2025–26 PBA season
50th season of the Philippine Basketball Association
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The 2025–26 PBA season, also referred to as PBA season 50 or PBA 50, is the 50th season of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The season began on October 5, 2025, and is set to conclude in December 2026.[1]
Pilipinas Live
One Sports YouTube Channel
2025–26 PBA season | |
|---|---|
| |
| Duration | October 5, 2025 – present |
| Teams | 12+1 |
| TV partner(s) | RPTV PBA Rush (HD) |
| Streaming partner(s) | Cignal Play Pilipinas Live One Sports YouTube Channel |
| PBA season 50 | |
| Top draft pick | Geo Chiu |
| Picked by | Terrafirma Dyip |
| Philippine Cup champions | San Miguel Beermen |
| Philippine Cup runners-up | TNT Tropang 5G |
| Commissioner's Cup champions | Barangay Ginebra San Miguel |
| Commissioner's Cup runners-up | TNT Tropang 5G |
The first activity of the season was the PBA season 50 draft on September 7.[2] The Philippine Cup acts as the season-opening conference.[3] This is then followed by the Commissioner's Cup and the season-ending Governors' Cup.[4]
This is also be the first season of competition for the Titan Ultra Giant Risers, after Pureblends Corporation acquired the NorthPort Batang Pier franchise in October.
The 2026 PBA All-Star Weekend was held from March 6 to 8, 2026 in Candon, Ilocos Sur.
50th anniversary events
The league's golden anniversary celebrations continued into this season. The season logo in gold was unveiled on February 10.[5][6] There will also be a reunion of its 50 Greatest Players for the opening ceremony, ten of which were added last season.[7]
The league also renamed the Finals Most Valuable Player award, with 19-time champion Ramon Fernandez becoming the award's namesake beginning with the 2025–26 Philippine Cup finals.[8]
The league played international games for the first time since the 2019 season. A selection of games were held in the United Arab Emirates and in Bahrain throughout the season,[9][10] with a game in Guam also being considered.[11] Also planned are exhibition games against teams from Japan's B.League.[12]
Season changes
The order of the league's three conferences was reverted to the traditional order for the first time since the 2022–23 PBA season. The Philippine Cup is the first conference of the season, after it was held as the last conference in each of the last two seasons. The Commissioner's Cup will be the second conference and the Governors' Cup will be the season-ending conference.[4] The eighth-seed playoff game no longer be held, meaning that the final playoff berth always be determined by tiebreakers.[13]
Due to the third window of 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers in July 2026 and the 2026 Asian Games in September, the league plans to hold a mid-season pocket tournament which will feature two foreign teams. Eastern, Macau Black Bears, and a team from Indonesia are among the teams which have expressed interest in taking part after previously seeking to compete in one of the conferences, though the Black Bears would end up joining for the Commissioner's Cup.[14][15]
Rule changes
The league introduced ten rule changes effective for this season. The changes are as follows:[16][17][18]
| Rule changes (effective from the 2025–26 PBA Philippine Cup) |
|---|
|
| Rule changes (effective from the 2026 PBA Governors' Cup) |
|
Apart from the aforementioned changes, Willie Marcial stated that the four-point line that was added in the previous season remain for "as long as [he's] commissioner."[19]
Teams
The Titan Ultra Giant Risers, a team owned by Pureblends Corporation, joined the league after acquiring the former NorthPort Batang Pier franchise during the off-season.[20] Ahead of the Commissioner's Cup, the Phoenix Fuel Masters reverted their name back to Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters.[21]
For guest teams, the Macau Black Knights, who are regular competitors in the East Asia Super League, would compete during the Commissioner's Cup[22] and will return in the Governors' Cup, rebranding as Macau Giant Pandas.[23]
Arenas
Main arenas
| Arena | Location | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Ninoy Aquino Stadium | Manila | 6,000 |
| Quadricentennial Pavilion | Manila | 5,792 |
| SM Mall of Asia Arena | Pasay | 15,000 |
| Smart Araneta Coliseum | Quezon City | 14,429 |
| Ynares Center II | Rodriguez, Rizal | 8,000 |
| Ynares Center | Antipolo, Rizal | 7,400 |
