1996 PBA season
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| 1996 PBA season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Duration | February 18 – December 17, 1996 |
| Teams | 8 |
| TV partner | VTV (IBC) |
| 1996 PBA Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Marlou Aquino |
| Picked by | Ginebra San Miguel |
| Season MVP | Johnny Abarrientos (Alaska Milkmen) |
| All-Filipino Cup champions | Alaska Milkmen |
| All-Filipino Cup runners-up | Purefoods TJ Hotdogs |
| Commissioner's Cup champions | Alaska Milkmen |
| Commissioner's Cup runners-up | Formula Shell Zoom Masters |
| Governors Cup champions | Alaska Milkmen |
| Governors Cup runners-up | Ginebra San Miguel |
The 1996 PBA season was the 22nd season of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
Executive committee
- Jun Bernardino (Commissioner)
- Teodoro L. Dimayuga (Chairman, representing Purefoods TJ Hotdogs)
- Nazario L. Avendaño (Vice-Chairman, representing San Miguel Beermen)
- Dr. Antonio V. Concepcion (Treasurer, representing Ginebra San Miguel)
Teams
| Team | Company | Governor | Alternate Governor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Milkmen | Alaska Milk Corporation | Wilfred Steven Uytengsu | Joaquin Trillo |
| Formula Shell Zoommasters | Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation | Reynaldo Gamboa | Eliseo Santiago |
| Ginebra San Miguel | La Tondeña Distillers, Inc. | Dr. Antonio Concepcion | Bernabe Navarro, Jr. |
| Pepsi Mega/Mobiline Cellulars | Lapanday Holdings Corporation | Luis F. Lorenzo | |
| Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs | Purefoods Corporation | Teodoro Dimayuga | Eliezer Capacio |
| San Miguel Beermen | San Miguel Corporation | Nazario Avendaño | Eddie Veneracion |
| Sta. Lucia Realtors | Sta. Lucia Realty and Development Corporation | Manuel Encarnado | Vicente Santos |
| Sunkist Orange Juicers | RFM Corporation | Elmer Yanga | Aurora Timbol |
Season highlights
- The league's broadcast partner, Vintage Sports, switched networks from People's Television to Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation. They also changed their primary language from English to Tagalog.
- Crowd-favorite Ginebra San Miguel return to their winning ways after years of being a doormat with the entry of top draft pick, 6-9 Marlou Aquino, the Ginebras advances in the semifinals for the first time in three years during the All-Filipino Cup, their season was highlighted by a finals trip in the third conference, losing to grandslam champions Alaska Milkmen.
- The Pepsi Mega Bottlers sold their franchise to PILTEL and was renamed Mobiline Cellulars at the start of the Commissioner's Cup.
- The Alaska Milkmen became the fourth team to win the PBA Grand slam by sweeping all three conferences of the season, joining the 1976 and 1983 Crispa Redmanizers and the 1989 San Miguel Beermen. [1]
- Johnny Abarrientos became the first pure guard to win the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award since Ricardo Brown in 1985. [2]
Opening ceremonies
The muses for the participating teams are as follows:
| Team | Muse |
|---|---|
| Alaska Milkmen | Anamarie Pukon and Sharon Fuentes |
| Formula Shell | Teresa Herrera |
| Ginebra San Miguel | Amanda Page |
| Pepsi Mega | Maricel Morales (Mutya ng Pilipinas) |
| Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs | Chantal Umali |
| San Miguel Beermen | Candice Coral and Gracia |
| Sta. Lucia Realtors | Cara Sobejano and Abigail Arenas |
| Sunkist Orange Juicers | Vina Morales |
Champions
- All-Filipino Cup: Alaska Milkmen
- Commissioner's Cup: Alaska Milkmen
- Governor's Cup: Alaska Milkmen
- Team with best win–loss percentage: Alaska Milkmen (51-21, .708)
- Best Team of the Year: Alaska Milkmen (1st)