After the PBA had become a stomping ground for San Miguel Corporation teams in the past few years, a shift of power was witnessed in 2024 with teams under Manny V. Pangilinan group ascending to the throne.

And while the San Miguel Beermen remained a picture of dominance with a Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup championship and the TNT Tropang Giga keeping their powerhouse status with a Season 49 Governors’ Cup crown, it was the rise of the Meralco Bolts, who bagged the Season 49 Philippine Cup title – the most prestigious among the three jewels, easily become the highlight of the eventful 2024 for the PBA.

Electrifying year for the Bolts

The Bolts made history by winning the franchise’s first-ever title in 14 years in the PBA after edging the Beermen in a highly-competitive Game 6 of the all-Filipino Cup finale.

Chris Newsome nailed a tough baseline jumper just moments after June Mar Fajardo drained a gutsy stepback, game-tying three-pointer to lift Meralco to an epic 80-78 victory against San Miguel.

But what made it even more impressive was the show of resilience for Meralco, who despite dealing with slew of injuries and opening the conference on a 3-5 record, managed to string together victories in the elimination to catch the bus to the playoffs at the third spot with a 6-5 slate.

It swept NLEX, 2-0, in the quarterfinals before outlasting bitter rival Ginebra in seven games in the semifinals to set up the Finals dance against the then-top seed SMB.

“We went through a lot of adversity, a lot of tough times, the playoffs game, Ginebra, and then San Miguel. For some of those guys, we're happy for them. It wasn't easy getting there,” said head coach Luigi Trillo whose partnership with active consultant Nenad Vucinic proved that such a setup can also be fruitful.

“They've been through four finals appearances. A lot of pain. To gut it out this way, to really earn it, I'm saying about getting respect, it's very fulfilling for us,” he added.
 

Sweet eighth for ‘the Kraken’

While the Beermen got defeated in the Philippine Cup – the conference where it reigned many times in the past – the firepower was still undeniable especially with June Mar Fajardo anchoring it.

Fajardo added another history to his PBA lore after winning his eighth Most Valuable Player award during the league’s 48th Season. The Cebuano gentle giant towered over the competition and has been the league’s best player in all but one season since 2014.

With him at the forefront, the Beermen did win a title this year in the Commissioner’s Cup. SMB was reinforced by import Bennie Boatwright, whose impressive touch from deep for his size allowed him to become a candidate for naturalization for Gilas Pilipinas.
 

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is the new benchmark for imports

Talking about imports, while Justin Brownlee had solidified his case as one of the greatest reinforcements ever, TNT’s Rondae Hollis-Jefferson proved to be a new benchmark for do-it-all imports.

In almost no relief effort every game, Hollis-Jefferson helped the Tropang Giga reassert their mastery of the Kings in the Season 49 Governors’ Cup. It was a successful title defense for TNT while Hollis-Jefferson – the Best Import winner – also denied Brownlee another shot at becoming the winningest import in the PBA.

And while an NBA return remains the goal, Hollis-Jefferson said he is at peace where he is now.

“We fight that so we miss the little things, we miss the moments where we can enjoy and cherish the people right in front of you. Right now, I’m in the air of appreciating the people that are in front of me,” said Hollis-Jefferson.
 

PBA blazes trail to a new era of basketball

As much as the spotlight was focused on the teams, the players and the champions in 2024, the PBA also had the entire world of basketball looking in.

That, after the league announced that it was adopting the four-point line – 27 feet from the goal – as part of an official game. It was a bold move that made the PBA the first-ever league in the world to apply such a rule.

Chris Banchero became the first player to hit the shot in basketball history during the Season 49 opener between Meralco and Magnolia. Since then, clutch four-pointers– daggers and game-winners– had been hoisted and made.

The innovation got praises as much as it drew flak. But whether it was a genius move or failed gimmick is still to be seen but the four-point shot certainly added spice to the game.