Solomon Jemuel Rayos Mercado (born May 6, 1984) is a Filipino-American former professional basketball player 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). Known as the "Sol-Train", he had an impressive PBA rookie season and eventually became a reliable point guard for most of the teams he played for.

Professional career

Rain or Shine Elasto Painters

Mercado was originally drafted by the Alaska Aces as the fifth pick in the 2008 PBA draft. However, he was immediately traded to 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 ...

, together with

Eddie Laure Eddie Bicoy Laure (born July 6, 1977) is a Filipino former professional basketball player and politician. Known by many as The Dominator and more recently, The Bounty Hunter for his daring and stunning ability to search and get loose balls on th ...

for

Joe Devance Joe Calvin Devance Jr. (born February 19, 1982) is a Filipino-American former professional basketball player. He won 12 championships over the course of his career with the Alaska Aces, the Magnolia franchise and the Barangay Ginebra San Migue ...

and the 2009 and 2010 second round picks of Alaska. With all the focus on

Gabe Norwood Gabriel Daniel Viloria Norwood (born February 9, 1985) is a Filipino-American professional basketball player and assistant coach for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He played college basketball ...

, that year's first pick overall, and not much hype Mercado scored a record 29 points in his rookie debut game, the highest since Asi Taulava scored 32 points for Mobiline in his winning debut. This achievement made him the PBA Player of the Week for the opening week. Since then, he slowly became one of the PBA's elite point guards.

PBA Fiesta Conference 2009

If not for a hamstring injury that sidelined him in a couple of games into their semifinal series against the

Barangay Ginebra Kings The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the precolonial polities of the same name, modern barangays are political subdivisio ...

, Rain or Shine would probably have gone farther in the Fiesta Conference. A member of the All-Rookie Team, Mercado finished second to teammate

for Rookie of the Year honors. Mercado emerged as the team's top scorer with 13.5 points per game and his 4.5 assists per night did not only lead the team but was also number 6 overall among locals. The only glitch in his rookie season was his 2.9 turnovers per game which ranked seventh overall and led the rookies in that category.

Sophomore Season (Philippine Cup)

He was the team's cornerstone as he became one of the leaders for the Painters. He scored a career-high 35 points in a loss to Alaska. Against the

Coca-Cola Tigers Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

in a knockout game, he scored 28 points to lead them into the quarterfinals. But unfortunately they would end up short after losing to the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants.

PBA Fiesta Conference 2010

He averaged 17.7 points in the eliminations then had a 45-point outburst against the

B-Meg Derby Ace Llamados 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 fou ...

. In another knock out game against the

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is tradition ...

, he delivered crucial plays, despite fouling out, in a come from behind win. Against the Llamados in Game 3, he almost recorded a triple double with 16 points 15 assists and nine rebounds. But, in Game 5 of the series, they lost to the Llamados. During this time, he had to deal with his father being in critical condition due to a severe heart attack.

Meralco Bolts

Before the start of the 2011 PBA Commissioner's Cup, he and

Jay-R Reyes Jay-R C. Reyes (born July 16, 1984) is a Filipino former professional basketball player who last played for the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters of the Philippine Basketball Association. Professional career Reyes was the youngest player in the 200 ...

were among the eight players involved in the three-way trade between Meralco, Rain or Shine and Air21 in what was easily one of the biggest trades that happened in that season. Mercado, along with Paolo Bugia were shipped to the Bolts for Beau Belga. In a 2012 Governors' Cup game, Mercado scored 24 points in a win over the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters. During the 2012–13 Philippine Cup, he had 24 points and nine assists in a win over Globalport. In their quarterfinal series against Alaska, he was injured, and Meralco did not advance.

GlobalPort Batang Pier

Before the start of the

2013 PBA Commissioner's Cup The 2012–13 PBA season, 2013 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) PBA Commissioner's Cup, Commissioner's Cup was the second conference of the 2012–13 PBA season. The tournament began on February 8 and ended on May 19, 2013. The tournament i ...