Out-of-town arenas
| Arena | Location | Date | Match-up | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chavit Coliseum | Vigan, Ilocos Sur | October 18, 2025 | Converge vs. TNT | [13] |
| Aquilino Q. Pimentel Jr. International Convention Center | Cagayan de Oro | November 15, 2025 | Rain or Shine vs. TNT |
International arenas
| Arena | Country | Location | Date | Match-up | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coca-Cola Arena |  United Arab Emirates |
Dubai | October 26, 2025 | San Miguel vs. Barangay Ginebra | [24] |
| Khalifa Sports City Arena |  Bahrain |
Isa Town | December 15, 2025 | Magnolia vs. Rain or Shine | [25] |
| December 17, 2025 | Rain or Shine vs. Barangay Ginebra |
Transactions
Retirement
- On July 3, 2025, Jared Dillinger officially retired after played for three teams in his 14 seasons in the league. He was a nine-time PBA champion and was part of the All-Rookie Team in 2009.[26]
- On July 28, 2025, LA Tenorio retired as a full-time player after being tapped by the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots as its head coach. Tenorio played for three teams in his 18 seasons in the league. He was an eight-time champion, four-time Finals MVP, and four-time Mythical Team selection.[27] While he was listed as a player in the Magnolia roster, he was put under the team's injury/reverse list.[28][29] On December 20, 2025, he was activated by the Hotshots, becoming a player-coach.[30]
- On September 15, 2025, Sean Anthony officially retired after played for eight teams in his 14 seasons in the league. He won Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 and was selected to the Mythical Team twice.[31]
- On September 17, 2025, Chris Exciminiano and Ryan Reyes announced their retirements. Exciminiano played for three teams in his 8 seasons in the league, winning three championships and earning two All-Defensive Team selections. Reyes played for two teams in his 17 seasons in the league, winning eight championships and earning four All-Defensive Team selections.[32][33]
- On October 3, 2025, JVee Casio officially retired after played for three teams in his 13 seasons in the league. He was a one-time champion with Alaska and was part of the All-Rookie Team in 2012.[34]
- On October 9, 2025, Gabe Norwood announced that he would retire after the 2025–26 PBA Philippine Cup.[35][36] On December 29, 2025, he officially retired after the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters was eliminated by the Meralco Bolts in a do-or-die game of the quarterfinal round.[37][38] Norwood played his entire 17 seasons in the PBA with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, winning 2 championships and was the Rookie of the Year in 2009, selected to Second Mythical Team, and the All-Rookie Team in 2009, and earning 8 All-Defensive Team selections, including a Defensive Player of the Year award in 2010. He also served as an assistant coach for the team in 2025 up until his retirement.
Coaching changes
Notable events
Off-season
- July 17, 2025: The PBA approved a new rule that would ban players from playing in the league for three years if they play in other leagues, domestic or international, following the expiration of their contracts. The rule, however, wasn't reported until a month later in August. Players are exempt from the rule if were unrestricted free agents released by the team, not offered a new contract by the team they played in the previous season within 30 days of the expiration of their previous contract, or have played in the PBA for seven full seasons (21 conferences).[48][49]
- July 18, 2025: The franchise sale of the Terrafirma Dyip was dropped after the team and the organization behind the Zamboanga Valientes mutually agreed to no longer push through with the acquisition. Despite the failed sale, Terrafirma continued to compete through this season.[50][51]
Pre-season
- September 4, 2025: The ban imposed on Larry Muyang has been lifted after he was traded from Phoenix Fuel Masters to Converge FiberXers.[52]
- September 10, 2025: Willie Marcial and Ricky Vargas have retained their positions as the league's commissioner and chairman, respectively.[53]
- September 16, 2025: The PBA approved a new rule that prohibit future first overall picks from being traded for two seasons after they were drafted. Geo Chiu, the first overall pick in the season 50 draft, was the first player covered by this new rule.[54]
