Sol Mercado

Professional career

Rain or Shine Elasto Painters

Mercado was originally drafted by the Alaska Aces as the fifth pick in the 2008 PBA draft. However, he was immediately traded to the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, together with Eddie Laure for Joe Devance and the 2009 and 2010 second round picks of Alaska.

With all the focus on Gabe Norwood, that year's first pick overall, and not much hype Mercado scored a record 29 points in his rookie debut game, the highest since Asi Taulava scored 32 points for Mobiline in his winning debut. This achievement made him the PBA Player of the Week for the opening week. Since then, he slowly became one of the PBA's elite point guards.

PBA Fiesta Conference 2009

If not for a hamstring injury that sidelined him in a couple of games into their semifinal series against the Barangay Ginebra Kings, Rain or Shine would probably have gone farther in the Fiesta Conference. A member of the All-Rookie Team, Mercado finished second to teammate Gabe Norwood for Rookie of the Year honors. Mercado emerged as the team's top scorer with 13.5 points per game and his 4.5 assists per night did not only lead the team but was also number 6 overall among locals. The only glitch in his rookie season was his 2.9 turnovers per game which ranked seventh overall and led the rookies in that category.

Sophomore Season (Philippine Cup)

He was the team's cornerstone as he became one of the leaders for the Painters. He scored a career-high 35 points in a loss to Alaska. Against the Coca-Cola Tigers in a knockout game, he scored 28 points to lead them into the quarterfinals. But unfortunately they would end up short after losing to the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants.

PBA Fiesta Conference 2010

He averaged 17.7 points in the eliminations then had a 45-point outburst against the B-Meg Derby Ace Llamados. In another knock out game against the Tigers, he delivered crucial plays, despite fouling out, in a come from behind win. Against the Llamados in Game 3, he almost recorded a triple double with 16 points 15 assists and nine rebounds. But, in Game 5 of the series, they lost to the Llamados. During this time, he had to deal with his father being in critical condition due to a severe heart attack.

Meralco Bolts

Before the start of the 2011 PBA Commissioner's Cup, he and Jay-R Reyes were among the eight players involved in the three-way trade between Meralco, Rain or Shine and Air21 in what was easily one of the biggest trades that happened in that season. Mercado, along with Paolo Bugia were shipped to the Bolts for Beau Belga.

In a 2012 Governors' Cup game, Mercado scored 24 points in a win over the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters. During the 2012–13 Philippine Cup, he had 24 points and nine assists in a win over Globalport. In their quarterfinal series against Alaska, he was injured, and Meralco did not advance.

GlobalPort Batang Pier

Before the start of the 2013 PBA Commissioner's Cup, he along with Kelly Nabong, Jaypee Belencion and Yousif Aljamal were traded to GlobalPort Batang Pier for Rey Guevarra, Vic Manuel, Josh Vanlandingham and a 2015 first round pick. This made him the first-ever player in PBA history to be traded or moved to another team after leading the league in scoring and assists the previous conference.

During the Commissioner's Cup, Mercado had three straight games where he had double-doubles. He then had to sit out the rest of the conference as not to aggravate a right shoulder injury. During the 2013 Governors' Cup, tension arose between him and his coach Junel Baculi over an uncalled timeout in a loss to the Barako Bull Energy. The following game, he bounced back as he scored all of his 15 points in the second half in a comeback win over Meralco as they came back from 20 points down. He was able to lead Globalport to its first playoff appearance, where they lost to the defending Governors' Cup champion Rain or Shine.

The following season, Mercado played a part in the early development of rookie teammate Terrence Romeo by becoming his mentor. During the 2013–14 Philippine Cup, he scored a conference-high 33 points, with 19 of those coming in the second half of a comeback win over Meralco. He missed several games due to a strain on his right Achilles.

San Miguel Beermen

Before the start of the 2014 PBA Commissioner's Cup, Mercado was traded to San Miguel in exchange for Alex Cabagnot. The 2014 PBA Governors' Cup was one of the worst conferences of his career, as he averaged just 7.6 points on 35% shooting from the field.

Return to GlobalPort

Before the 2014–15 PBA Philippine Cup trade deadline, just before the playoffs, Mercado was traded back to GlobalPort, together with San Miguel's 2018 and 2019 second round picks, in exchange for Cabagnot. He didn't approve of the trade, comparing the trade to someone going back to a bad ex-girlfriend on his Twitter account. His only game in this stint was when Globalport was kicked out of the playoffs by Ginebra, in which he had nine points, four rebounds, and three assists.