, he along with

Kelly Nabong Kelly Sean Nabong Berry (born November 17, 1988) is a Filipino-American basketball player for the Chichi Albayanos Wild Cats of the Pilipinas Super League (PSL). He was selected 17th overall in the 2012 PBA draft by the Rain or Shine Elasto Pa ...

, Jaypee Belencion and

Yousif Aljamal Yousif B. Aljamal Jr. (born in Pampanga on June 14, 1983) is a Filipino former professional basketball player who last played for the GlobalPort Batang Pier in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He is also a former NCAA Most Valuable P ...

were 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 Rey Guevarra,

Vic Manuel Victorino Aranas Manuel (born June 18, 1987) is a Filipino professional basketball player and coach who plays for the Pangasinan Heatwaves of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). He is also an assistant coach for the PSP Gymers of th ...

, Josh Vanlandingham and a 2015 first round pick. This made him the first-ever player in PBA history to be traded or moved to another team after leading the league in scoring and assists the previous conference. During the Commissioner's Cup, Mercado had three straight games where he had double-doubles. He then had to sit out the rest of the conference as not to aggravate a right shoulder injury. During the 2013 Governors' Cup, tension arose between him and his coach

Junel Baculi Edmundo "Junel" Baculi is a Filipino head basketball coach who formerly coached GlobalPort Batang Pier in the Philippine Basketball Association, PBA. In the PBL, he also coached the Licealiz Shampoo Hair Doctors, Hapee-PCU Dolphins and had many ...

over an uncalled timeout in a loss to the

Barako Bull Energy 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 C ...

. The following game, he bounced back as he scored all of his 15 points in the second half in a comeback win over Meralco as they came back from 20 points down. He was able to lead Globalport to its first playoff appearance, where they lost to the defending Governors' Cup champion Rain or Shine. The following season, Mercado played a part in the early development of rookie teammate

Terrence Romeo Terrence Bill Vitanzos Romeo (born March 16, 1992) is a Filipino professional basketball player and for the Terrafirma Dyip of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He plays both the point guard and shooting guard positions. He also ser ...

by becoming his mentor. During the 2013–14 Philippine Cup, he scored a conference-high 33 points, with 19 of those coming in the second half of a comeback win over Meralco. He missed several games due to a strain on his right Achilles.

San Miguel Beermen

Before the start of the

2014 PBA Commissioner's Cup The 2014 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner's Cup, also known as the 2014 PLDT Home TVolution-PBA Commissioner's Cup for sponsorship Sponsoring something (or someone) is the act of supporting an event, activity, person, or ...

, Mercado was traded to San Miguel in exchange for

Alex Cabagnot Alexander Cabagnot Jr. (born December 8, 1982) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Basilan Viva Portmasters of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) and assistant coach for the UE Red Warriors of the University Athl ...

. The

2014 PBA Governors' Cup The 2014 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors' Cup, also known as the 2014 PLDT Home TelPad-PBA Governors' Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the third and last conference of the 2013–14 PBA season. The conference began on May 18 a ...

was one of the worst conferences of his career, as he averaged just 7.6 points on 35% shooting from the field.

Return to GlobalPort

Before the 2014–15 PBA Philippine Cup trade deadline, just before the playoffs, Mercado was traded back to GlobalPort, together with San Miguel's 2018 and 2019 second round picks, in exchange for Cabagnot. He didn't approve of the trade, comparing the trade to someone going back to a bad ex-girlfriend on his Twitter account. His only game in this stint was when Globalport was kicked out of the playoffs by Ginebra, in which he had nine points, four rebounds, and three assists.

Barako Bull Energy

On January 8, 2015, Mercado was traded again by GlobalPort, this time to Barako Bull which gave up

Denok Miranda Dennis Ellera "Denok" Miranda (born July 14, 1982), is a Filipino professional basketball coach and former player. He is the head coach for the FEU Tamaraws. He played majority of his career in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He was ...

and a 2016 second round pick. To begin the 2015 Commissioner's Cup, he had 20 points, three assists, and a steal in a winning debut over 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 ...

