Johnny Abarrientos
Encyclopedia
Johnny Abarrientos is a retired Filipino
professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association
. He was also a many-time member of the Philippine National team, and was the 1996 PBA MVP, becoming the shortest player to win the league's highest individual award.
He is known by many as The Flying A when he started playing for the Alaska Milkmen
in 1993.
Tamaraws
alongside future pro Victor Pablo and led the Tamaraws to two UAAP crowns in 1991 and 1992. His jersey #14 was retired by FEU
in July 6, 2011.
He also played in the Philippine Basketball League
for the Crispa Redmanizers
and Triple-V before jumping ship to the PBA.
and showed impressive performances in his rookie season. In his second season, he was included in the RP National team bound for the 1994 Asian Games
held in Hiroshima, Japan.
From 1994-1998, Abarrientos led Alaska to eight PBA titles, including the grand slam winning 1996 season. He was named as the Most Valuable Player during the same season and the Best Player of the Conference in the Commissioner's Cup.
In 1997, talks of Abarrientos' potential participation in the NBA came, when Charlotte Hornets
scout Joe Bettancourt offered Abarrientos a contract to participate in the Hornets' pre-season camp. Abarrientos, though, declined the offer to concentrate on his pro career in the PBA. In 1997 Abarrientos average a career high 16.7 Points and a league leading 8.6 assists per game.
In 1998, Abarrientos was included in the Philippine Centennial Team
, coached by his Alaska mentor Tim Cone
. With him, Alvin Patrimonio
and fellow Alaska teammates Kenneth Duremdes
, Bong Hawkins
and Jojo Lastimosa
, the Nationals took home the bronze medal in the Bangkok Asian Games.
Two years later, Abarrientos was named in the PBA's 25 Greatest Players of All-Time as part of the league's anniversary on April 9, 2000. During the same year, Abarrientos' career started to diminish despite the Aces winning the All-Filipino crown. After the season, Abarrientos and Poch Juinio
were swapped to the Pop Cola Panthers
for Ali Peek
and Jon Ordonio.
and former Alaska teammates Lastimosa and Juinio around, they led Pop Cola to a third-place finish in the All-Filipino Cup. After the year, Pop Cola was bought by the San Miguel Corporation
and was renamed as the Coca-Cola Tigers
.
In 2003, Abarrientos and his team led the Tigers to the 2003 Reinforced Conference title. By the 2004-2005 season, injuries and decline have hampered Abarrientos and saw his minutes diminished. In the 2005-2006 season, Abarrientos shared point guard duties with fellow alumnus, rookie Dennis Miranda
and Dale Singson
.
released Abarrientos. Rumors persisted that his former team Alaska and Ginebra were interested in acquiring him. Five days after his release, Abarrientos was signed by Coke's sister team Ginebra to a contract for the 2006-07 season after none of the non-SMC teams showed interest in signing the former 1996 MVP.
He played reserve role to lead point guard and 2009 Most Valuable Player Jayjay Helterbrand
as his court generalship gave additional factor in the Kings' line-up. The Flying A made a memorable moment when he surpassed Ramon Fernandez
as the all-time leader in steals on February 5, 2007 as Ginebra defeated the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals and won their semis matchup, 4-2. Ginebra would go on to win the 2006-07 Philippine Cup against San Miguel, 4-2, with Abarrientos hitting a three-pointer in a crucial stretch of the final game.
Afterwards, Abarrientos went into semi-retirement, serving in the coaching staff of Ginebra. He returned to active play in the 2008–09 PBA Philippine Cup
.
Before the 2009-2010 PBA season started, he announced his retirement, ending his very successful 16 years in the PBA. But, during the KFC Philippine Cup 2009-10 of the PBA, when Celino Cruz
, Jayjay Helterbrand
and Mark Caguioa
got injured, Head Coach Jong Uichico brought back Abarientos to the active roster as point guard.
