2003 PBA season

2003 PBA season
Duration	February 23, 2003 – December 14, 2003
Number of teams	10
TV partner(s)	NBN, IBC
Draft
Top draft pick	Mike Cortez
Picked by	Alaska Aces
Conferences
All-Filipino Cup champions	Talk 'N Text Phone Pals
Runners-up	Coca Cola Tigers
Invitational Cup champions	Alaska Aces
Runners-up	Coca Cola Tigers
Reinforced Conference champions	Coca-Cola Tigers
Runners-up	San Miguel Beermen
Awards
Season MVP	Asi Taulava
Seasons
< 2002 2004-05  >

The 2003 PBA Season was the 29th season of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

Opening ceremonies

The muses for the participating teams are as follows:

Team	Muse
Alaska Aces	Michelle Quizon
Batang Red Bull Thunder	Four Binibining Pilipinas-Miss World
Barangay Ginebra Kings	Aubrey Miles
Coca-Cola Tigers	Zorayda Ruth Andam
FedEx Express	Sandra Seifert
Purefoods TJ Hotdogs	Maxene Magalona
San Miguel Beermen	Apreal Tolentino
Shell Turbo Chargers	Phoemela Baranda
Sta. Lucia Realtors	Cindy Kurleto
Talk 'N Text Phone Pals	Mika Lim

Board of governors

Executive committee

• Jose Emmanuel Eala (Commissioner)
• Casiano Cabalan Jr. (Chairman, Barangay Ginebra Kings)
• Manuel Encarnado (Vice-Chairman, Sta. Lucia Realtors)
• Angelito Alvarez (Treasurer, FedEx Express)

Teams

Team	Company	Governor	Alternate Governor
Alaska Aces	Alaska Milk Corporation	Wilfred Steven Uytengsu	Joaquin Trillo
Barangay Ginebra Kings	Ginebra San Miguel, Inc.	Casiano Cabalan Jr.	Ira Daniel Maniquis
Coca Cola Tigers	Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Inc.	Jessie Macias
FedEx Express	Airfrieght 2100, Inc.	Alberto Lina	Angelito Alvarez
Purefoods TJ Hotdogs	Purefoods Corporation	Francisco Alejo III	Rene Pardo
Red Bull Thunder	Photokina Marketing Corporation	George Chua	Manuel Mendoza
Sta. Lucia Realtors	Sta. Lucia Realty and Development Corporation	Manuel Encarnado	Ariel Magno
San Miguel Beermen	San Miguel Brewery, Inc.	Alberto Malapit	Eliezer Capacio
Shell Turbo Chargers	Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation	Roberto Kanapi
Talk 'N Text Phone Pals	Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company	Victorino Vargas	Al Panlilio