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel

2014–15 season

On May 4, 2015, before the start of 2015 PBA Governors' Cup Mercado was traded to Barangay Ginebra in exchange of

Joseph Yeo Joseph Henry Lim Yeo (born September 7, 1983) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Manila Stars of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). He was drafted third overall by the Coca-Cola Tigers in 2006. Amateur career ...

. He debuted for Barangay Ginebra on May 8, 2015, with eight points and eight assists, against the team that drafted him, the Alaska Aces, but his new team lost. He missed a game that conference due to food poisoning. Against another of his former teams, Barako Bull, he scored 14 points to help Ginebra get the win. They faced Alaska in the playoffs, where he had 21 points and seven assists, but it wasn't enough as Alaska ended Ginebra's season.

2015–16 season

In the offseason, Ginebra changed head coaches, with Tim Cone taking over. During a Philippine Cup Christmas Day game against 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 ...

, Mercado missed what could have been the game-winning layup and the game went into overtime. In overtime, he scored six points and made the assist to

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 ...

for the game-winning triple. In a Commissioner's Cup loss to Talk 'N Text, he had 11 points with three three-pointers. Against Alaska in a Governors' Cup elimination game, he had 22 points but lost. He then started at small forward for the injured Chris Ellis, and contributed 19 points and four assists in a win over Meralco. He scored 19 again in a win versus Rain or Shine with six threes, becoming more adjusted to Coach Cone's system. In the playoffs, Ginebra advanced past Alaska in the quarterfinals. In the semis, they went up against sister team San Miguel, where in Game 1, he had 19 points, five assists, three boards, and one steal in 36 minutes off the bench as Ginebra went up 1–0. At the end of five games, Ginebra advanced to 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 ...

. There he faced his former team in Meralco. In Game 2, he defended Meralco's import Allen Durham, and scored the game-winning putback, tying the series. The following game, he got into foul trouble, allowing Durham to dominate with 36 points and 20 rebounds as Ginebra lost. After eight seasons in the PBA, he finally got his first PBA championship when Ginebra import Justin Brownlee made the game-winning three pointer in Game 6.

2016–17 season

In a Philippine Cup loss to San Miguel, Mercado had 11 points and six rebounds. In the playoffs, he had 12 points and six assists to force a do-or-die game against Alaska. They moved on to the semis against the Hotshots where in Game 2, he missed a game-tying layup that sent Ginebra into a 0–2 deficit. He bounced back the following game with 16 points and two clutch threes that led to Star's first loss of the series. In Game 4, he got into a confrontation with Hotshots guard

Jio Jalalon Jiovani Nacawili Jalalon (born August 2, 1992) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the NorthPort Batang Pier of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Early life The third of the six children of Vicente Jalalon and Jocelyn N ...

, but was still able to help Ginebra tie the series. In Game 6, he had a game-high 21 points (with 12 coming in the fourth quarter) while holding Paul Lee to just eight points to force a Game 7. This earned him PBA Player of the Week honors. In Game 7, he led the team with 23 points, four rebounds, and five assists while holding Lee to just four points, and Ginebra returned to the

. There, Ginebra fell to the Beermen in five games. During the 2017 All-Star Week, he competed in the Obstacle Challenge. In the Governors' Cup, he helped Ginebra return to the

for a rematch with Meralco. In Game 4 of the Finals, he sprained his left ankle when he blocked Meralco's

Jared Dillinger Jared Ryan B. Dillinger (born January 6, 1984) is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Dillinger is the second pick overall in the very talented draf ...

. He wasn't able to play the rest of the Finals, but Ginebra still won its second straight Governors' Cup title.

2017–18 season

In the Philippine Cup, Mercado helped Ginebra clinch a spot in the semifinals by putting up solid numbers against Rain or Shine. There, they lost to San Miguel in five games. In the Commissioner's Cup, he suffered a rib injury. He made his return during the Governor's Cup.

