basketball League. They also played as the Blustar Detergent Dragons in the Philippines' PBA Developmental League in 2016. ...

head coach Ariel Vanguardia as the new head coach of the team. He will take over the position formerly occupied by Banal.

Wright - Perkins Tandem (2016 - 2018)

The Fuel Masters drafted

Matthew Wright Matt or Matthew Wright may refer to: Sports * Matthew Wright (basketball) (born 1991), Filipino-Canadian basketball player * Matthew Wright (Australian footballer) (born 1989), Australian rules footballer * Matthew Wright (rugby league) (born 1991) ...

and

Jason Perkins Jason Andre Perkins (born September 20, 1992) is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Fuel Masters of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Personal life Perkins is the youngest of three siblings. His fathe ...

as its first superstars. However, the team struggled to win games and did not win a single game in its first four appearances in the quarterfinals.

Calvin Abueva and Achieving Success (2018 - 2020)

On August 7, 2018, 10 days before the start of the Governors' Cup, the Fuel Masters traded Karl Dehesa and a draft pick for 2019 in exchange for

Calvin Abueva Calvin Abueva (born February 4, 1988) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the NorthPort Batang Pier of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He was picked second overall by the Alaska Aces during the 2012 PBA Draft. He w ...

. He along with Wright, Perkins and import Eugene Phelps led the team to its first twice to beat advantage berth in the quarterfinals after posting an 8–3 record in the eliminations but lost both games to the

Meralco Bolts The Meralco Bolts is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team began in 2010 after the Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) acquired the PBA franchise of the Sta. Lucia Realtors. The team is one of thre ...

. During the Philippine Cup of the following season, the team changed colors and logo from red and silver to black and red. They clinched the top seed and a consecutive twice to beat advantage in the quarterfinals with a 9–2 record. They defeated the Alaska Aces 91–76 before losing to the eventual champion

San Miguel Beermen The San Miguel Beermen are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). It is one of three PBA clubs owned by the San Miguel Corporation group of companies along with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Magnolia ...

five games in the semifinals. Abueva got suspended indefinitely in June 2019 due to two infractions: clotheslining

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

import

Terrence Jones Terrence Alexander Jones (born January 9, 1992) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Piratas de Quebradillas of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. High sc ...

and doing obscene gestures to the girlfriend of

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 ...

player Bobby Parks Jr.. During the pandemic-shortened 2020 Philippine Cup bubble tournament, the team under the name Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters, paraded teal and blue as its colors and a new team logo.

Topex Robinson Michael Christopher "Topex" Robinson (born December 25, 1976) is a Filipino professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the De La Salle Green Archers of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP). ...

was elevated to full-time head coach replacing

Louie Alas Francisco Luis "Louie" Evora Alas (born October 10, 1963) is a Filipino basketball coach. He is the head coach of the Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) since 2023 and the deputy assistant coa ...

and

Willy Wilson William Joel Ventenilla Wilson (born January 30, 1980) is a Filipino-American former professional basketball player who is currently an assistant coach for the Phoenix Fuel Masters of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He played for f ...

joined the coaching staff after playing three seasons for the team. Abueva was allowed to re-join the roster in October 2020 after undergoing tests imposed by the league. The Fuel Master clinched a twice to beat advantage as the 2nd seed with an 8–3 record in the eliminations. They won against the

Magnolia Hotshots 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, Inc., a subsidiary of San Migu ...

89–88 before losing to the

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

two games to three in the semifinals. Several players won awards at the end of the tournament including Abueva and Wright as part of the Elite Five,

RJ Jazul Rafael Joey Q. Jazul Jr. (born April 11, 1986) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Phoenix Fuel Masters of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He was drafted 11th overall in the 2010 PBA draft by the Alaska Aces (PBA), Ac ...

as Mr. Quality Minutes,

Justin Chua Justin Shaun Rodriguez Chua (born July 13, 1989) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Blackwater Bossing of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He plays the center and power forward positions. He was the former star pla ...

as Defensive Player of the Tournament. Chua and Abueva also won as members of the All Bubble D-Fenders team. Veteran

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 ...

retired at season's end.

Current roster

Players of note

* Yutien Andrada * Sean Anthony *

Cyrus Baguio Cyrus Marata Baguio (born August 19, 1980) is a Filipino professional basketball player who last played for the Valenzuela Classic of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). He also formerly played in the Philippine Basketball Associ ...

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 ...

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

Mark Borboran Mark Anthony Rosales Borboran (born November 20, 1984) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He went to college at the José Rizal University and later ...

Rodney Brondial John Rodney Sanao Brondial (born November 20, 1990) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the San Miguel Beermen of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He played college basketball for Adamson University in the UAAP. He was ...

Prince Caperal Prince Renmer B. Caperal (born June 12, 1993) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Blackwater Bossing of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He was drafted 17th overall by the GlobalPort Batang Pier in the 2014 PBA draft. ...

* Jeff Chan *

Mark Cruz Mark Lu Cruz (born July 27, 1992) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the South Cotabato Warriors franchise of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) and Pilipinas Super League (PSL). He earned the moniker Ant Man du ...

