Robby Cruz Celiz (born September 7, 1988) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the

Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards The Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards (shortened as NERV) are a Filipino professional basketball team based in Palayan, Nueva Ecija. The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's North Division. The ...

of the

Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) is a men's regional professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 30 teams. Founded in 2017 by eight-division boxing world champion and then-Senator Manny Pacquiao, the MPBL is ...

(MPBL). He was drafted 17th overall in the

2013 PBA draft The 2013 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Rookie Draft was an event, which allows teams to draft players from the amateur ranks. The event was held at Midtown Atrium, Robinson Place Manila on November 3, 2013. Draft lottery The lottery ...

by the Tropang Texters. He has played in multiple basketball leagues such as the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL),

(MPBL), and

Pilipinas Super League The Pilipinas Super League (PSL) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines. History The Pilipinas Super League (PSL) was founded in December 2021 by former officials the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup, namely its former CEO Ro ...

(PSL).

College career

Celiz first played for

Rizal Technological University Rizal Technological University (RTU) is a state university based in the National Capital Region of the Philippines, with its main campus in Mandaluyong City and a branch in Pasig City. It was established on July 11, 1969, as the College of Ri ...

. He didn't think that he would be playing basketball after college. His team won the silver medal in the 2009 Penang Unity Chief Basketball Minister Friendship Cup, with him scoring 31 points with eight threes in the final game of the tournament. He was then discovered by

Eric Altamirano 2015- Present Program Director National Basketball Training Center 2022 FIBA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS MANILA Tournament Director for Games Frederick "Eric" Altamirano (born August 8, 1966 in Davao City) is a former Filipino basketball player and he ...

, the coach of the

NU Bulldogs The NU Bulldogs, Lady Bulldogs, Bullpups and Lady Bullpups are the collegiate men's and women's, and high school men's and women's, respectively, varsity teams of National University (NU) in the University Athletic Association of the Philippin ...

at the time. He only played one season there.

Professional career

Talk 'n Text Tropang Texters

Celiz was selected 17th overall in the

by Talk 'n Text. His team made 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 ...

in the 2014 Commissioner's Cup. However, they lost to 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 ...

, 3–1, despite going on a 13-game winning streak before the finals. He was left unprotected for the

expansion draft An expansion draft, in professional sports, occurs when a sports league decides to create one or more new expansion teams or sports franchising, franchises. This occurs mainly in Sports in North America, North American sports and closed leagues. O ...

Blackwater Elite

Celiz was then drafted by 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 expansion draft. He scored 11 points in a loss to 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 ...

in the 2014–15 Philippine Cup. They had no wins that conference.

Alab Pilipinas

Celiz then joined other ex-PBA players such as Jeric Fortuna and

JR Cawaling Ricardo "JR" Cawaling Jr. (born August 15, 1987) is a Filipino basketball coach and former professional player. He was drafted 30th overall by the San Mig Coffee Mixers in the 2013 PBA draft. He is known as a three-point shooter. He was alia ...

among others in playing for

Alab Pilipinas San Miguel Alab Pilipinas (under the corporate name Pilipinas Basketball Club, Inc. or PBCI) was a Filipino professional basketball team which played in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) under the sponsorship of San Miguel Corporation. The te ...

. After struggling in his first few games, he found his stroke when he finished with 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting from three in Alab's 87–79 win over the

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. ...

. Two days later, Celiz played his best game for Alab when he scored 23 points in a 79–77 road loss to Malaysia He scored 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting to lead the locals in a win over the Hong Kong Eastern Long Lions.

GlobalPort Batang Pier

After his stint with Alab and spending time in the

PBA D-League The PBA D-League, or PBA Developmental League, is the official minor league of the Philippine Basketball Association. History The PBA D-League was conceptualized after the collapse of the proposed merger between the Philippine Basketball Leag ...

, Celiz signed a deal with 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 the rest of the 2017 Governors' Cup.

Return to ABL

Celiz, along with Ray Parks Jr., and Lawrence Domingo, returned to Alab. His team won the 2017–18 title over the

Mono Vampire The Mono Vampire Basketball Club () is a Thailand, Thai professional basketball team that previously played in the ASEAN Basketball League. They have also participated in the Thailand Basketball League. It is owned by Mono 29, Mono Group, a Tha ...

Bataan Risers

Celiz, along with Alab teammate

Pamboy Raymundo John Murphy "Pamboy" Raymundo (born May 30, 1989) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Biñan Tatak Gel of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) and Pilipinas Super League (PSL). He was drafted 12th overall in 2011 by ...