Barako Bull Energy

On January 8, 2015, Mercado was traded again by GlobalPort, this time to Barako Bull which gave up Denok Miranda and a 2016 second round pick. To begin the 2015 Commissioner's Cup, he had 20 points, three assists, and a steal in a winning debut over the Blackwater Elite.

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel

2014–15 season

On May 4, 2015, before the start of 2015 PBA Governors' Cup Mercado was traded to Barangay Ginebra in exchange of Joseph Yeo. He debuted for Barangay Ginebra on May 8, 2015, with eight points and eight assists, against the team that drafted him, the Alaska Aces, but his new team lost. He missed a game that conference due to food poisoning. Against another of his former teams, Barako Bull, he scored 14 points to help Ginebra get the win. They faced Alaska in the playoffs, where he had 21 points and seven assists, but it wasn't enough as Alaska ended Ginebra's season.

2015–16 season

In the offseason, Ginebra changed head coaches, with Tim Cone taking over. During a Philippine Cup Christmas Day game against the Star Hotshots, Mercado missed what could have been the game-winning layup and the game went into overtime. In overtime, he scored six points and made the assist to LA Tenorio for the game-winning triple. In a Commissioner's Cup loss to Talk 'N Text, he had 11 points with three three-pointers. Against Alaska in a Governors' Cup elimination game, he had 22 points but lost. He then started at small forward for the injured Chris Ellis, and contributed 19 points and four assists in a win over Meralco. He scored 19 again in a win versus Rain or Shine with six threes, becoming more adjusted to Coach Cone's system. In the playoffs, Ginebra advanced past Alaska in the quarterfinals. In the semis, they went up against sister team San Miguel, where in Game 1, he had 19 points, five assists, three boards, and one steal in 36 minutes off the bench as Ginebra went up 1–0. At the end of five games, Ginebra advanced to the Finals. There he faced his former team in Meralco. In Game 2, he defended Meralco's import Allen Durham, and scored the game-winning putback, tying the series. The following game, he got into foul trouble, allowing Durham to dominate with 36 points and 20 rebounds as Ginebra lost. After eight seasons in the PBA, he finally got his first PBA championship when Ginebra import Justin Brownlee made the game-winning three pointer in Game 6.

2016–17 season

In a Philippine Cup loss to San Miguel, Mercado had 11 points and six rebounds. In the playoffs, he had 12 points and six assists to force a do-or-die game against Alaska. They moved on to the semis against the Hotshots where in Game 2, he missed a game-tying layup that sent Ginebra into a 0–2 deficit. He bounced back the following game with 16 points and two clutch threes that led to Star's first loss of the series. In Game 4, he got into a confrontation with Hotshots guard Jio Jalalon, but was still able to help Ginebra tie the series. In Game 6, he had a game-high 21 points (with 12 coming in the fourth quarter) while holding Paul Lee to just eight points to force a Game 7. This earned him PBA Player of the Week honors. In Game 7, he led the team with 23 points, four rebounds, and five assists while holding Lee to just four points, and Ginebra returned to the Finals. There, Ginebra fell to the Beermen in five games. During the 2017 All-Star Week, he competed in the Obstacle Challenge. In the Governors' Cup, he helped Ginebra return to the Finals for a rematch with Meralco. In Game 4 of the Finals, he sprained his left ankle when he blocked Meralco's Jared Dillinger. He wasn't able to play the rest of the Finals, but Ginebra still won its second straight Governors' Cup title.

2017–18 season

In the Philippine Cup, Mercado helped Ginebra clinch a spot in the semifinals by putting up solid numbers against Rain or Shine. There, they lost to San Miguel in five games. In the Commissioner's Cup, he suffered a rib injury. He made his return during the Governor's Cup.

2019 season

In a loss to the Batang Pier, Mercado had a double-double of 10 points and 11 assists. They entered the Philippine Cup playoffs as the third seed. There, they were defeated by the Hotshots. In a Commissioner's Cup win over Meralco, he had 14 points, eight assists, five rebounds, and a steal. In his final game with Ginebra, he had 12 points as Ginebra got their 1,000th franchise win.