- September 26, 2025: The Meralco Bolts unveiled a new logo, which is a simplified version of their previous mark. The team's new dark uniforms were unveiled the same day, featuring a new black base with blue accents across the jersey.[55][56] A white version will be worn as the light uniform. Additionally, the 1971 Meralco Reddy Kilowatts jerseys, which were worn last season during the 50th anniversary games, will be added to the regular jersey rotation.[57]
- October 1, 2025: Pureblends Corporation's sale of the NorthPort Batang Pier was completed. The team rebranded as the Titan Ultra Giant Risers.[20]
Philippine Cup
- October 8, 2025: Titan Ultra played their first game as a franchise. They also got their first win as a franchise, a 100–96 victory against Meralco.[58][59]
- November 8, 2025: The PBA announced that the games between the TNT Tropang 5G vs. Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots and the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel vs. Titan Ultra on November 9 had been postponed due to Typhoon Uwan (Fung-wong). The said games were later postponed to December 21, 6 weeks after, with TNT defeating Magnolia in the first game and Barangay Ginebra defeating Titan Ultra in the second game.[60]
- January 9, 2026: TNT retired the jersey number of Ranidel de Ocampo (#33) during the halftime of Game 3 of the semifinals matchup against Meralco.[61]
- January 12, 2026: Converge players Justine Baltazar, Mark Omega, and assistant coach Humperdink Dimatulac were all fined ₱20,000 each (totalling ₱60,000) for their “cooking gestures” during the Quarterfinals against Barangay Ginebra.[62]
- January 20, 2026: The PBA approved a new rule that starting PBA season 51 draft, the rookie prospects with existing contracts in other leagues would not be allowed to apply for the PBA Draft.[63]
Mid-season
- February 6, 2026: The PBA announced that the Macau Black Knights would join the 2026 PBA Commissioner's Cup as a guest team.[22]
- June 19, 2026: The PBA announced that Macau will return as a guest team for the 2026 PBA Governors' Cup and renaming themselves as Macau Giant Pandas.[23]
- June 23, 2026: The PBA announced that starting from 2026 PBA Governors' Cup, the possession arrow will be applied instead of jump ball to help the Gilas Pilipinas familiarize the FIBA rules.[18]
Commissioner's Cup
- March 20 & 21, 2026: TNT forward Glenn Khobuntin and Rain or Shine Elasto Painters import Jaylen Johnson were involved in a brawl in the game between the TNT vs. Rain or Shine. Both players were ejected as punches were thrown.[64] On March 21, the PBA announced that Khobuntin was fined ₱70,000 and would be suspended by 2 games while Johnson was fined ₱50,000 and would be suspended by 1 game.[65]
- April 10, 2026: Rain or Shine retired the jersey number of Gabe Norwood (#5) during the halftime of their game against Converge .[66]
- April 12, 2026: The game between the Phoenix Super LPG vs. Barangay Ginebra was temporarily halted in the first quarter as fire hit the parts of the general admission and upper box sections of the Araneta Coliseum. After five minutes, the game resumed.[67]
Opening ceremonies
The opening ceremonies was held on October 5, 2025, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. This is preceded by the annual PBA Leo Awards, which took place at Novotel Manila Araneta City. As part of the league's golden season, a grand reunion of its living 50 Greatest Players (10 of which were added last season) was held.[7] Manila Clasico was the first game of the Philippine Cup and the season as a whole, with Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots beating Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 80-73.[68][69]
Below is the list of team muses:[70]
| Team | Muse |
|---|---|
| Barangay Ginebra San Miguel | Sue Ramirez |
| Blackwater Bossing | Chelsea Fernandez |
| Converge FiberXers | Salma Emam |
| Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots | Ahtisa Manalo |
| Meralco Bolts | Chelsea Manalo |
| NLEX Road Warriors | Pearl Gonzales |
| Phoenix Fuel Masters | Pauline Gaston |
| Rain or Shine Elasto Painters | Pattie Paraiso |
| San Miguel Beermen | Caroline Eyer |
| Terrafirma Dyip | Eloisa Jaud |
| Titan Ultra Giant Risers | Myrna Esguerra |
| TNT Tropang 5G | Savi Davison |
| Mika Reyes | |
| Kim Kianna Dy | |
| Majoy Baron | |
| Jessey de Leon |
2025–26 PBA Philippine Cup
The first conference of the season is the Philippine Cup, which began on October 5, 2025, and ended on February 1, 2026.
