PBA: Bayan ng Superstars

A few years ago, the PBA's KKS Vince McMahon came up with a brilliant marketing ploy to promote the country's premier basketball association by tagging it as "PBA: Bayan ng Superstars."

Back then, they "only" had the Big J

However, this was met with a ton of criticisms from die-hards to casual fans alike. The league was saying goodbye to its face, Alvin Patrimonio at the time, and old reliables Kenneth Duremdes, Johnny Abarrientos, Marlou Aquino and Danny Ildefonso were either playing below par or just plain injured. It was a far cry from the old years with the Jaworskis, Fernandez, Cos and Caidics. The newbies (mostly Fil-Ams) were still getting their feet wet. The emergence of the Metropolitan Basketball Association also made it difficult for the PBA to win new fans.


Think about it, why call a league "Bayan ng Superstars" when there's another one out there who actually carries certain provinces' names and feature homegrown talent (Pampanga Dragons' Ato Agustin, Negros Slashers' Jon Ferriols and Davao Eagles' Bruce Dacia for example)?

Pick your superstar

Fast forward to the present and there is no more MBA (although the ABL is probably two or three years away from making things interesting) and that there is only one, solid and cemented, league for elite players: the PBA.

The way things are being called, the offensive sets designed by coaches and the surplus of players we currently enjoy, now is the best time to use that old tag.

"Bayan ng Superstars" is no longer just a marketing ploy these days, it actually fits. In this Michael Jordan-crazed nation, we look at guards as the measuring stick of great players (no matter how little they contribute defensively) and the PBA enjoys the best right now:

B-Meg: James Yap

Ginebra: Mark Caguioa

Powerade: Gary David

Alaska: L.A. Tenorio

Talk 'n' Text: pick one

Petron: Arwind Santos

Barako Bull: Willie Miller

Air21: ay, pass.

Rain or Shine: Paul Lee (only by default these days)

Meralco: Mac Cardona

It's just refreshing to see all these teams having a guy carry them when the going gets tough. Someone fans could easily identify with and cheer for or even jeer. Hopefully, the next generation carries the torch and helps build on the success of the PBA under Commissioner Chito Salud's watch.