, joined the

Bataan Risers The 1Bataan Risers, more commonly known as the Bataan Risers, are a Filipino professional basketball team based in the province of Bataan. The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's North ...

. In Bataan's 95–85 win over the

Imus Bandera The Imus Braderhood (also known as the Imus Grumpy Joe Braderhood for sponsorship reasons) is a Filipino professional basketball team based in Imus, Cavite. The team currently competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a m ...

, he scored 15 points while hauling down seven rebounds and dishing three assists. His team went on to finish with a league-best 23–2 record. They beat the

Caloocan Supremos The Caloocan Batang Kankaloo (currently competing as the Caloocan Supremos) are a Filipino professional basketball team based in Caloocan. The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's North Di ...

in the quarterfinals, but lost to the

Manila Stars The Manila Batang Quiapo are a Filipino professional basketball team based in Manila and representing the district of Quiapo. The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's North Division. The ...

in three games.

GenSan Warriors

Celiz then joined the

GenSan Warriors The GenSan Warriors are a Filipino professional basketball team based in General Santos. The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's South Division. The team most recently played their home ...

the following season. He scored a career-high 27 points in an upset win over the previously unbeaten San Juan Knights. He then had 26 points (including the game-winner) in a close win over Imus. In a game against the

Pasay Voyagers The Pasay Voyagers are a Filipino professional basketball team based in Pasay. The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's North Division. The team plays its home games at Cuneta Astrodome. ...

, he went on a personal 9–0 run which helped GenSan take control of the game and win after trailing for most of that game. He finished that game with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists. In their final game of the regular season, he contributed 23 points and 16 rebounds as the Warriors ended with the 7th seed. Before the playoffs, he contributed 12 points and five rebounds in the South All-Stars' overtime win over the North. He led his team in scoring in both of their playoff games against the

Bacoor City Strikers The Bacoor City Strikers were a Filipino professional basketball team, based in Bacoor, Cavite. The team last competed in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) and played their home games at Strike Gymnasium. The Strikers also prev ...

but they still lost.

Davao Occidental Tigers

In 2021, Celiz was signed by the

Davao Occidental Tigers The Davao Occidental Tigers (also known as Davao Occidental Tigers – Cocolife due to sponsorship reasons) are a Filipino professional basketball team based in the Davao metropolitan area and representing the province of Davao Occidental. The ...

, his third team in the MPBL. During the FilBasket Subic Championship, he almost had a triple-double with 26 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists with three blocks in a double-overtime win over the San Juan Knights. He scored 10 points to help Davao get to the semifinals over Burlington EOG Sports. The Tigers then moved to the PSL. In the inaugural game of the

(PSL), Celiz led his team with a stat line of 16 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks in a win over the Roxas Vanguards. He then had 20 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks in a win over the Cagayan Valley Golden Eagles. He was set to play for them once again as the rebranded Davao Pilipinas were originally picked to represent the Philippines in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL). However, those plans fell through and the

Zamboanga Valientes The Zamboanga Valientes, also known as the Zamboanga Peninsula Valientes MLV, are a Filipino professional basketball team based in the Zamboanga Peninsula. The team has competed in numerous leagues since its founding in 2006. The team first com ...

became the new Philippine representatives for the ABL.

Career statistics

College

PBA

National team career

In 2013, Celiz, along with

Kevin Ferrer Kevin Manuel Ferrer (born March 26, 1993) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Terrafirma Dyip of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). High school career Ferrer played for the Tiger Cubs from 2009 up to 2010. In his r ...

, Bacon Austria, and Gio Ciriacruz, represented the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

in the

2013 FIBA Asia 3x3 Championship The 2013 FIBA Asia 3x3 Championship was the first edition of the FIBA Asia 3X3 championship. The games were held in Doha, Qatar between 15–16 May 2013. Men Preliminary round Group A Group B Group C Group D Knockout round Women Prelimin ...

Personal life

Celiz has a son, Rob, who currently plays for the NUNS Bullpups.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Celiz, Robby 1988 births Living people Filipino men's basketball players Basketball players from Negros Occidental NU Bulldogs basketball players TNT Tropang 5G draft picks TNT Tropang 5G players Blackwater Bossing players San Miguel Alab Pilipinas players NorthPort Batang Pier players MPBL All-Stars Bataan Risers players GenSan Warriors players Davao Occidental Tigers players Makati OKBet Kings players Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards players Shooting guards Small forwards Filipino men's 3x3 basketball players Philippines national 3x3 basketball team players 21st-century Filipino sportsmen