The Philippine Basketball League will not only honor the 12 greatest PBL players who made their impact in Philippine Basketball but will also pay tribute to the leaders who steered the league as the country's premiere commercial amateur body.
"It's but apt that on our 19th season, we also pay tribute to the leaders who conceptualized and brought PBL to new heights. Without them, the PBL could not have given birth to today's superstars in Philippine basketball," said PBL commissioner Chino Trinidad.
Come March 25, the PBL opening ceremonies will be a homecoming of sorts for the personalities who made the PBL a cradle for Filipino basketball superstars.
Leading the list are pioneer commissioner Jose Pavia and chairman Fernando Carrascoso, the brains behind the creation of the then Philippine Amateur Basketball League (PABL) with San Miguel honcho Danding Cojuangco where a record number of over 30 teams participated in its debut season.
Carrascoso was followed by Peter Cayco, San Miguel's Oscar Villadolid, RFM's Joey Concepcion, Chowking's Robert Kuan before current PBL chairman Dioceldo Sy took over this season.
ABC secretary general Mauricio "Moying" Martelino took over Pavia when Villadolid assumed PABL chairmanship.