The PBA unveils their new logo during the opening ceremonies on February 28. The logo was chosen from more than 2000 entries in a nationwide contest held on January, following the theme "It's more than just basketball". The winning logo design was created by a professional graphic designer from Manila, Oscar de Castro (www.oscardecastro.ca) who is now based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.[1]
The league changes their playdates from Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays to Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The move of their second weekly playdate from Thursday to Friday is to attract weekend crowds.
Sta. Lucia Realtors made its debut in the league, parading top draft pick Zandro "Jun" Limpot and former players from the Presto franchise led by Vergel Meneses.[2]
Benjie Paras was unable to come in terms with his team Shell Rimula X at the start of the season as he declared that he wanted to be traded to Ginebra San Miguel, he was not able to play in the All-Filipino Conference. A settlement was reached before the start of the Second Conference.
The All-Filipino Cup became the opening conference of the season, Coney Island Ice Cream Stars (formerly Purefoods TJ Hotdogs) defeated the San Miguel Beermen for the title. Coney Island coach Vincent "Chot" Reyes made history as the first coach to claim a PBA crown in his maiden season with the team.
The Second Conference was renamed Commissioner's Cup, corporate rivals Purefoods and Swift Mighty Meaties faced off for the second time in the finals with Swift snagging their second championship behind the exploits of best import Ronnie Thompkins. The said conference was also full of blockbuster trades that saw several players traded to other teams.
The Third Conference was named after the PBA Board of Governors and was called Governor's Cup. The San Miguel Beermen surpassed the defunct Toyota ballclub as the second winningest team, capturing their 10th title by defeating Swift Mighty Meaties, who were led by the returning high-scoring import Tony Harris.[3]
Purefoods forward Alvin Patrimonio won his second Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in three years in a hotly-contested race between him and teammate Jerry Codiñera for the coveted award.[4]
Opening ceremonies
The muses for the participating teams are as follows:
^If a team outside the top two teams wins at least five semifinal round games, then it and the second-placed team will playoff for the last finals berth; otherwise, the top 2 teams qualify outright.
^ abSecond seed playoff: Swift 124–122 Pepsi (2OT)
