Season Highlights

• The PBA Rookie draft, was aired on TV lived for the first time in league history.
• Opening Game on February 17th saw a vastly-improved Pepsi Hotshots bow to Shell in overtime, 120-113. In the nightcap, Purefoods waylaid a crippled San Miguel Beer team, 116-111.
• March 17: Richard Hollis of Purefoods converted on a follow-up shot as the game clock expired, Purefoods won over Shell, 124-123. The game was immediately placed under protest, the following day, a replay was ordered. the PBA, acting on the protest filed by Shell, discovered a malfunction on the game clock and the buzzer at the ULTRA.
• April 9: In a replay of the controversial Shell-Purefoods game, Shell won convincingly, 114-102. This was Joe Cantada's farewell performance. After a decade of covering the PBA games, Smokin' Joe bade goodbye unexpectedly because of health problems. This resulted in a bum stomach that rushed him in Makati Medical Center later that day.
• April 21: An era in Philippine Basketball ended when Virgilio "Baby" Dalupan resigned as head tactician of Purefoods Hotdogs. Dalupan cited his difference with management as the reason for his resignation.
• April 21: Ginebra came back from 19 points down in the fourth quarter, trailing 117-124, a decisive 9-1 salvo in the last 32 seconds enable the Gins to turn back the tide versus Diet Sarsi sizzlers. The game became one of the greatest comebacks in PBA history.
• May 19: Ginebra make another history in the PBA record books as the first ever team to come back in a 3-1 series deficit to beat Shell Rimula-X in game 7 of the best-of-7 1st conference championship showdown. Rudy Distrito made a difficult baseline fadeaway shot against Martin & Paras with one second remaining to give Ginebra their third PBA title.
• The PBA took a break on November 24-December 5, before the Third Conference Finals, with the staging of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games here in Manila, and in support of our Philippine National Basketball team campaigning for the Cage Gold it lost to Malaysia two years ago in Kuala Lumpur and reclaim basketball supremacy in Southeast Asia.

Champions

• First Conference: Ginebra San Miguel
  Ginebra San Miguel
  Ginebra San Miguel, Inc. is a Philippines-based diversified alcoholic beverage company owned by San Miguel Corporation, then called La Tondeña Distillers, Inc. from 1987 to 2003. Founded originally by the late Carlos Palanca, Sr. as La Tondeña, Inc...
  
  
• All-Filipino Conference: Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs
• Third Conference: Alaska Milkmen

• Team with best win-loss percentage: Alaska (31-25, .554)

Individual awards

• Most Valuable Player
  Philippine Basketball Association Most Valuable Player award
  The Philippine Basketball Association awards the Most Valuable Player award at the end of the season. The winner is selected via votes from the press, players, coaches and top PBA officials....
  
  : Alvin Patrimonio
  Alvin Patrimonio
  Alvin Vergara Patrimonio , nicknamed "The Captain" and "Captain Lionheart" is a retired Filipino professional basketball player from the Philippine Basketball Association and is the current team manager of his former team, the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants.Patrimonio holds several PBA records...
  
   (Purefoods)
• Rookie of the Year
  Philippine Basketball Association Rookie of the Year award
  -List of awardees:...
  
  : Eugene Quilban (Alaska)
• Most Improved Player: Ato Agustin
  Ato Agustin
  Renato Agustin , better known as Ato "The Atom Bomb" Agustin, is a former Filipino professional basketball player. He played college ball for the Lyceum of the Philippines, before moving on to play professional basketball in the Philippine Basketball Association.Agustin is a former Most Valuable...
  
   (San Miguel)
• Mythical Five:
  • Jojo Lastimosa
    Jojo Lastimosa
    Isabelo Lastimosa, Jr. , better known as Jojo Lastimosa and by his nickname "Jolas", is a former Filipino professional basketball player from Cagayan de Oro City who played in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Purefoods TJ Hotdogs, the Alaska Aces and the Pop Cola Panthers from 1988-2003...
    
     (Alaska)
  • Allan Caidic
    Allan Caidic
    Alan Vito Flores Caidic is a retired professional basketball player from the Philippines and is currently an assistant coach of the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the PBA...
    
     (Presto Tivoli)
  • Ramon Fernandez
    Ramón Fernández
    Ramon S. Fernandez is generally regarded as the greatest basketball player produced by the Philippine Basketball Association. Fernandez won four Most Valuable Player awards and a record of 19 PBA championships bagged...
    
     (San Miguel)
  • Alvin Patrimonio
    Alvin Patrimonio
    Alvin Vergara Patrimonio , nicknamed "The Captain" and "Captain Lionheart" is a retired Filipino professional basketball player from the Philippine Basketball Association and is the current team manager of his former team, the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants.Patrimonio holds several PBA records...
    
     (Purefoods)
  • Benjie Paras
    Benjie Paras
    Venancio Johnson Paras, Jr. , better known as Benjie Paras, is a Filipino professional basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association turned actor. He is the only PBA player to win both Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player honors, in a single season...
    
     (Shell)

• Mythical Second Team:
  • Ronnie Magsanoc
    Ronnie Magsanoc
    Ronald "Ronnie" Magsanoc is a former Filipino professional basketball point guard. He was the former assistant coach of the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants and a color commentator for the television coverage of the Philippine Basketball Association...
    
     (Shell)
  • Ato Agustin
    Ato Agustin
    Renato Agustin , better known as Ato "The Atom Bomb" Agustin, is a former Filipino professional basketball player. He played college ball for the Lyceum of the Philippines, before moving on to play professional basketball in the Philippine Basketball Association.Agustin is a former Most Valuable...
    
     (San Miguel)
  • Jerry Codiñera
    Jerry Codiñera
    Jerry Codiñera is a retired professional basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association. He is nicknamed the "Defense Minister" for his prowess at the defensive end. He is also a member of the 25 Best Players of all Time of PBA and Philippine men's national basketball team of the 1994...
    
     (Purefoods)
  • Alvin Teng (San Miguel)
  • Yoyoy Villamin (Sarsi)

• All-Defensive Team:
  • Jerry Codiñera
    Jerry Codiñera
    Jerry Codiñera is a retired professional basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association. He is nicknamed the "Defense Minister" for his prowess at the defensive end. He is also a member of the 25 Best Players of all Time of PBA and Philippine men's national basketball team of the 1994...
    
     (Purefoods)
  • Glenn Capacio (Purefoods)
  • Alvin Teng (San Miguel)
  • Biboy Ravanes (Alaska)
  • Chito Loyzaga
    Chito Loyzaga
    Joaquin C. Loyzaga is a former Filipino basketball player. He played college ball for San Beda College before eventually going on to play professional basketball in the Philippine Basketball Association, where he became a many-time member of the All-Defensive team. Loyzaga played for Tanduay,...
    
    (Ginebra)