Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Arvin Tolentino
ANTIPOLO CITY — Arvin Tolentino claimed his first-ever PBA Best Player of the Conference (BPC) award following a stellar campaign in the Commissioner’s Cup, where he led NorthPort to its third semifinal appearance in franchise history as the top seed entering the playoffs.
The 29-year-old forward earned a total of 1,077 points to edge out contenders Calvin Oftana (777 points) and 11-time BPC winner June Mar Fajardo (600 points) for the coveted honor.
Tolentino shared the spotlight on Friday night with TNT import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who bagged the ArenaPlus Best Import of the Conference award for the third time. Hollis-Jefferson’s dominant showing netted him 1,280 points—well ahead of NorthPort’s Kadeem Jack, who tallied 825.
Both awardees were recognized in a pre-game ceremony held at the Ynares Center ahead of Game 4 of the PBA Finals between Barangay Ginebra and TNT. They were joined by Commissioner Willie Marcial, PBA Board Vice Chairman Alfrancis Chua, and team governors Ronald Dulatre (NLEX), Eric Arejola (NorthPort), and Robert Non (San Miguel).
“Mataas akong mangarap, and I really want to be the best. And to be the best, ikaw yung pinaka-worthy,” said Tolentino, who returned to Manila from a family vacation in Boracay just to receive his award in person.
“Siyempre babalik ako. Best Player of the Conference, e. So I have to be there.”
Tolentino becomes only the second NorthPort player to receive the BPC award, following Christian Standhardinger’s win in the 2019 Governors’ Cup.
Statistically, Tolentino ranked third with 454 points, trailing Fajardo (525) and Robert Bolick (464). He also placed third in players’ votes with 54 points, behind Oftana (98) and Bolick (62). However, his overwhelming support from media—garnering 564 points—secured him the top spot, with Oftana receiving 230.
Bolick ended up fourth in the overall BPC tally with 540 points, while Converge rookie Jordan Heading rounded out the top five with 419.
As for Hollis-Jefferson, the former NBA forward once again proved his value to TNT, dominating in all areas of the Best Import race—leading in statistical points (615), media votes (532), and players’ votes (133). He previously won the same award in the Governors’ Cup, where he also led the Tropang Giga to a championship.
His back-to-back wins make him the first import since the legendary Bobby Parks (1990, for Shell) and Billy Ray Bates (1983, for Crispa) to earn the honor in two consecutive conferences in a single season. Parks, after whom the award is named, won it a record seven times.
Barangay Ginebra’s Justin Brownlee, a three-time Best Import winner, finished third with 670 points, while Rain or Shine’s Deon Thompson was fourth with 633.
