The now defunct Alaska Milkmen did in 1996 what only two other franchises—the Crispa Redmanizers (1976, 1983) and the San Miguel Beermen (1989)—in PBA history had accomplished at that point: Win that coveted Grand Slam. It is a feat so rare that Alaska’s treble was at that time just the fourth the league had ever seen and was accomplished again only in after 17 years (by the San Mig Coffee Mixers in the 2013-14 PBA Season).
What made that feat so remarkable was it was built on doing the right things, like drafting the right players, trading for value for value, and keeping a team together so it can achieve something amazing, something historic. And it all started with two pressure-packed freebies from a fearless sophomore who could’ve been drafted by five other teams.
Building a Dynasty: Alaska Milkmen Build a Winning Culture
Prior to 1996 PBA season, the Alaska Milkmen had seen their fair share of success, winning the title in the 1991 Third Conference, 1994 Governors’ Cup, and 1995 Governors’ Cup. The cornerstones of those squads were Isabelo “Jojo” Lastimosa Jr., who was at that time adding a reliable jumper to complement his high-leaping ways, and Sean Chambers, a stocky, athletic, and forceful reinforcement who could do it all.
Then, in the 1993 PBA Draft, Alaska drafted former FEU Tamaraw Johnny Abarrientos, who was widely viewed as the next big thing in local hoops at the point guard position. A year later, in the 1994 PBA Draft, the Milkmen acquired hardworking 6-foot-5 center Edward “Poch” Juinio of the UP Fighting Maroons for some much needed size up front.
That same year, Alaska traded the high-flying but oftentimes unreliable Paul Alvarez to the Sta. Lucia Realtors in exchange for Rene “Bong” Hawkins Jr., one of the smartest, headiest, and most productive power forwards in the league at that time. Next, Alaska drafted then unheralded Fil-Am Jeffrey Cariaso as the sixth overall pick of the 1995 PBA Draft.
Just like that, the Milkmen had a fearsome fivesome of veterans—Lastimosa and Hawkins—and upstarts—Abarrientos, Cariaso, and Juinio—that was teeming with talent and poise.
Alaska Milkmen in 1995: A Portent of Things to Come
The Alaska Milkmen made it to the Finals of all three conferences in the 1995 PBA Season. They lost the first two, taking the Sunkist Orange Juicers the full seven games before falling short in the All-Filipino Cup and losing to the same squad in the Commissioner’s Cup, this time in six games.
Alaska, though, wasn’t finishing as bridesmaids thrice over in one season—not with a precocious point guard running the show, a peerless shot-maker who routinely came up clutch, a fearless slasher who could do a bit of everything, and a steady power forward who rarely made mistakes. True enough, Alaska went from title threats to title holders that same season, rising to the very top just as the Grand Slam-seeking Orange Juicers fell from their lofty porch.
Unsurprisingly, Lastimosa, Cariaso, Abarrientos, and Hawkins all had their moments in the 1995 Governors’ Cup Finals, where Alaska took on the San Miguel Beermen. With the Milkmen trailing 3-2 and deadlocked with the Beermen at 74 in the fourth quarter of Game 6, Jolas and Cariaso scored 13 points of Alaska’s final 20 points for the series-tying win. Then, down 79-75 in the fourth quarter of Game7, Lastimosa, Abarrientos, and Hawkins all hit clutch baskets as Alaska outscored San Miguel 24-7 in the final eight minutes to clinch the title—the franchise’s third.
Doing It the All-Pinoy Way: Alaska Milkmen Set Sights on All-Filipino Cup
Alaska’s championship pedigree was becoming undeniable. But in every one of their titles, the Milkmen had the great Sean Chambers to lean on. Alaska, borrowing from modern-day Filipino hoops parlance, were what some fans would describe as “asa sa import” and were by and large untested in the All-Filipino Conference, generally regarded as the most prestigious tournament in the PBA.
The Milkmen looked primed to win that coveted title the very next season, starting off the 1996 All-Filipino Cup with 10-4 record after the double-round robin elimination phase. But reality set in rather quickly. Tim Cone and his wards lost five of their eight outings in the semifinals to drop to 13-9 overall and were overtaken by the Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs, who secured an outright Finals spot by winning six of their eight semis games to finish with a league-best 14-8 record—just one game ahead of Alaska.
That 13-9 record would’ve been enough for the Milkmen to secure the other Finals berth by virtue of a top two finish in the standings. But Ginebra San Miguel, who finished the eliminations with a 7-7 record, won five of their eight games in the semifinals, qualifying them for a one-game playoff against Alaska to decide Purefoods’ Finals opponent.
Alaska was finding out the hard way how difficult it is to win the most PBA’s most coveted crown. But the Milkmen persevered, holding off Ginebra, 96-83, in their winner-take-all to set up a Finals showdown with a stacked Purefoods squad that had then three-time MVP Alvin Patrimonio, defensive specialist Jerry Codiñera, spitfire point guard Dindo Pumaren, and do-it-all forwards Rey Evangelista and Bong Ravena.
Needless to say, the Tender Juicy Hotdogs were a formidable roadblock to Alaska’s All-Filipino Cup hopes, having won the coveted title in 1991 and 1993 and finishing runners-up in 1992 and 1994.
Then again, what’s a championship without challenges, right?
All-Filipino Finals to Remember: Alaska Milkmen vs. Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs
Alaska Milkmen Strike First
The Milkmen quickly showed they were up to the task, proving steadier than the Juicy Hotdogs in a manic conclusion to Game 1 that saw the usually unflappable Patrimonio miss two jumpers and Lastimosa muff one of two pressure-packed free throws. But even after all that, Purefoods still had a chance to send Game 1 to OT after Evangelista was fouled with just 2.9 seconds left. The former UST Growling Tiger, though, couldn’t get the job done, splitting his charities and allowing Alaska to escape with a 78-77 win.