Elimination round standings
| Pos | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Miguel Beermen | 9 | 2 | .818 | — | Twice-to-beat in the quarterfinals |
| 2 | Rain or Shine Elasto Painters | 8 | 3 | .727[a] | 1 | |
| 3 | TNT Tropang 5G | 8 | 3 | .727[a] | 1 | |
| 4 | Converge FiberXers | 7 | 4 | .636[b] | 2 | |
| 5 | Barangay Ginebra San Miguel | 7 | 4 | .636[b] | 2 | Twice-to-win in the quarterfinals |
| 6 | Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots | 6 | 5 | .545[c] | 3 | |
| 7 | Meralco Bolts | 6 | 5 | .545[c] | 3 | |
| 8 | NLEX Road Warriors | 6 | 5 | .545[c] | 3 | |
| 9 | Titan Ultra Giant Risers | 4 | 7 | .364 | 5 | |
| 10 | Phoenix Fuel Masters | 3 | 8 | .273 | 6 | |
| 11 | Blackwater Bossing | 1 | 10 | .091[d] | 8 | |
| 12 | Terrafirma Dyip | 1 | 10 | .091[d] | 8 |
Rules for classification: 1) winning percentage; 2) head-to-head goal average (quotient); 3) head-to-head record; 4) overall quotient; 5) coin toss[71]
Notes:
Playoffs
| Quarterfinals (Top 4 twice-to-beat) | Semifinals (Best-of-7) | Finals (Best-of-7) | ||||||||||||
| 1 | San Miguel | 101 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | NLEX | 94 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | San Miguel | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Barangay Ginebra | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Converge | 85 | 98 | |||||||||||
| 5 | Barangay Ginebra | 105 | 99* | |||||||||||
| 1 | San Miguel | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | TNT | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Rain or Shine | 79 | 89 | |||||||||||
| 7 | Meralco | 96 | 98 | |||||||||||
| 7 | Meralco | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | TNT | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | TNT | 118 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Magnolia | 109 | ||||||||||||
*Game went into overtime
Quarterfinals
| Team 1 | Series | Team 2 | Game 1 | Game 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) San Miguel Beermen* | 1–0 | (8) NLEX Road Warriors | 101–94 | — |
| (2) Rain or Shine Elasto Painters* | 0–2 | (7) Meralco Bolts | 79–96 | 89–98 |
| (3) TNT Tropang 5G* | 1–0 | (6) Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots | 118–109 | — |
| (4) Converge FiberXers* | 0–2 | (5) Barangay Ginebra San Miguel | 85–105 | 98–99 (OT) |
*Team has twice-to-beat advantage. Team 1 only has to win once, while Team 2 has to win twice.
Semifinals
| Team 1 | Series | Team 2 | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | Game 6 | Game 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) San Miguel Beermen | 4–2 | (5) Barangay Ginebra San Miguel | 90–99 | 93–84 | 91–85 | 91–105 | 115–109 | 101–88 | — |
| (3) TNT Tropang 5G | 4–1 | (7) Meralco Bolts | 100–95 | 109–92 | 89–97 | 102–83 | 99–96 | — | — |
Finals
| Team 1 | Series | Team 2 | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | Game 6 | Game 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) San Miguel Beermen | 4–2 | (3) TNT Tropang 5G | 91–96 | 111–92 | 95–89 | 87–110 | 96–82 | 92–77 | — |
- Ramon Fernandez Finals MVP: June Mar Fajardo (San Miguel Beermen)
- Best Player of the Conference: June Mar Fajardo (San Miguel Beermen)
2026 PBA Commissioner's Cup
The second conference of the season is the Commissioner's Cup, which began on March 11 and ended on June 17, 2026.
Elimination round standings
| Pos | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NLEX Road Warriors | 10 | 2 | .833 | — | Twice-to-beat in the quarterfinals |
| 2 | Barangay Ginebra San Miguel | 9 | 3 | .750[a] | 1 | |
| 3 | Rain or Shine Elasto Painters | 9 | 3 | .750[a] | 1 | |
| 4 | Meralco Bolts | 8 | 4 | .667 | 2 | |
| 5 | Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots | 7 | 5 | .583[b] | 3 | Twice-to-win in the quarterfinals |
| 6 | San Miguel Beermen | 7 | 5 | .583[b] | 3 | |
| 7 | Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters | 6 | 6 | .500[c] | 4 | |
| 8 | TNT Tropang 5G | 6 | 6 | .500[c] | 4 | |
| 9 | Converge FiberXers | 5 | 7 | .417 | 5 | |
| 10 | Terrafirma Dyip | 4 | 8 | .333 | 6 | |
| 11 | Macau Black Knights | 3 | 9 | .250 | 7 | |
| 12 | Titan Ultra Giant Risers | 2 | 10 | .167[d] | 8 | |
| 13 | Blackwater Bossing | 2 | 10 | .167[d] | 8 |
Rules for classification: 1) winning percentage; 2) head-to-head goal average (quotient); 3) head-to-head record; 4) overall quotient; 5) coin toss[72]
Notes:
Playoffs
