Raymond Canaria Almazan (born August 2, 1989) is a Filipino professional basketball player for 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 ...

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 is nicknamed Rock N' Roll.

College career

He played for the

Letran Knights The Letran Knights and Lady Knights are the collegiate varsity teams representing Colegio de San Juan de Letran in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The high school varsity teams are called the ''Squires''. The college's varsity te ...

in the

NCAA 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. ...

where he established himself as a defensive player, rebounder and shot-blocker. He was both awarded as the Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year for the

NCAA Season 89 NCAA Season 89 is the 2013–14 season of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (Philippines). The season, hosted by De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde opened on June 22, 2013 at the Mall of Asia Arena. Basketball Seniors' tournament ...

and led the Knights to the men's basketball championship match against the

San Beda Red Lions The San Beda Red Lions and Lionesses are the collegiate varsity teams of the San Beda University, best known for their basketball section.Malonso, J. ''"NCAA: A HISTORY''". NCAA(Phils) Homepage. Online. Internet. Accessed 23 May 200NCAA Philippi ...

for two straight seasons, by which they were beaten on both occasions. He finished his college career without a championship. While in college, he also played for the Cagayan Rising Suns and several other teams in the PBA D-League.

Professional career

Rain or Shine

Almazan was drafted 3rd overall by 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 ...

in the 2013 PBA Draft. He played alongside the celebrated Extra Rice Inc. frontline of Beau Belga and

JR Quiñahan JR, J. R. or Jr. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * '' J R'', a 1975 novel by William Gaddis * J. R. Ewing, a ''Dallas'' television character * JR Chandler, an ''All My Children'' television character * ''Jornal da Record'', a Brazilian news ...

and was a key role player off-the-bench.

2013–2014

On December 29, 2013, he played his first breakout game as a pro, finishing with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks in just 24 minutes in the Elasto Painters’ 101–77 victory over the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers. In his first conference, Rain or Shine beat 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 ...

in the quarterfinals, and the Petron Blaze Boosters in the semifinals. But they lost to the San Mig Coffee Mixers in six games. In Game 6, he and the entire team participated in a partial walkout in the 2nd quarter and delayed the game for 10 minutes. They were then fined P2 million for their actions. His team made the semis in the Commissioner's Cup, where they lost to the Talk N'Text Tropang Texters. In a win against the Meralco Bolts in the 2014 Governor's Cup, he had 12 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 blocks. His team made it to the finals, but lost once again to the Coffee Mixers, giving the Mixers a Grand Slam. He finished the season as a member of the All-Rookie Team.

2014–2015

In a game against 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 ...

in the 2014–15 Philippine Cup, Almazan had 17 points and 9 rebounds. His team made it all the way to the semis against the Alaska Aces. In a Game 5 loss, he had 16 points and 9 rebounds. He ended that conference with 11 points and 8 boards as Rain or Shine lost the series in Game 6. He also took part in the 2014 Rookies vs Sophomores game in the 2015 All-Star Weekend. After a game against 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 ...

in the Commissioner's Cup, he was fined 40,000 pesos for “taunting, provoking, and scoffing at the fans with the use of a dirty finger and other offensive verbal physical gestures.” His team clinched the first seed that conference. They beat Ginebra in the quarterfinals, with Almazan providing 17 points (12 in the fourth), 5 rebounds and the triple that tied the game 84-all. They also swept Meralco in the semis. In Game 6 of the

finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

against TNT, he had 18 points (11 in the first) on 8-of-10 shooting, and 10 boards as Rain or Sine won. But in Game 7, they lost in double overtime, 121–119, and the Tropang Texters won the championship. In the Governor's Cup, his team started 1–4, but finished the elimination round on a 6-game win streak, good for the 3rd seed. They made it all the way to the semis, where the

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 ...

eliminated them in four games in a best-of-five format.

2015–2016

In the 2015–16 Philippine Cup, he posted career-highs of 21 points and 17 rebounds in a win over Meralco. They made it to the semis against the Beermen, where before Game 3, he stepped on Jewel Ponferada's foot, spraining his right ankle. Without him, Rain or Shine lost in 6 games. In the 2016 Commissioner's Cup, he won his first championship, as his team won the

in 6 games. He was on the Stalwarts team that won vs the Greats during the PBA All-Star Weekend that year. Unfortunately, Rain or Shine couldn't keep that momentum going in the Governor's Cup, as they failed to make at least the quarterfinals.