2019 season

In a loss to the Batang Pier, Mercado had a double-double of 10 points and 11 assists. They entered the Philippine Cup playoffs as the third seed. There, they were defeated by the Hotshots. In a Commissioner's Cup win over Meralco, he had 14 points, eight assists, five rebounds, and a steal. In his final game with Ginebra, he had 12 points as Ginebra got their 1,000th franchise win.

NorthPort Batang Pier

On June 18, 2019, Mercado, along with Jervy Cruz and

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 ...

, was traded back to the Batang Pier for Stanley Pringle. This was his third stint with the Batang Pier franchise. In his first game back, he started and added 14 markers, five caroms, five dimes, a steal, and a block in a win over Blackwater. He had 12 points in a win over Meralco. The Batang Pier faced Ginebra in the Governors' Cup semifinals where in Game 1, he added 14 points to a blowout of Ginebra. In Game 2 however, he twisted his ankle after stepping on Tenorio's foot, and had to leave the game. He was deemed out for the rest of the playoffs. On January 20, 2020, Mercado was traded to the

Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters The Phoenix Fuel Masters is a professional basketball team owned by Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc., which debuted in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) in the 2016 Commissioner's Cup. The franchise began after the company acquir ...

for LA Revilla and Rey Guevarra. He never played for Phoenix however as contract negotiations fell through.

PBA career statistics

Season-by-season averages

, - , align=left , , align=left , Rain or Shine , 36 , , 31.1 , , .389 , , .263 , , .622 , , 3.3 , , 4.5 , , .8 , , .1 , , 13.5 , - , align=left , , align=left , Rain or Shine , 46 , , 34.5 , , .413 , , .315 , , .683 , , 3.8 , , 4.6 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 16.7 , - , align=left rowspan=2, , align=left , Rain or Shine , rowspan=2, 29 , , rowspan=2, 37.1 , , rowspan=2, .393 , , rowspan=2, .282 , , rowspan=2, .592 , , rowspan=2, 5.0 , , rowspan=2, 4.8 , , rowspan=2, 1.1 , , rowspan=2, .2 , , rowspan=2, 17.7 , - , 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 ,

, 37 , , 31.5 , , .384 , , .266 , , .551 , , 3.6 , , 3.8 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 13.6 , - , align=left rowspan=2, , align=left ,

, rowspan=2, 37 , , rowspan=2, 35.5 , , rowspan=2, .393 , , rowspan=2, .272 , , rowspan=2, .691 , , rowspan=2, 3.6 , , rowspan=2, 6.9 , , rowspan=2, 1.0 , , rowspan=2, .2 , , rowspan=2, 16.2 , - , align=left , GlobalPort , - , align=left rowspan=2, , align=left , GlobalPort , rowspan=2, 33 , , rowspan=2, 30.6 , , rowspan=2, .375 , , rowspan=2, .191 , , rowspan=2, .646 , , rowspan=2, 3.3 , , rowspan=2, 4.2 , , rowspan=2, .6 , , rowspan=2, .1 , , rowspan=2, 12.3 , - , align=left , San Miguel , - , align=left rowspan=4, , align=left , San Miguel , rowspan=4, 33 , , rowspan=4, 26.7 , , rowspan=4, .390 , , rowspan=4, .200 , , rowspan=4, .651 , , rowspan=4, 2.9 , , rowspan=4, 3.8 , , rowspan=4, .7 , , rowspan=4, .1 , , rowspan=4, 8.5 , - , align=left , GlobalPort , - , align=left , Barako Bull , - , align=left , Barangay Ginebra , - , align=left , , align=left , Barangay Ginebra , 48 , , 25.0 , , .410 , , .324 , , .565 , , 2.7 , , 3.2 , , .5 , , .1 , , 8.1 , - , align=left , , align=left , Barangay Ginebra , 57 , , 24.4 , , .394 , , .250 , , .561 , , 3.2 , , 3.3 , , .7 , , .2 , , 7.8 , - , align=left , , align=left , Barangay Ginebra , 44 , , 20.6 , , .408 , , .321 , , .625 , , 2.4 , , 2.5 , , .8 , , .3 , , 6.5 , - , align=left rowspan=2, , align=left , Barangay Ginebra , rowspan=2, 39 , , rowspan=2, 19.6 , , rowspan=2, .415 , , rowspan=2, .278 , , rowspan=2, .535 , , rowspan=2, 2.6 , , rowspan=2, 2.6 , , rowspan=2, .8 , , rowspan=2, .2 , , rowspan=2, 5.5 , - , align=left , NorthPort , - , -class=sortbottom , align=center colspan=2 , Career , 439 , , 28.3 , , .396 , , .275 , , .625 , , 3.3 , , 3.9 , , .8 , , .2 , , 11.1

