9 New Stars of the PBA!
Everyone grows old in the PBA—well, maybe except Jaworski. The Yaps, Santoses, and Davids will eventually be limited by their bodies and wilt into the sunshine. Younger legs will find more success.
Top of mind, there's already Paul Lee, arguably the best young locally-honed (he grew up in Tondo, for crying out loud) all-around talent. He can break ankles, is a streak shooter, and is madiskarte and maangas—all of which we love/love to hate from players. Expect him to carry the torch for the PBA for the next few years.
And then there's Ronald Tubid who isn't that young at 31, yes but who, with his unique skill set will have a prolonged PBA career. He’s fucking annoying—as in will-block-your-path-with-his-body-then-fall-to-the-ground-in-an-OA-manner-to-catch-the-referee’s-attention kind of annoying. Right, Jimmy Alapag?
We reckon that if Pope Benedict XVI plays ball at the PBA, Tubid (who incidentally, and ultra-ironically, is nicknamed “The Saint”) can and will find a way to get the Pontiff’s ire and destroy his game. Such is the beauty of Tubid’s skills.
And then there's the following seven younger, fresher players. We believe they'll headline everyone’s PBA fix in the foreseeable future. Palagay niyo?
ALEX CABAGNOT
What makes him so damn good: If Jojo Lastimosa was the ’90s Mr. Fourth Quarter, then we dub the long-haired, newscaster-dating—we won’t say who, given that we’re not exactly privy to their relationship, but we’ll give you her initials: GC—Petron Blaze Boosters guard as today’s Mr. Two Minutes, or Mr. Ten Seconds, all because of his propensity for making crucial baskets at the most suitable of times. Watch this and this prettier one. When not breaking opponent’s hearts he’s known to throw nifty passes and create scoring opportunities for his teammates—hence his place as the PBA’s second best assist man at 6.75 assists per game.