Alaska made it two in a row in Game 2, with Lastimosa firing nine points in a 17-7 burst in the third quarter that gave the Milkmen a 59-44 cushion that proved insurmountable even with Purefoods’ fourth quarter fight back. But the Juicy Hotdogs still had some juice left in them, racing out to an early lead in Game 3 before cruising to their first win in the best-of-7 title showdown.
The Milkmen, though, weren’t to be denied, holding down Purefoods in Game 4 to 62 points–only 12 in the first and 30 total in the second half—in a defensive masterclass to move a win away from clinching the franchise’s first ever All-Filipino Cup title.
Game 5 Goes to Extra Time
Game 5 turned into a classic, with two proud franchises and their constellation of stars going at it. Fittingly, the game was tied at 77 when the last two minutes of regulation approached, setting the stage for a cardiac endgame that saw Lastimosa hit two booming triples—one to put the Milkmen ahead, 80-77, and another to give Alaska back the lead, 83-81. Purefoods tied things up again in the very next possession with a Ravena reverse off, leading to one final Alaska possession for all the marbles.
The Alaska Milkmen muffed their golden chance, sending Game 5 to overtime.
With a new lease of life, Purefoods struck first in OT, then caught a huge break when Abarrientos fouled out at about the four-minute mark, leaving Alaska minus their peerless playmaker. Things were still looking bleak for the Milkmen at the two-minute mark of extra time, with the Juicy Hotdogs clinging to an 89-85 advantage and seemingly poised to extend the series to a sixth outing.
Then, Alaska showed its championship mettle.
Cariaso, in particular, proved he was made for the big time and the bright lights, hitting a jumper to bring Alaska to within 89-87 and then getting two crucial steals—one at the 1:22 mark and another at the 59.4 mark—to help set up a Lastimosa jumper that knotted things up at 89. Ravena and Jun Reyes, Alaska’s backup point guard, then traded baskets, before a Hawkins steal led to a botched Alaska fastbreak that ultimately ended in Patrimonio getting fouled by The Hawk with time down to 10.3 seconds.
A Manic End to an Epic Game
That chaotic sequence sent Patrimonio to the line, but Captain Lionheart could only make one, swishing the first and missing the second to give Alaska yet another final play for all the marbles.
Alaska put the ball in the hands of their Fourth Quarter Man, whose pick-and-roll with Hawkins at the arc was snuffed out perfectly by Evangelista and Codiñera, regarded as two of the preeminent defenders of the 1990s. Doubled just outside the top of the key, Lastimosa passed the ball to Hawkins, who then passed to Reyes at the corner for what seemed to be an open jumper for the win and the title. Instead, Olsen Racela—yes, that Olsen Racela!—recovered nicely to block Reyes’s shot at immortality.
It was very nearly a game-saving block, but Alaska still had 1.4 ticks left.
That was all the Milkmen needed.
With Lastimosa veering out hard to the right wing off a screen by Hawkins, Cariaso cut straight to the basket from the top of the key, catching Ravena off guard just enough to get a step ahead of him. Ryes, seeing Cariaso bearing down on the basket and Ravena giving chase, gave The Jet a pinpoint pass for what would’ve been an alley-oop for the win and the title. Ravena swiped at the ball, caught part of Cariaso’s right arm, and was whistled for a foul, sending the second-year Fil-Am to the line with the championship on the line.
First free throw for the tie, swish.
Second free throw for the lead, the game, and the title, nothing but net.
With just 0.6 second left to play and no timeouts remaining, Purefoods just didn’t have enough time to get off a good shot, allowing Alaska to escape with the victory and claim the franchise’s first-ever All-Filipino crown in a fitting conclusion to a hard-fought series.
A Grand Start for a Grand Slam: The Alaska Milkmen Start a Dynasty
Alaska’s epic championship conquest in the 1996 PBA All-Filipino Cup didn’t just cement their standing as the PBA’s new kingpin and powerhouse. It also jumpstarted what would later become an ambitious quest for a title treble: the Grand Slam. Lastimosa and company added the Commissioner’s Cup crown months later by narrowly beating out the Kenny Redfield-reinforced Formula Shell Zoom Masters in seven gruelling games. Then, at season’s end, the Alaska Milkmen became only the third franchise in PBA history to complete the Grand Slam when they beat Ginebra San Miguel convincingly in the Finals of the season-ending Governors’ Cup.
After winning the Grand Slam in 1996, Alaska would go on to win the 1997 Governors’ Cup and very nearly achieved another Grand Slam in 1998 after winning the All-Filipino Cup and the Commissioner’s Cup. But national team duties got in the way as the Alaska Milkmen loaned three key players that season—Lastimosa, Abarrientos, and Kenneth Duremdes—to the PBA Centennial Team tasked to compete in the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand. If not for that ultimate sacrifice, Alaska likely would’ve gotten the Holy Grail of the PBA twice in three years rather than finish last in the tournament.
It might not have been the ending to the 1990s the Alaska Milkmen were hoping for, but it cannot be denied that the 1990s belonged to them and them alone. Put simply, no team comes close to what Alaska did that decade: nine championships in nine years, a Grand Slam, and another near treble—plus a committment to flag and country over personal glory in 1998.
Indeed, the Alaska Milkmen were a model franchise, the kind fans loved and adored because they not only won, but they did so the right way.
Watch the Alaska Milkmen battle the Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs in Game 5 of the 1996 All-Filipino Cup:
