The past 12 months have by and large been a success for the PBA. New teams emerged as contenders, young stars have started taking over the league, and the balance of power has begun tilting ever so slightly towards parity. Moreover, 2024 was also filled with memorable moments, standout performances, and even new rules and innovations. Here are five that stood out the most:
Meralco Gets Electrifying Championship Bolt
Four times the bridesmaid in four previous PBA Finals appearances, the Meralco Bolts finally got their breakthrough in style—and against defending Philippine Cup champions San Miguel Beermen no less.
The series was also a barn-burner, with the two teams trading wins in the first four games before the Bolts won Games 5 and 6 in thrilling fashion. Meralco’s title-clincher notably came in a classic, ending with eight-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo hitting a game-tying triple—only to be one-upped by long-time Bolt Chris Newsome sinking a looping corner jumper for the championship.
Justin Brownlee, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson Dispute Another Title
Season 48 ended in style with Meralco winning its first title. Season 49 began with a bang as well, culminating in a title rematch between Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and TNT Tropang Giga—and their super imports, Justin Brownlee and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson—for the PBA Governors’ Cup crown.
TNT prevailed in six games behind the tireless RHJ, who now has handed Brownlee his only two PBA Finals losses after going 6-0 in his first six tries. The six-game series also served notice that Jayson Castro is still a force to be reckoned with and that the Tropa is again the team to beat.
The PBA Introduces the Four-Point Line
In a bid to freshen up Asia’s first pay-for-play league, the PBA introduced some new rules prior to the start of Season 49.
But among these new rules, none was as radical as the introduction of the four-point shot. It naturally garnered mixed reactions, with some panning it and others welcoming it. The jury is still out, but early returns suggest the additional point has added a layer of excitement in close games and has necessitated the recalibration of endgame strategies.
Highly Touted Rookies Prove to Be Worth the Wait
For a league routinely bypassed by the country’s young, rising stars, 2024 had to be encouraging as some big names finally chose to play in the PBA.
Fil-Am combo guard Sedrick Barefield is among these highly touted rising stars, and he has been electric manning the point for the Blackwater Bossing. Other notable names infusing the PBA with their superb brand of hoops include RJ Abarrientos of Ginebra, Jordan Heading and Justine Baltazar of the Converge FiberXers, Kai Ballungay and Ken Tuffin of the Phoenix Fuel Masters, and Zavier Lucero and Jerom Lastimosa of the Magnolia Hotshots.
PBA Lends a Hand to Gilas Pilipinas Renaissance
Gilas Pilipinas proved in 2024 that it could hang with the world’s best. Not only did it beat then-sixth-ranked Latvia, 89-80, at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, but it also held its own against Georgia and Brazil. It also swept its four games in Windows 1 and 2 of FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers, with the highlight being Gilas’ 93-89 triumph over world no. 22 New Zealand.
Part of the core of this Gilas iteration is made up of the PBA’s finest—Justin Brownlee, Scottie Thompson, and June Mar Fajardo, to name three—rounded out by collegiate stars and foreign league exports. At the helm, of course, is the winningest coach in Philippines hoops, Tim Cone, and his Ginebra coaching staff, with the guidance of Al Chua and the support of the San Miguel Corporation.
Perhaps fittingly, 2024 ended with a bang for the PBA thanks to a Christmas-day double-header that delivered tension, thrills, and high drama. The last game of the year, in particular, served as the perfect capstone to a terrific year for Asia’s first and oldest pay-for-play league: with two of the PBA’s most popular teams—Ginebra and Magnolia—battling it out in a game that ended in a buzzer-beating game-winner.
Now, it’s on to 2025 for the PBA as the league gets closer to its golden anniversary.
