The Philippine Basketball Association took a moment to honor excellence beyond the hardcourt, paying tribute to the national men’s baseball team during Game 4 of the Season 50 Philippine Cup Finals at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday night.
At halftime, the league rolled out a center-court recognition for the SEA Games champions, with PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial, treasurer Atty. Raymond Zorrilla, and team governors Robert Non of San Miguel, Jason Webb of Magnolia, and Ronald Dulatre of NLEX personally welcoming and shaking hands with the Filipino ballplayers amid warm applause from the crowd.
Leading the delegation were head coach Orlando Binarao and team captain Romeo “The Assassin” Jasmin Jr., who steered the squad to a historic three-peat in the baseball competition of the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.
The triumph also marked the team’s fourth gold medal in the last five SEA Games editions, cementing its status as a regional powerhouse in the sport.
The recognition underscored the PBA’s continued tradition of celebrating Filipino sporting excellence, using its biggest stage to shine the spotlight on athletes who have brought pride to the country across disciplines.
Asia’s first play-for-pay league has previously extended similar honors to the Gilas Pilipinas men’s and women’s teams, as well as multi-medaled standouts from other sports, including six-time wushu champion Agatha Wong and five-time SEA Games boxing gold medalist Eumir Marcial, reinforcing the league’s role as a unifying platform for Philippine sports achievement.