Simon Enciso Simon Nicholas Marquez Enciso (born February 12, 1991) is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for the TNT Tropang 5G of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Amateur career High school career Enciso attended at Terra Nov ...

* James Forrester *

Jeric Fortuna Jeric Marco Gray Fortuna (born November 25, 1991) is a Filipino professional basketball coach and former player. He was drafted 14th overall by the Barako Bull Energy in the 2013 PBA draft. He is an assistant coach for the UST Growling Tigers o ...

RR Garcia Ryan Roose B. Garcia (born January 12, 1990) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Phoenix Fuel Masters of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He was selected 6th overall in the 2013 PBA draft by the Barako Bull Energy Cola ...

* Marvin Hayes *

* Jens Knuttel *

Doug Kramer Douglas Rimorin Kramer (born July 10, 1983) is a Filipino former basketball player. Playing power forward for the Ateneo Blue Eagles, he then played for eight teams in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Early life Kramer grew up in ...

* Chico Lanete *

Alex Mallari Alex Christopher Hale Mallari (born March 26, 1987) is a Filipino-American former professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He was selected third overall in the 2012 PBA draft by the Petron Blaze Boosters. ...

* Michael Miranda *

Javee Mocon Javee Dimalanta Mocon (born April 7, 1995) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the NLEX Road Warriors of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He played college basketball for the San Beda Red Lions in the NCAA. He plays both ...

Emman Monfort Emmanuel N. Monfort (born July 2, 1989) is a Filipino basketball coach and former player. He is an assistant coach for the NLEX Road Warriors of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He was selected 16th overall in the 2012 PBA draft by B ...

Mick Pennisi Michael Alfio Pennisi (born March 13, 1975) is an Australian-Filipino former professional basketball player. After playing for the Townsville Suns/Crocodiles of the Australian NBL during the 1990s, Pennisi moved to the Philippines in 2000 and p ...

* Encho Serrano * Paul Sorongon *

Norbert Torres Norberto Brian Torres (born January 12, 1990) is a Canadian-born Filipino professional basketball player for the Meralco Bolts of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). High school career Torres attended his secondary education at Blessed ...

Josh Urbiztondo Joshua Emile Doherty Urbiztondo (born February 27, 1983) is a Filipino-American former professional basketball player. He last played for the San Miguel Alab Pilipinas of the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL). Amateur career Urbiztondo played f ...

Jonathan Uyloan Jonathan Uyloan (born November 26, 1983) is a Filipino-American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). He was undrafted and signed by the Rain o ...

John Wilson John Wilson may refer to: Academics * John Wilson (historian) (1799–1870), author of ''Our Israelitish Origin'' (1840), a founding text of British Israelism * John Wilson (agriculturalist) (1812–1888), British agriculturalist * John Matthias ...

Imports

* Marcus Simmons * Eugene Phelps * *

Jameel McKay Jameel McKay (born September 14, 1992) is an American former professional basketball player. He played two seasons of college basketball for Iowa State, where as a junior in 2014–15, he was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year when he aver ...

* Brandon Brown * James White *

Robert Dozier Robert Lorenzo Dozier Jr. (born November 6, 1985) is an American professional basketball player. College career In the 2007–08 season, Dozier started in all games with Memphis, along with the Memphis Tigers' future NBA players Derrick Rose, Ch ...

Richard Howell Richard Howell (October 25, 1754April 28, 1802) was the third governor of New Jersey from 1793 to 1801. Early life and military career Howell was born in Newark, in the Colony of Delaware, and was a descendant of a Virginian old colonist fa ...

Alonzo Gee Alonzo Edward Gee (born May 29, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player. Born and raised in Riviera Beach, Florida, Gee attended the University of Alabama, where he played for the Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team for ...

* Paul Harris *

Dominique Sutton Dominique Leondras Sutton (born October 20, 1986) is an American basketball player for Al Ahli Manama of the West Asia Super League. Sutton played college basketball for Kansas State University and North Carolina Central University. High school ...

* Du'Vaughn Maxwell *

Kaleb Wesson Kaleb Avery Wesson (born July 27, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for Kaohsiung Aquas of the Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL). He played college basketball for the Ohio State Buckeyes. High school career Wesson is ...

Johnathan Williams Johnathan Lee Williams III (born May 22, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Qadsia SC of the WASL Gulf League. He played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs. He spent two seasons with the University of Missour ...

Awards

Individual awards

PBA Press Corps Individual Awards

All-Star Weekend

Front Office

Coaches

PBA - 2021 - Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters huddle - Topex Robinson

Season-by-season records

:''Records from the

2024–25 PBA season The 2024–25 PBA season, also referred to as PBA season 49, is the 49th season of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The season began on August 18, 2024 and will conclude sometime in 2025. The league reverts to a three-conference for ...

:'' *one-game playoff
**team had the twice-to-beat advantage

References

{{Philippine Basketball Association navbox 2016 establishments in the Philippines Basketball teams established in 2016