, he was invited by Alaska management for the Alaska 25th Anniversary Reunion as a result of their triumphant title conquest in the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference against the San Miguel Beermen
. In that occasion, Alaska management decided to retire his #14 jersey because of his valuable contributions to the team including his 1996 Grand Slam conquest and his MVP award during that same year.
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association
Philippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...
. He was also a many-time member of the Philippine National team, and was the 1996 PBA MVP, becoming the shortest player to win the league's highest individual award.
He is known by many as The Flying A when he started playing for the Alaska Milkmen
Alaska Aces (PBA)
The Alaska Aces is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association since 1986 under the ownership of the Alaska Milk Corporation and the owner of 13 PBA championships with the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference as their latest...
in 1993.
Amateur career
Abarrientos began his basketball career in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines for the Far Eastern UniversityFar Eastern University
Far Eastern University in the University Belt area, West Sampaloc, City of Manila, is a nonsectarian, private university in the Philippines. Created by the merger of Far Eastern College and the Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance, FEU became a university in 1934 under the guidance of...
Tamaraws
FEU Tamaraws
The FEU Tamaraws is the collegiate men's varsity team of Far Eastern University in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines...
alongside future pro Victor Pablo and led the Tamaraws to two UAAP crowns in 1991 and 1992. His jersey #14 was retired by FEU
Far Eastern University
Far Eastern University in the University Belt area, West Sampaloc, City of Manila, is a nonsectarian, private university in the Philippines. Created by the merger of Far Eastern College and the Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance, FEU became a university in 1934 under the guidance of...
in July 6, 2011.
He also played in the Philippine Basketball League
Philippine Basketball League
The Philippine Basketball League is a commercial semi-professional basketball league in the Philippines. The league is composed of several commercial teams with several collegiate and provincial stars.-History:...
for the Crispa Redmanizers
Crispa Redmanizers
The Crispa Redmanizers was a basketball team in the Manila Industrial Commercial Athletic Association , the Philippine Basketball Association and the Philippine Amateur Basketball League from the 1960s to the early 1990s.- Profile and history :...
and Triple-V before jumping ship to the PBA.
Alaska Aces
In 1993, Alaska selected Abarrientos 3rd overall in the 1993 PBA Draft1993 PBA Draft
The 1993 Philippine Basketball Association Rookie Draft is an event which will allows teams to draft players from the amateur ranks. It was held on January 17, 1993 at the Rigodon Ballroom of the Manila Peninsula.-Round 1:-Round 2:-Round 3:...
and showed impressive performances in his rookie season. In his second season, he was included in the RP National team bound for the 1994 Asian Games
1994 Asian Games
The 1994 Asian Games also known as XII Asiad were held from October 2 to October 16, 1994 in Hiroshima, Japan. The main theme of this edition was to promote peace and harmony among Asian nations. It was emphasized by the host because the venue was the site of the first atomic bomb attack in...
held in Hiroshima, Japan.
From 1994-1998, Abarrientos led Alaska to eight PBA titles, including the grand slam winning 1996 season. He was named as the Most Valuable Player during the same season and the Best Player of the Conference in the Commissioner's Cup.
In 1997, talks of Abarrientos' potential participation in the NBA came, when Charlotte Hornets
New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets
The New Orleans Hornets are a professional basketball team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They play in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association. The franchise began play during the 1988–89 NBA season as the Charlotte Hornets, based in Charlotte,...
scout Joe Bettancourt offered Abarrientos a contract to participate in the Hornets' pre-season camp. Abarrientos, though, declined the offer to concentrate on his pro career in the PBA. In 1997 Abarrientos average a career high 16.7 Points and a league leading 8.6 assists per game.
In 1998, Abarrientos was included in the Philippine Centennial Team
Philippine Centennial Team
The Philippine Centennial Team was the nickname of the Philippine Basketball Association -backed national basketball team in 1998. The team consists of professional players in the country that includes national team veterans Allan Caidic and Alvin Patrimonio, both sharing the distinction of being...
