PBA set to announce 10 newest additions to Greatest Players club

MANILA, Philippines – The PBA will reveal the newest members of its Greatest Players club on Wednesday, April 2, exactly a week before it celebrates its 50th year on April 9.

The announcement will be made on One Sports program Starting Lineup as 10 players join the exclusive list that currently features 40 players who were picked during the 25th and 40th anniversary in 2000 and 2015, respectively.

Among the favorites to be feted are Nelson Asaytono, Abe King, and Bong Hawkins after they failed to make the cut in 2015.

Known as “The Bull,” Asaytono is perhaps the most obvious choice, being the only top 10 player in the PBA all-time scoring list — fifth exactly with 12,668 points — not given the Greatest Player distinction.

Asaytono also captured seven titles, earned three Mythical First Team and four Mythical Second Team selections, bagged two Best Player of the Conference (BPC) plums, and once reigned as a scoring champion.

King won a whopping 13 championships, while Hawkins collected 10 titles — including a Grand Slam with Alaska in 1996 – on top of a BPC award, two Mythical First Team and two Mythical Second Team honors, and a Finals MVP.

Active players June Mar Fajardo of San Miguel and Scottie Thompson of Barangay Ginebra are also expected to be included if the precedent that season MVPs get automatically selected is followed.

Fajardo has acquired a record eight season MVPs to go with a plethora of other personal accolades, while Thompson got one season MVP along with seven titles, two BPCs, and two Finals MVPs.

The 10 players were chosen by a selection committee headed by three former MVPs in Ramon Fernandez, Allan Caidic, and Atoy Co.

Former champion coach Dante Silverio, former PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios, sports editors Nelson Beltran, Ding Marcelo, and Al Mendoza, and broadcasters Quinito Henson and Andy Jao were also part of the panel.

The inclusion of the 10 players will be formalized on April 11. – Rappler.com