| Quarterfinals (Top 4 twice-to-beat) | Semifinals (Best-of-7) | Finals (Best-of-7) | ||||||||||||
| 1 | NLEX | 93 | 112 | |||||||||||
| 8 | TNT | 96 | 118 | |||||||||||
| 8 | TNT | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Meralco | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Meralco | 89 | 105 | |||||||||||
| 5 | Magnolia | 95 | 102* | |||||||||||
| 8 | TNT | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Barangay Ginebra | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Barangay Ginebra | 112 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Phoenix Super LPG | 81 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Barangay Ginebra | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Rain or Shine | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Rain or Shine | 113 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | San Miguel | 104 | ||||||||||||
*Game went into overtime
Quarterfinals
| Team 1 | Series | Team 2 | Game 1 | Game 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) NLEX Road Warriors* | 0–2 | (8) TNT Tropang 5G | 93–96 | 112–118 |
| (2) Barangay Ginebra San Miguel* | 1–0 | (7) Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters | 112–81 | — |
| (3) Rain or Shine Elasto Painters* | 1–0 | (6) San Miguel Beermen | 113–104 | — |
| (4) Meralco Bolts* | 1–1 | (5) Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots | 89–95 | 105–102 (OT) |
*Team has twice-to-beat advantage. Team 1 only has to win once, while Team 2 has to win twice.
Semifinals
| Team 1 | Series | Team 2 | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | Game 6 | Game 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (2) Barangay Ginebra San Miguel | 4–2 | (3) Rain or Shine Elasto Painters | 111–115 | 109–101 | 103–98 | 85–97 | 111–104 | 118–107 | — |
| (4) Meralco Bolts | 2–4 | (8) TNT Tropang 5G | 89–94 | 87–76 | 75–77 | 101–90 | 95–103 | 94–97 | — |
Finals
| Team 1 | Series | Team 2 | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | Game 6 | Game 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (2) Barangay Ginebra San Miguel | 4–3 | (8) TNT Tropang 5G | 102–100 | 94–101 | 116–102 | 98–106 | 100–95 (OT) | 90–98 | 88–76 |
- Ramon Fernandez Finals MVP: Scottie Thompson (Barangay Ginebra San Miguel)
- Best Player of the Conference: RJ Abarrientos (Barangay Ginebra San Miguel)
- Bobby Parks Best Import of the Conference: Justin Brownlee (Barangay Ginebra San Miguel)
2026 PBA Governors' Cup
The third and final conference of the season is the Govenors Cup, which will begin on July 10, 2026.
Group A
Team standings
| Pos | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NLEX Road Warriors | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | — | Quarterfinals |
| 2 | Terrafirma Dyip | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | — | |
| 3 | Converge FiberXers | 0 | 0 | — | 0.5 | |
| 4 | San Miguel Beermen | 0 | 0 | — | 0.5 | |
| 5 | TNT Tropang 5G | 0 | 0 | — | 0.5 | |
| 6 | Titan Ultra Giant Risers | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1 | |
| 7 | Macau Giant Pandas | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1 |
Rules for classification: 1) winning percentage; 2) if two teams are tied, head-to-head record, if three or more teams are tied, head-to-head goal average (quotient); 3) overall quotient; 4) coin toss[73]
Group B
Team standings
| Pos | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barangay Ginebra San Miguel | 0 | 0 | — | — | Quarterfinals |
| 2 | Blackwater Bossing | 0 | 0 | — | — | |
| 3 | Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots | 0 | 0 | — | — | |
| 4 | Meralco Bolts | 0 | 0 | — | — | |
| 5 | Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters | 0 | 0 | — | — | |
| 6 | Rain or Shine Elasto Painters | 0 | 0 | — | — |
Rules for classification: 1) winning percentage; 2) if two teams are tied, head-to-head record, if three or more teams are tied, head-to-head goal average (quotient); 3) overall quotient; 4) coin toss[73]
PBA team in Asian club competitions
| Team | Competition | Progress | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meralco Bolts | 2025–26 East Asia Super League | Eliminated in group stage | [74] |
Media
This is the fifteenth consecutive season of the PBA's broadcast partnership with TV5.,[13] and the third consecutive season on RPTV, while the league-dedicated PBA Rush continue to broadcast its own feed. Cignal Play, Pilipinas Live and One Sports Youtube channel continued to stream all games.