, coached by his Alaska mentor Tim Cone
Tim Cone
Earl Timothy Cone, better known as Tim Cone, is an American head coach of B-Meg Llamados in the Philippine Basketball Association. He is known for leading the Aces to 13 PBA titles in its franchise history while leading the 1996 Milkmen to a rare PBA Grandslam. He also once coached the Philippine...
. With him, 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...
and fellow Alaska teammates Kenneth Duremdes
Kenneth Duremdes
Kenneth Duremdes is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association who currently plays for the Powerade Tigers...
, Bong Hawkins
Bong Hawkins
Rene Hawkins Jr. better known as "Bong Hawkins" is a retired Filipino professional basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association. He is former starting forward for the Alaska Aces and he also played for Tivoli, Sta. Lucia, Tanduay and Coca-Cola.-Tivoli:He was drafted in 1991 by Presto...
and 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...
, the Nationals took home the bronze medal in the Bangkok Asian Games.
Two years later, Abarrientos was named in the PBA's 25 Greatest Players of All-Time as part of the league's anniversary on April 9, 2000. During the same year, Abarrientos' career started to diminish despite the Aces winning the All-Filipino crown. After the season, Abarrientos and Poch Juinio
Poch Juinio
Edward "Poch" Juinio is a former Filipino Professional basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association. He was born on May 23, 1973 at Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines.-Player Profile:...
were swapped to the Pop Cola Panthers
Pop Cola Panthers
The Pop Cola Panthers is a former Philippine Basketball Association team from 1990-2001 under the ownership of Cosmos Bottling Corporation, a subsidiary of RFM Corporation. Cosmos was sold to Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Inc., then-owned by San Miguel Corporation in 2001 which also includes the...
for Ali Peek
Ali Peek
Albert Henry Peek better known as Ali Peek is a Filipino-American professional basketball player who plays for the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in the Philippine Basketball Association. He plays mostly at the Center position, although he is also used as a Power Forward occasionally...
and Jon Ordonio.
Pop Cola Panthers
Abarrientos put on a decent performance in his only season with the Panthers in 2001. With Rudy HatfieldRudy Hatfield
Rudolf Conse Hatfield II , better known as Rudy Hatfield, is a retired American-Filipino professional basketball player who last played for the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association....
and former Alaska teammates Lastimosa and Juinio around, they led Pop Cola to a third-place finish in the All-Filipino Cup. After the year, Pop Cola was bought by the San Miguel Corporation
San Miguel Corporation
Established in 1890 as a brewery, San Miguel Corporation is Southeast Asia's largest publicly listed food, beverage and packaging company with over 17,000 employees in over 100 major facilities throughout the Asia-Pacific....
and was renamed as the Coca-Cola Tigers
Coca-Cola Tigers
The Powerade Tigers is a professional basketball team of the Philippine Basketball Association founded in 2002 when the then-San Miguel Corporation-owned Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines bought the RFM-owned Cosmos Bottling Corporation. In 2006, the Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Company under the Coca-Cola...
.
Coca-Cola Tigers
Prior to joining the Tigers in 2002, Abarrientos was part of the RP Training Pool for the Busan Asian Games but was later cut. He returned later to lead Coca-Cola to a third-place finish in the Governor's Cup. In the All-Filipino, Abarrientos led his team to the finals against Alaska. After he scored 20 points in the first half of Game 1, Abarrientos left the game with an injury and was sidelined for the rest of the series. The Tigers went on the win the crown 3-1 over his former team.In 2003, Abarrientos and his team led the Tigers to the 2003 Reinforced Conference title. By the 2004-2005 season, injuries and decline have hampered Abarrientos and saw his minutes diminished. In the 2005-2006 season, Abarrientos shared point guard duties with fellow alumnus, rookie Dennis Miranda
Dennis Miranda
Dennis Miranda also known as Denok Miranda is a Filipino professional basketball player. He currently plays in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Petron Blaze Boosters...
and Dale Singson
Dale Singson
Ramon "Dale" Singson is a Filipino professional basketball player who last played for the Powerade Tigers in the Philippine Basketball Association. He plays the Point Guard and Shooting Guard positions. He was directly hired by the Shell Turbo Chargers from the MBA in 2000...