NorthPort Batang Pier

On June 18, 2019, Mercado, along with Jervy Cruz and Kevin Ferrer, was traded back to the Batang Pier for Stanley Pringle. This was his third stint with the Batang Pier franchise. In his first game back, he started and added 14 markers, five caroms, five dimes, a steal, and a block in a win over Blackwater. He had 12 points in a win over Meralco. The Batang Pier faced Ginebra in the Governors' Cup semifinals where in Game 1, he added 14 points to a blowout of Ginebra. In Game 2 however, he twisted his ankle after stepping on Tenorio's foot, and had to leave the game. He was deemed out for the rest of the playoffs.

On January 20, 2020, Mercado was traded to the Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters for LA Revilla and Rey Guevarra. He never played for Phoenix however as contract negotiations fell through.

PBA career statistics

Season-by-season averages

|- | 36 || 31.1 || .389 || .263 || .622 || 3.3 || 4.5 || .8 || .1 || 13.5 |- | 46 || 34.5 || .413 || .315 || .683 || 3.8 || 4.6 || 1.2 || .2 || 16.7

International career

Mercado played for Puerto Rico's youth basketball teams when he was around 12–13 years old. He received offers to play for its national team.

Mercado was also a member of the Philippine National Basketball team, Smart Gilas. He was personally handpicked by Rajko Toroman alongside Kelly Williams and Asi Taulava. He played for the Philippines in the 2012 William Jones Cup. He was on the roster for the 2010 Asian Games, but didn't get to play due to injuries on both of his feet. Although he is ineligible for FIBA events, he served as a practice player for Gilas' FIBA tournaments.

Philippine Team Statistics

|- | 8 || 17.25 || .178 || 0.00 || .575 || 3.125 || 2.875 || 0.5 || 0.125 || 5.63

Personal life

Mercado is half-Filipino and half-Puerto Rican, with his mother Rosalie from Pampanga and his father Aaron from Puerto Rico. His father died at age 51 in 2012 due to a heart attack.

Mercado was previously engaged to actress Denise Laurel. However, on October 20, 2016, a day after Ginebra won their first title after 8 years, Laurel announced through her Instagram account that they have ended their relationship.

On September 29, 2021, Mercado and beauty queen Sandra Lemonon announced on their respective Instagram accounts that they are in a relationship. They got engaged the following year and welcomed their first son Zaiah Rafael that year as well. In 2024, they married in Bali, Indonesia.

In 2023, Mercado, along with Norwood, Devance, and Dillinger, launched a podcast known as "Let It Fly".