2016–2017

In the offseason, Almazan secured a contract extension. He had 14 points and 16 rebounds in a win against Blackwater in the Philippine Cup. He missed games in January and February due to a calf injury. His team made the playoffs as the 8th seed, but lost to the Beermen in the first round. In his first game back during the Commissioner's Cup, he had 18 points off the bench. He played in the 2017 All-Star games as a member of Gilas Pilipinas. He also missed some games in May due to his commitments to Gilas. Rain or Shine was swept by the

Star 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, San Miguel Food and Beverage, I ...

in the first round, failing to defend their Commissioner's Cup title. In the Governor's Cup, he hit clutch free throws along with his 15 points and 10 rebounds off the bench against Globalport to secure the win, 98–96. He had to miss some games due to the

FIBA Asia Cup The FIBA Asia Cup (formerly the FIBA Asia Championship and ABC Championship) is an international basketball tournament which takes place every four years between the men's national teams of Asia and Oceania. Through the 2015 edition, the t ...

. In his first game after his Gilas duties, he had 13 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 assists as Rain or Shine won against the Hotshots, 92–88. After that game, he had to be taken to the hospital due to

dehydration In physiology, dehydration is a lack of total body water that disrupts metabolic processes. It occurs when free water loss exceeds intake, often resulting from excessive sweating, health conditions, or inadequate consumption of water. Mild deh ...

. He had 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks against 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 ...

. They finished the eliminations with 7 wins in 11 games., and were knocked out of title contention by the

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 ...

2017–2018

During the Philippine Cup, Almazan was benched against Phoenix for a subpar showing in their previous game against Globalport. He got into an elbow match against Eric Camson of 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 ...

, and was ejected from the game. He was then fined P20K and suspended for one game. He bounced back with 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting against the Magnolia Hotshots. They made the playoffs, but he injured his hands in their last game of the eliminations. They were swept by Ginebra in the quarterfinals. In the Commissioner's Cup, he tied his career-high of 25 points and also had 14 rebounds all off the bench. In a game against Globalport, he hit import Malcolm White in the face, and then shouted at him in the dugouts after the game. He played for the Luzon All-Stars during All-Star Week. Rain or Shine made it all the way to the semis, being eliminated by Ginebra. In the Governor's Cup, he was absent in most of their games for unknown reasons. His team did not make the playoffs.

2019

Almazan missed Rain or Shine's debut in the 2019 Philippine Cup with a right ankle sprain. He returned in a game against Blackwater. After that conference, he was traded to Meralco.

Meralco Bolts (2019–present)

The Meralco Bolts traded for Almazan with their 2019 and 2021 first-round draft picks. He had a quiet debut of three points, one rebound, one assist, and one steal in the Commissioner's Cup. However, they did not make the playoffs that conference. In the Governor's Cup, he played better, starting with 19 points and 13 rebounds against Magnolia. He had 17 points and 17 rebounds, but didn't get the win against NLEX because he got called for goaltending with 37.3 seconds remaining. He was just two points shy of a 20–20 outing as he produced 18 markers and a career-high 24 boards against the Columbian Dyip. He finished with 18 points and 19 rebounds as Meralco finished with an 8–3 record. His team beat Alaska in the quarterfinals, and TNT in five semifinal games. In the

, they went up against Ginebra. In Game 1, he had 20 points and 13 rebounds, but Ginebra took the win. They won Game 2 and he had 15 points and 9 rebounds. In Game 3, he got hurt after landing on

LA Tenorio Lewis Alfred Vasquez Tenorio (born July 9, 1984) is a Filipino professional basketball player and an assistant coach for the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He is also the head coach of the Gilas You ...

as he went for a drive. He was ruled out of the match and Meralco lost. The injury was later revealed to be a meniscal tear in his left knee. He attempted to play in Game 4, but didn't play in Game 5 as Ginebra won the championship. Almazan was able to recover during the lockdowns. He was able to play in the 2020 Philippine Cup. He returned to action in a win against the Aces. They finished the season 7–4. He injured his left knee again in the quarterfinals, but his team moved on to the semis. In Game Four of that series, he had the game-saving block on Stanley Pringle. They lost Game 5, with Scottie Thompson's three pointer preventing Meralco from advancing to the finals. In the 2021 Philippine Cup, he had a conference-high 17 rebounds to go with his 15 points as Meralco gave the Elite their 19th consecutive defeat. They ended the elimination round at 9–2. In Game 2 of their quarterfinals series against the Hotshots, he exited the game with a sprained ankle. He returned in Game 5, but they were eliminated the next game. On March 23, 2024, Almazan won the PBA All-Star Big Man 3-point shooting at La Salle Coliseum. With 7-year-old son Rayl Jacob, he received a P30,000 cash prize from Willie Marcial and chairman Ricky Vargas.