.
Barangay Ginebra Kings
Two weeks before the start of the PBA season, the Coca-Cola TigersCoca-Cola Tigers
The Powerade Tigers is a professional basketball team of the Philippine Basketball Association founded in 2002 when the then-San Miguel Corporation-owned Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines bought the RFM-owned Cosmos Bottling Corporation. In 2006, the Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Company under the Coca-Cola...
released Abarrientos. Rumors persisted that his former team Alaska and Ginebra were interested in acquiring him. Five days after his release, Abarrientos was signed by Coke's sister team Ginebra to a contract for the 2006-07 season after none of the non-SMC teams showed interest in signing the former 1996 MVP.
He played reserve role to lead point guard and 2009 Most Valuable Player Jayjay Helterbrand
Jayjay Helterbrand
Anthony Jason James Helterbrand , better known as Jayjay Helterbrand, is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
as his court generalship gave additional factor in the Kings' line-up. The Flying A made a memorable moment when he surpassed 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...
as the all-time leader in steals on February 5, 2007 as Ginebra defeated the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals and won their semis matchup, 4-2. Ginebra would go on to win the 2006-07 Philippine Cup against San Miguel, 4-2, with Abarrientos hitting a three-pointer in a crucial stretch of the final game.
Afterwards, Abarrientos went into semi-retirement, serving in the coaching staff of Ginebra. He returned to active play in the 2008–09 PBA Philippine Cup
2008–09 PBA Philippine Cup
The 2008-09 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup or known as the 2008-09 KFC PBA Philippine Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the first conference of the 2008-09 PBA season. The tournament started on October 4, 2008 and ended on February 11, 2009. The new conference will have games on...
.
Before the 2009-2010 PBA season started, he announced his retirement, ending his very successful 16 years in the PBA. But, during the KFC Philippine Cup 2009-10 of the PBA, when Celino Cruz
Celino Cruz
Celino Cruz is a professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association who currently plays for the Powerade Tigers. He was drafted by the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals nineteenth overall in 2002....
, Jayjay Helterbrand
Jayjay Helterbrand
Anthony Jason James Helterbrand , better known as Jayjay Helterbrand, is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
and Mark Caguioa
Mark Caguioa
Mark Anthony Abaño Caguioa is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association who plays for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
got injured, Head Coach Jong Uichico brought back Abarientos to the active roster as point guard.
Retirement & Coaching
After Abarrientos was elevated as assistant coach of the Barangay Ginebra KingsBarangay Ginebra Kings
The Barangay Ginebra Kings is a professional basketball team of the Philippine Basketball Association founded in 1979 and owned by the Ginebra San Miguel, Inc., a subsidiary of the San Miguel Corporation...
, he was invited by Alaska management for the Alaska 25th Anniversary Reunion as a result of their triumphant title conquest in the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference against the San Miguel Beermen
San Miguel Beermen
The Petron Blaze Boosters is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team has been a member of the league since its inception in 1975 and hold the most PBA titles with 19.The team is owned by the Petron Corporation, a subsidiary of the Philippines' largest food...
. In that occasion, Alaska management decided to retire his #14 jersey because of his valuable contributions to the team including his 1996 Grand Slam conquest and his MVP award during that same year.
Accomplishments
- UAAP Champion
- 1996 PBA MVP
- 12-Time PBA Champion
- Three-Time Member of the RP National Team
- PBA All Time Leaders in Steals (1,302)