PBA Commissioner's Cup

History

1993–1998

During the 1993 PBA season, the league moved the All-Filipino Conference as the first tournament of the season and made the Second Conference as the Commissioner's Cup, a reference to the PBA Commissioner. The conference was the second tournament held in a PBA season.

The Swift/Sunkist franchise won the tournament in 1993 and 1995. Purefoods, with Kenny Redfield as import and Chot Reyes as head coach, defeated Alaska in 1994.

During Alaska's grandslam season of 1996, they won the Commissioners Cup title over Shell in a grueling seven-game series. The Gordon's Gin Boars ended their six-year drought, winning over the Milkmen in 1997, giving playing coach Robert Jaworski his last PBA title on both capacities. A year later, Alaska had Devin Davis as import to win the title over San Miguel.

1999–2002

From 1999 to 2000, San Miguel won the Commissioners Cup with Terquin Mott and Stephen Howard as imports. But in 2001, the Beermen were upset by the Red Bull Thunder, with Best Import Antonio Lang in six games.

In 2002, with most of the teams' star players are with the national squad, the PBA once again allowed teams to take two imports with a combined 13 feet and six inches maximum height limit. Red Bull won the series over Talk 'N Text in seven games, its second straight. No team has won two straight Commissioner's Cups since then.

2010s

The tournament was retired in 2003 after the re-introduction of the Invitational Championship as the second conference of the season but was eventually reactivated in 2011 after the league restored the three-conference season format. The 2011 Commissioner's Cup also saw the return of Smart Gilas, the Philippine national team, to the PBA after last playing in the 2009–10 Philippine Cup. They became the first national team to qualify for the playoffs. However, they would be defeated by the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the semifinals. The Kings would then lose to the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in the finals in six games.

2020s

In 2020, the Commissioner's Cup was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The following season saw only two conferences, the Philippine Cup and the Governors' Cup. It made its return during the 2022–23 season. In this season, the Bay Area Dragons joined the league as a guest team. Although they had they finished first in the standings in the elimination rounds, they would lose to Ginebra in the finals. For the 2023–24 season, the Commissioner's Cup was the opening tournament.

Tournament format

From 1993 to 1996, the teams were divided into two groups in the group stage. The teams in the same group will play against each other once and against teams in the other group twice. After the eliminations, the top five teams will advance to a double-round robin semifinals. A playoff incentive will be given to a team that will win five of their eight semifinal games should they fail to get the top two finals berths. The top two teams (or the No. 1 team and the winner of the playoff between team with at least 5 semifinal wins and the No. 2 team) will face each other in a best-of-seven championship series.

Between from 1997 to 1999 (who has been entry of the Tanduay Rhum Masters) and again in 2001, the league adopted a quarterfinal-semifinal playoff format with the top two seeds advancing automatically to the semifinals and the next four teams will be matched up in the quarterfinals. The winners will advance to the semifinal round and to compete against the two top seeded teams in a best-of-five series. The winners of the semifinal round will then advance to the best-of-seven championship series. This format was slightly modified due to the entry of the Batang Red Bull Thunder in 2000. The top eight teams after a round-robin regular round will advance to the quarterfinals. The top two seeds will have a twice-to-beat advantage against the last two seeded teams. Other seeded teams will compete in a best-of-three playoffs. The winners will compete in a best-of-five semifinals series. Then the winners of the semifinals will advance to a best-of-seven finals series.

After the reintroduction of the tournament in 2011, the league adopted a tournament format similar on what was used in 2001. The top two teams will gain automatic semifinals seed while the next four teams will compete in a best-of-three quarterfinals.

From the 2013 edition of the tournament, the playoff format was revised and adopted the similar on what was used in 2002, in which the first two teams will gain a twice to beat advantage against the last two seeded teams and the other teams will compete for a best of three playoffs.

The height limit for import players varies from every year. In the tournament's reintroduction in 2011, the height limit was 6'4" (1.93 m). In 2012, the league removed the height restrictions. The handicapping system was reinstated in 2014, where the height limit of 6'9" (2.06 m) was imposed for the playoff teams of the previous Philippine Cup. In 2017, the limit was 6'10" (2.08 m) for all teams. The limit stayed at that height until the 2023–24 season, when the height limit was lowered to 6'9" (2.06 m).

Trophy design

The trophy design used since the 1994 season features the Commissioner's Cup with the league logo at the front. The cup is placed in a base where the name of and the year of the tournament is engraved. Red, blue and yellow ribbons were placed in the handles of the trophy, mirroring the colors in the PBA logo. The winner keeps permanent possession of the trophy and a new one is created every year. In 2012, the trophy's cup handles were modified and the league logo was replaced with the tournament's season logo.

A prototype version of this trophy, first shown during the 1994 PBA opening ceremonies, is on display at the lobby of the PBA office in Libis, Quezon City.

List of champions

Per season

Per franchise

Defunct franchise

Individual awards

Best Player of the Conference

Bobby Parks Best Import award

References

References

1. Bautista, Jonjon. (August 20, 2017). "THE PBA FANS' MANIFESTO: 10 most infamous PBA moments of the last 30 years".
2. Terrado, Reuben. (May 2, 2020). "Jeff Cariaso recalls 'wake-up call' that fueled Alaska to 1996 grand slam".
3. Zarate, Noel. (July 27, 2018). "Gordon's Gin Boars: The last Ginebra team to win the PBA Commissioner's Cup".
4. "Ginebra championship's striking similarity to Cone's 1998 title with Alaska".
5. Henson, Joaquin M.. (August 22, 2001). "No regrets on Nate Johnson -- Uichico".
6. Henson, Joaquin M.. (August 28, 2001). "Lang almost cut".
7. Terrado, Reuben. (March 19, 2020). "Let's retrace how birthday boy Yeng Guiao won his seven PBA titles".
8. Navarro, June. (June 16, 2002). "Commissioner's Cup On: Shell faces Talk 'N Text in PBA opener". [[Philippine Daily Inquirer]].
9. Bacnis, Justine. (February 25, 2021). "How past Gilas team fared in PBA".
10. Ventura, Sid. (September 13, 2022). "Welcome to the PBA: A history of guest teams in the competition".
11. Castillo, Musong R.. (May 9, 2011). "TNT wraps up 2nd title in overtime".
12. Panerio, Jonas N.. (December 29, 2020). "PBA still unsure of staging import conferences".
13. CARANDANG, JUSTIN KENNETH. (March 9, 2021). "PBA plans to hold two conferences for 46th Season".
14. (September 11, 2022). "Commissioner's Cup returns with stellar cast of imports".
15. Bacnis, Justine. (May 27, 2023). "PBA Season 48 to open with Commissioner's Cup as Bay Area makes return".
16. Ramos, Gerry. (September 11, 2023). "PBA season moved back three weeks to November 5 opening".
17. (August 29, 2011). "No Height Limit For Imports In PBA Season 37 Commissioners' Cup While 6'5 Height Limit in PBA Governors' Cup {{!}} BallersPinas: Sports and Lifestyle Delivered Fresh".
18. (October 1, 2014). "PBA opens 40th season in PH Arena {{!}} ABS-CBN News".
19. Bracher, Jane. (March 16, 2017). "Old and new imports add flavor to 2017 PBA Commissioner's Cup".
20. Joble, Rey. (August 2, 2023). "Marcial: Imports' height limit stays".