References

References

1. Ramos, Gerry. (February 22, 2017). "Journeyman Sol Mercado is finally 'home' as he reunites with Cone at Ginebra".
2. (October 7, 2008). "Hot Mercado dishes out best rookie debut".
3. (June 15, 2009). "Ginebra hopes for a healthy Helterbrand".
4. Joble, Rey. (October 4, 2010). "PBA top rookie picks: The good, the bad and the outstanding (last part)".
5. (January 23, 2010). "Alaska finally gets it done on Miller Time".
6. HALILI, MICO. (January 28, 2010). "The Final Score: Runaway 'Sol Train'".
7. (July 6, 2010). "Sol stays as stricken father improves".
8. (January 22, 2011). "Sol Mercado, Jay-R Reyes tanggap na ang paglipat sa ibang PBA teams".
9. Castillo, Grace B.. (May 24, 2012). "Caguioa returns to spark Ginebra past Air21".
10. (November 23, 2012). "Power back as Meralco edges out Globaport".
11. (December 14, 2012). "Abueva and Baguio simply unstoppable as red-hot Alaska sends Meralco packing".
12. (January 31, 2013). "Ginebra is 'biggest loser' as Globalport gets Aguilar, Mercado in blockbuster deals".
13. Mangonon III, Fidel. (January 30, 2013). "Mercado set to become first scoring and assists leader to be traded away".
14. (February 20, 2013). "Talk 'N Text's defense exposes Globalport shortcomings".
15. (March 30, 2013). "Mercado to sit out remaining games".
16. (September 11, 2013). "Sol Mercado lets game do the talking as he leads brave Globaport fightback".
17. (September 27, 2013). "Upbeat Sol Mercado keen to build on great Globalport gains next season".
18. (November 23, 2013). "Terrence Romeo grateful for confidence given him by 'mentor' Mercado".
19. (December 6, 2013). "GlobalPort ends skid as Mercado proves thorn in side of former team Meralco".
20. (January 5, 2014). "Injury-hit Mercado says it's not too late for GlobalPort to get its act together".
21. Badua, Snow. (February 17, 2014). "Petron/San Miguel set to trade Alex Cabagnot to GlobalPort for Sol Mercado". Spin.ph.
22. (August 10, 2014). "Sol Mercado puts in offseason work in US as he vows to atone for dismal season with San Miguel Beer".
23. (December 10, 2014). "PBA scraps SMB-Barako Bull trade; new deal sees Cabagnot's Beermen return, Mercado joining GlobalPort". Spin.ph.
24. Dy, Adrian. (December 10, 2014). "Sol Mercado compares San Miguel Beer trade to someone going back to a bad ex-girlfriend - SLAMonline Philippines".
25. (December 12, 2014). "SOL SEARCHING: Awkward moment as Mercado struggles to find place on return to GlobalPort".
26. Badua, Snow. (January 8, 2015). "PBA approves Sol Mercado move from GlobalPort to Barako Bull in swap for Denok Miranda". Spin.ph.
27. (January 28, 2015). "Sol Mercado sizzles in debut as Barako Bull rips import-less Blackwater".
28. (May 4, 2015). "Barangay Ginebra acquires Sol Mercado, sends Joseph Yeo to Barako Bull". InterAksyon.com.
29. (May 8, 2015). "Alaska overcomes 50-point debut from Ginebra's Orlando Johnson, holds off Kings comeback for second win {{!}} InterAksyon.com {{!}} Sports5".
30. (May 23, 2015). "LA Tenorio says win over Rain or Shine a big confidence builder for Ginebra".
31. Sacamos, Karlo. (June 17, 2015). "Backed against wall, Ginebra responds with emphatic win over Barako Bull".
32. (April 16, 2016). "Alaska Aces still the new comeback kings, but Ginebra will have its time - SLAMonline Philippines". SLAMonline Philippines.
33. (August 9, 2015). "Cone era at Ginebra represents Sol Mercado's best shot at elusive PBA title, says pal Norwood".
34. Ramos, Gerry. (December 25, 2015). "Sol Mercado left in disbelief after missing wide-open layup, but quick to atone".
35. (February 16, 2016). "Mercado, Slaughter says Ginebra has to be more consistent on defense".
36. Gonzales, J. C.. (July 24, 2016). "Henton, Alaska shrug off Ginebra in Sunday overtime thriller".
37. Sacamos, Karlo. (July 30, 2016). "Sol Mercado leads late charge as Ginebra remains king of the road with rout of Meralco in Lucena".
38. Ballesteros, Jan. (August 22, 2016). "Versatile veteran Sol Mercado continues to earn praise from Tim Cone".
39. Gonzales, J. C.. (September 23, 2016). "Ginebra takes down Alaska to advance to semis".
40. Sacamos, Karlo. (September 26, 2016). "Sol Mercado, Justin Brownlee spark Ginebra comeback against SMB in Game One".
41. Gonzales, J. C.. (October 4, 2016). "Ginebra marches onto the finals".
42. Ramos, Gerry. (October 6, 2016). "Nothing personal as Ginebra sparkplug Sol Mercado goes up against former team".
43. Karlo, Sacamos. (October 9, 2016). "More than game-winner, Sol Mercado prouder of defensive job on Allen Durham".