International career

Mercado played for Puerto Rico's youth basketball teams when he was around 12–13 years old. He received offers to play for its national team. Mercado was also a member of the Philippine National Basketball team,

Smart Gilas The Philippines men's national basketball team (), commonly known as Gilas Pilipinas, is the basketball team representing the Philippines. The team is managed by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (Basketball Federation of the Philippines or s ...

. He was personally handpicked by

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 ...

alongside

Kelly Williams Kelly Williams (born February 7, 1982) is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for the TNT Tropang 5G in the PBA. He played collegiate basketball at Oakland University, an NCAA Division I school in the United States, and he als ...

and Asi Taulava. He played for the Philippines in the 2012 William Jones Cup. He was on the roster for the

2010 Asian Games The 2010 Asian Games (), officially known as the XVI Asian Games () and also known as Guangzhou 2010 (), were a regional multi-sport event held from November 12 to 27, 2010 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China (although several events commenced ear ...

, but didn't get to play due to injuries on both of his feet. Although he is ineligible for

FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French language, French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. FIBA defines the rules of basketball, specifies the Basketball equipment ...

events, he served as a practice player for Gilas' FIBA tournaments.

Philippine Team Statistics

, - , align="left" , 2012 William Jones Cup , align="left" ,

, 8 , , 17.25 , , .178 , , 0.00 , , .575 , , 3.125 , , 2.875 , , 0.5 , , 0.125 , , 5.63

Personal life

Mercado is half-Filipino and half-Puerto Rican, with his mother Rosalie from

Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga (; ; ), is a province in Central Luzon in the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac to the north, Nueva Ecija to the northeast, Bulacan to the east, ...

and his father Aaron from

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

. His father died at age 51 in 2012 due to a heart attack. Mercado was previously engaged to actress

Denise Laurel Denise María Sanz Laurel (born September 30, 1987) is a Filipino actress and singer. She is of Filipino and Spanish descent. She is a granddaughter of former Philippines vice president Salvador Laurel and great-granddaughter of former preside ...

. However, on October 20, 2016, a day after Ginebra won their first title after 8 years, Laurel announced through her Instagram account that they have ended their relationship. On September 29, 2021, Mercado and beauty queen Sandra Lemonon announced on their respective

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

accounts that they are in a relationship. They got engaged the following year and welcomed their first son Zaiah Rafael that year as well. In 2024, they married in

Bali, Indonesia Bali (English:; Balinese: ) is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller offshore islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nu ...

. In 2023, Mercado, along with Norwood, Devance, and Dillinger, launched a podcast known as "Let It Fly".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercado, Solomon 1984 births Living people Barako Bull Energy players Barangay Ginebra San Miguel players Basketball players at the 2010 Asian Games Basketball players from California Biola Eagles men's basketball players NorthPort Batang Pier players Meralco Bolts players Philippine Basketball Association All-Stars Philippines men's national basketball team players Filipino men's basketball players Point guards Rain or Shine Elasto Painters players San Miguel Beermen players Shooting guards American men's basketball players Asian Games competitors for the Philippines Alaska Aces (PBA) draft picks American sportspeople of Filipino descent Sportspeople from Yolo County, California Filipino people of Puerto Rican descent 21st-century Filipino sportsmen