PBA career statistics

''As of the end of 2023–24 season''

Season-by-season averages

, - , align=left , , align=left , Rain or Shine , 60 , , 15.3 , , .556 , , .176 , , .578 , , 5.6 , , .6 , , .3 , , 1.0 , , 5.9 , - , align=left , , align=left , Rain or Shine , 55 , , 18.9 , , .557 , , .167 , , .642 , , 5.6 , , .6 , , .3 , , .7 , , 7.6 , - , align=left , , align=left , Rain or Shine , 50 , , 16.3 , , .504 , , .241 , , .724 , , 6.0 , , .7 , , .2 , , .8 , , 7.4 , - , align=left , , align=left , Rain or Shine , 27 , , 19.5 , , .564 , , .341 , , .608 , , 6.9 , , .8 , , .1 , , .9 , , 10.1 , - , align=left , , align=left , Rain or Shine , 30 , , 21.8 , , .464 , , .308 , , .646 , , 7.2 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , 1.2 , , 11.4 , - , align=left rowspan=2, , align=left , Rain or Shine , rowspan=2, 35 , , rowspan=2, 26.0 , , rowspan=2, .456 , , rowspan=2, .228 , , rowspan=2, .645 , , rowspan=2, 8.0 , , rowspan=2, .9 , , rowspan=2, .3 , , rowspan=2, 1.3 , , rowspan=2, 9.9 , - , align=left ,

Meralco The Manila Electric Company, also known as Meralco (, , stylized in uppercase), is an electric power distribution company in the Philippines. It is Metro Manila's only electric power distributor and holds the power distribution franchise for 3 ...

, - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 17 , , 19.4 , , .528 , , .222 , , .500 , , 6.2 , , .9 , , .5 , , .9 , , 8.2 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 40 , , 20.5 , , .562 , , .118 , , .679 , , 6.0 , , .9 , , .4 , , 1.3 , , 7.7 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 45 , , 21.7 , , .469 , , .423 , , .711 , , 6.7 , , .8 , , .2 , , .9 , , 8.2 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 36 , , 19.2 , , .452 , , .429 , , .722 , , 6.3 , , .6 , , .2 , , .5 , , 7.0 , -class=sortbottom , align=center colspan=2 , Career , 395 , , 19.4 , , .506 , , .281 , , .649 , , 6.3 , , .8 , , .3 , , .9 , , 8.0

National team career

Almazan was first invited to the Philippines' national team for the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, but he was not released by Rain or Shine. He first played for Gilas in the

2017 SEABA Championship The 12th Southeast Asia Basketball Association SEABA Championship, Championship was the qualifying tournament for the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup. It also served as a regional championship involving Southeast Asian basketball teams. It was held from 12 to ...

. He was also a member of the Gilas team in the

SEA Games The Southeast Asian Games, commonly known as SEA Games is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games are under the regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with su ...

that year, and the

. In 2018, he was included in the roster for the

2018 Asian Games The 2018 Asian Games ( or ''Asian Games 2018''), officially known as the 18th Asian Games (), and also known as Jakarta-Palembang 2018 or Indonesia 2018, were a Asia, continental multi-sport event that was held from 18 August to 2 September 201 ...

, along with most of his Rain or Shine teammates. He was also in the roster for the 4th window of the Asian Qualifiers for the

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 ...

. In 2019, he played for Gilas in the

. In 2022, he was in the pool for the fourth window of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, but had to beg off due to family issues regarding his son's health.

Personal life

Almazan is the father of 7-year-old son Rayl Jacob. On April 15, 2024, Almazan was accused of attempted

bribery Bribery is the corrupt solicitation, payment, or Offer and acceptance, acceptance of a private favor (a bribe) in exchange for official action. The purpose of a bribe is to influence the actions of the recipient, a person in charge of an official ...

of Jayson Montemayo, a

Philippine Coast Guard The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG; ) is the third armed uniformed service of the country attached to the Philippines' Department of Transportation, tasked primarily with enforcing laws within Philippine waters, conducting maritime security ope ...

officer who issued a

traffic ticket A traffic ticket is a notice issued by a law enforcement official to a motorist or other road user, indicating that the user has violated traffic laws. Traffic tickets generally come in two forms, citing a moving violation, such as exceeding ...

after the Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation ( DOTr-SAICT)

traffic police Traffic police (also known as traffic officers, traffic enforcement units, traffic cops, traffic monitors, or traffic enforcers) are units and Law enforcement agency, agencies who enforce Traffic#Rules of the road, traffic laws and Road traffic ...

flagged him down for using the

EDSA Busway The EDSA Carousel, also known as Route 1 and formerly and still referred to as Route E, is a bus rapid transit (BRT) system, part of several List of bus routes in Metro Manila, bus routes in Metro Manila. It is situated along EDSA (Circumferent ...

in an unauthorized SUV-Disregarding Traffic Sign-driving without the certificate of registration and vehicle official receipt.

References

External links

*
Raymond Almazan at PBA.ph
{{DEFAULTSORT:Almazan, Raymond 1989 births Living people 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup players Asian Games competitors for the Philippines Basketball players at the 2018 Asian Games Basketball players from Bataan Centers (basketball) Filipino men's basketball players 21st-century Filipino sportsmen Letran Knights basketball players Meralco Bolts players Philippine Basketball Association All-Stars Philippines men's national basketball team players Power forwards Rain or Shine Elasto Painters draft picks Rain or Shine Elasto Painters players