44. Karlo, Sacamos. (October 13, 2016). "Sol Mercado hopes to stay away from foul trouble as Ginebra recommits to defense".
45. Sacamos, Karlo. (October 26, 2016). "Sol Mercado ends own eight-year search for PBA title - and finds a 'home' at Ginebra".
46. Bacnis, Justine. (January 8, 2017). "San Miguel escapes rivals Ginebra in heavyweight clash".
47. Bacnis, Justine. (February 6, 2017). "Game 2 will be an all-out war says Sol Mercado".
48. Sacamos, Karlo. (February 11, 2017). "Sol Mercado takes solace in close losses to Star despite Ginebra not playing at its best".
49. Sacamos, Karlo. (February 13, 2017). "Sol Mercado deflects credit to team defense, fans' prayers—including ex-fiancée Denise Laurel's mom".
50. Ramos, Gerry. (February 15, 2017). "Sol Mercado tells 'special player' Jio Jalalon he doesn't need to resort to 'little antics'".
51. "Sol mercado PBA press corps player of the week".
52. Li, Matthew. (February 21, 2017). "Mercado grateful for Cone's trust".
53. Ramos, Gerry. (March 10, 2017). "Sol Mercado expects Ginebra to emerge a better team after PBA Finals heartbreak".
54. Li, Matthew. (April 28, 2017). "Ahanmisi repeats as Cloudfone Obstacle king".
55. Bacnis, Justine. (October 8, 2017). "Justin Brownlee fires 46 as Ginebra sets Finals rematch with Meralco".
56. Lozada, Mei-Lin. (October 20, 2017). "Sol Mercado in doubt after paying high price for brave chasedown block on Dillinger".
57. Dioquino, Delfin. (October 27, 2017). "Ginebra prevails in Game 7 to win second straight Govs' Cup title".
58. Bacnis, Justine. (March 7, 2018). "Sol Mercado was Ginebra's unsung hero, shares Tim Cone".
59. Bacnis, Justine. (March 17, 2018). "San Miguel survives Japeth Aguilar's 34, Scottie Thompson's triple-double to advance to Finals".
60. Bacnis, Justine. (2018-06-17). "Sol Mercado hopes rib injury won't be something threatening".
61. Starridge, C. A.. (2018-10-28). "Sol Mercado, Greg Slaughter make timely Ginebra returns".
62. Bacnis, Justine. (April 3, 2019). "Robert Bolick, NorthPort edge Ginebra, avoid playoff complications".
63. Marquez, CJ. (April 10, 2019). "PBA: Magnolia prevails in Manila Clasico series, advances to semis".
64. Bacnis, Justine. (May 26, 2019). "Sol Mercado discloses Tim Cone's passionate halftime pep talk".
65. Bacnis, Justine. (June 16, 2019). "Ginebra survives San Miguel in OT, earns 1,000th franchise win".
66. Leongson, Randolph B.. (June 18, 2019). "Stanley Pringle traded to Ginebra for Mercado, Cruz, Ferrer".
67. Bacnis, Justine. (June 22, 2019). "Kevin Ferrer shines in reunion with Jarencio as NorthPort thrashes import-less Blackwater".
68. Bacnis, Justine. (July 12, 2019). "Bolick hits game-winner as NorthPort sinks Meralco to remain in hunt for top seed".
69. Terrado, Reuben. (December 14, 2019). "Sol Mercado braces for Ginebra comeback after tormenting former team".
70. Bacnis, Justine. (December 16, 2019). "LA Tenorio hopes for the best as pal Sol Mercado twists ankle".
71. Terrado, Reuben. (December 18, 2019). "Helpless Sol Mercado out for rest of semis due to ankle sprain".
72. Terrado, Reuben. (January 20, 2020). "Trade approved: Sol Mercado set to join Phoenix as Northport acquires Revilla, Guevarra".
73. Bacnis, Justine. (September 25, 2020). "Sol Mercado remains in free agents list as PBA closes signing period".
74. {{usurped
75. [https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Solomon-Mercado/Summary/40311#International] Real GM!
76. (December 29, 2012). "Ineligible to play for Gilas, Sol Mercado reveals interest from Puerto Rico".
77. (September 30, 2010). "Mercado impresses Smart Gilas 5 coach".
78. (November 21, 2010). "Mercado, Aguilar, 'di na maasahan ng Team Phl sa Asiad".
79. (February 8, 2013). "Ineligible Mercado willing to serve as practice player in Gilas buildup".
80. "2013 William Jones Cup Games Schedule and Results".
81. Henson, Joaquin M.. (October 23, 2016). "No more monkey on Sol's back".
82. Umbao, Ed. (October 18, 2013). "Sol Mercado Opens Up Engagement with Denise Laurel". PhilNews.ph.
83. (October 20, 2016). "Actress Denise Laurel, PBA player fiancé Sol Mercado break up". Inquirer.net.
84. Franco, Bernie V.. (September 29, 2021). "Sandra Lemonon confirms relationship with basketball player Sol Mercado".
85. (July 5, 2022). "Sandra Lemonon gives birth to first child with Sol Mercado".
86. Escuadro, Kiko. (September 10, 2024). "Sol Mercado ties the knot with Sandra Lemonon in Bali".
87. Maningat, Raul. (July 9, 2023). "Sol Mercado, Gabe Norwood reunite with other Fil-Am PBA legends in Las Vegas".