Notable occurrences

• The NBN/IBC consortium took over the league's TV coverage after winning the TV rights over the league's longtime TV partner Vintage Television in December 2002.^[1]
• Noli Eala became the league's sixth commissioner after Jun Bernardino retired at the end of the 2002 season.
• The league reintroduced the Invitational Championship and the Reinforced Conference.
• The league reverted their rules of playing 12-minute quarters and the use of the 6.75 m (22.1 feet) three point line. The eight-second backcourt rule was retained. In 2002, the league adopted all of the FIBA basketball rules to prepare the players that will play for the Asian Games in Busan.^[2]
• The league's greatest rivalry; the Crispa Redmanizers and Toyota Tamaraws clash in a reunion game coinciding the league's All-Star Weekend at the Araneta Coliseum. ^[3] The Toyota Tamaraws won, 65-61.
• The NBN/IBC consortium and the PBA contested the placement of logos of Beam Toothpaste at the Araneta Coliseum's basketball flooring. The advertisement placements were done between the Araneta Coliseum and Nelson Macaraig's Jonels Promotion.^[4] A same agreement was done by Jonels Promotion for the PhilSports Arena weeks after.^[5] The league considered this as "backdoor advertising" as Macaraig did not enter an agreement with the PBA to put Beam's logos in the league's main playing venues and threatened the management of both venues that they will not hold their games at Araneta Coliseum and PhilSports Arena unless both will remove the Beam Toothpaste advertisements.^[6]
• An estafa case was filed against Nelson Macaraig and Jonels Promotion after Macaraig issued a bounced check for P5 million for payment for the Beam Toothpaste advertisements at the Araneta Coliseum and PhilSports Arena.^[7]
• Commissioner Noli Eala sanctioned the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals with a P250,000 fine, for shooting at their opponent's basket at the closing seconds of their match against Red Bull Barako on August 13, 2003. Talk 'N Text was leading with one point 88-87 and wanted to force the game to overtime since Talk 'N Text needed to win at least eight points to enter the playoffs. Talk 'N Text coach Ariel Vanguardia was separately fined with P50,000 and suspended for five games.^[8]
• A random drug testing was initiated by the league and two players were suspended for testing positive in illegal substance: Alex Crisano of the Barangay Ginebra Kings and Jimwell Torion of Red Bull Barako.^[9]

Champions

• All-Filipino Conference: Talk 'N Text Phone Pals
• Invitational Championship: Alaska Aces
• Reinforced Conference: Coca-Cola Tigers

Individual awards

• Most Valuable Player: Asi Taulava (Talk 'N Text) ^[10]
• Rookie of the Year: Jimmy Alapag (Talk 'N Text)
• Sportsmanship Award: Patrick Fran
• Most Improved Player: Rafi Reavis (Coca-Cola)
• Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Hatfield (Coca-Cola)
• Mythical Five
  • Asi Taulava (Talk 'N Text)
  • Jimmy Alapag (Talk 'N Text)
  • Jeffrey Cariaso (Coca-Cola)
  • Rudy Hatfield (Coca-Cola)
  • Dennis Espino (Sta. Lucia)
• Mythical Second Team
  • Johnny Abarrientos (Coca-Cola)
  • Harvey Carey (Talk 'N Text)
  • Marlou Aquino (Sta. Lucia)
  • John Arigo (Alaska)
  • Don Allado (Alaska)
• All Defensive Team
  • Asi Taulava (Talk 'N Text)
  • Rudy Hatfield (Coca-Cola)
  • Marlou Aquino (Sta. Lucia)
  • Patrick Fran (Talk 'N Text)
  • Willie Miller (Red Bull)
• Gawad Emerson Coseteng Lifetime Achievement Award: Leo Prieto

Awards given by PBA Press Corps

• Coach of the Year: Chot Reyes (Coca-Cola)
• Mr. Quality Minutes: Renren Ritualo (Fedex)
• Referee of the Year: Ogie Bernarte
• Darling of the Media: Asi Taulava (Talk 'N Text)

References

1. Board, NBN/IBC seal TV deal, Nelson Beltran, The Philippine Star, January 17, 2003
2. Zone, 12-minute quarter mulled, Nelson Beltran, The Philippine Star, January 8, 2003
3. Crispa, Toyota clash for old times' sake, Philippine Daily Inquirer
4. NBN - 4 protests Big Dome deal, Nelson Beltran, The Philippine Star, February 20, 2003
5. PBA to go after PSC, too, Nelson Beltran, The Philippine Star, July 17 2003
6. PBA moving out of Big Dome?, Nelson Beltran, The Philippine Star, March 28, 2003
7. PBA to file estafa raps for bouncing check, Nelson Beltran, The Philippine Star, July 23, 2003
8. Farce costs Pals P.3M in fines, suspension, Nelson Beltran, The Philippine Star, August 16, 2003
9. Drugs, TV woes hound PBA, Nelson Beltran, The Philippine Star, May 1, 2003
10. Asi is PBA's best for 2003, Philippine Daily Inquirer