2026 PBA Governor's Cup

[blockman]

Definitely a fake news. 

I don't think that's a fake news, it's a news from spin. But sometimes, things can change and negotiations could also happen mid way. There are sources that tell that they might sign him. And it is going to be a real one once he arrives in the country, we'll see.

If that Bol Bol news you’re talking about, I think that’s fake. That post didn’t even come from any official page. It looks more like a Facebook post from some fans just trying to get attention and grow their page. And honestly, it doesn’t even make sense. Why would they sign a new player when they’re still paying Rondae Hollis-Jefferson? That doesn’t sound practical at all.

So for me, that news is probably just clickbait.
Better wait for official announcements before believing stuff like that.

I've based that on Spin. It's a sports article news media but yeah, I think you're right that they've done that on purpose just to clickbait people. I do agree that it's still best to keep RHJ and all of these rumors won't be real unless there's an official announcement. I guess that they have successfully clickbaited me with that Bol Bol or I've become an easy fake news target by Spin article writer whom I know is Snow.

Talking about FIBA, this is not good news. Kai Sotto won’t be able to play this coming Feb 26 based on reports. It would’ve been really exciting if he was there, because our chances would improve a lot against teams with strong big men. Without him, it’s going to be tougher.

I guess Gilas Pilipinas will just have to play with puso, focus on defense, and be smart with their shots, especially from the outside. That’s probably the only way to compete this time.

https://www.spin.ph/basketball/pba/all-pba-players-for-now-in-gilas-first-practice-for-fiba-window-a793-20260215?ref=feed_1_section

Already ruled out of the FIBA window is returning 7-foot-3 center Kai Sotto, who was nonetheless booked to fly home on Sunday after the Koshigaya Alphas' loss to Shibuya
The start of the 10-day grind for Gilas is exactly the time frame Cone asked from the PBA to allow the team to practice for its tough games against Fiba Asia powerhouse squads Australia and New Zealand.

What would be the reason about this? maybe it's related to his recent injury? he's better to be ruled out and take that rest. But sure he's got a huge contribution to Gilas and without him, it'll be harder.

[Japinat]

Original teams Plus imports.. 1 below 6'7 and 1 import with no height limit.
1-2 invited team like the Dragons
1 team as the Gilas

Just saying..

Are you saying multiple imports per team? I think that idea was suggested before by Tab Baldwin, but management didn’t really like it. If I remember correctly, he even got fined for that comment. It’s not a bad idea honestly, but you know how it is, once it goes against the league’s direction, they take it the wrong way. Sometimes good suggestions just get shut down too fast.

PBA's single-import conferences 'a big mistake,' says Tab Baldwin

[Maslate]

now this is funny, admin in this page post a "news" about Howard signing for TNT>
There's not height limit, teams are bringing really big guys, then not sign him since for sure TNT can afford to pay the former NBA superstar.
What do you think guys, is it possible?

[Fredomago]

now this is funny, admin in this page post a "news" about Howard signing for TNT>
There's not height limit, teams are bringing really big guys, then not sign him since for sure TNT can afford to pay the former NBA superstar.
What do you think guys, is it possible?

If TNT will push for it I think they are more than capable to sign him though if that's in their plan right now maybe we hear something from the officials of MVP but till now I haven't got any news about negotiation with this former NBA superstar, it would be a good competition between MVP and SMC if ever Howard will be signed by TNT with how their locals are playing right now, that kind of a big defender inside can help them a lot to win a title.

[Questat]

If TNT will push for it I think they are more than capable to sign him though if that's in their plan right now maybe we hear something from the officials of MVP but till now I haven't got any news about negotiation with this former NBA superstar, it would be a good competition between MVP and SMC if ever Howard will be signed by TNT with how their locals are playing right now, that kind of a big defender inside can help them a lot to win a title.

That will add more excitement to the coming conference. Having Dwight Howard will surely draw a crowd, boost ticket sales, and bring more attention, so it’s really a win-win for everyone. He already played in the Philippines before with Strong Group Athletics and if I’m not mistaken, they even won a championship. So this is not impossible. And with Manny (MVP) involved, money is probably not a problem anyway. 

[mirakal]

now this is funny, admin in this page post a "news" about Howard signing for TNT>

That’s probably just another fake news, but honestly I’d love it to be true, because Dwight Howard is still an exciting player. He can dominate inside, grab rebounds, protect the rim, and that alone can make TNT a strong contender in the next conference.

TNT is a big team anyway, just like San Miguel Beermen, so they can afford expensive imports. And it looks like the league isn’t that strict with salary limits anymore. If this rumor turns out to be real, I think they can really get him for sure.

[bisdak40]

Original teams Plus imports.. 1 below 6'7 and 1 import with no height limit.
1-2 invited team like the Dragons
1 team as the Gilas

Just saying..

Are you saying multiple imports per team? I think that idea was suggested before by Tab Baldwin, but management didn’t really like it. If I remember correctly, he even got fined for that comment. It’s not a bad idea honestly, but you know how it is, once it goes against the league’s direction, they take it the wrong way. Sometimes good suggestions just get shut down too fast.

PBA's single-import conferences 'a big mistake,' says Tab Baldwin

I'm not entirely sure, but I think the PBA once had a two-import system, meaning each team could field two imports in a conference. I haven’t personally seen it, only read about it. The challenge with having two imports is that local players might get fewer minutes, but aside from that drawback, the PBA would be exciting to watch with two imports per team—similar to other Asian leagues like Japan’s B.League, where multiple imports are allowed.

[blockman]

Alright, the rumor about Bol Bol being signed by the TNT is actually not a fake news. It's true, I told you guys. It came from spin's article and it's now in the news.
(LOOK: Bol Bol arrives to play for TNT in PBA Commissioner's Cup)



Source: TnT Tropang 5G FB page.

[Japinat]

Alright, the rumor about Bol Bol being signed by the TNT is actually not a fake news. It's true, I told you guys. It came from spin's article and it's now in the news.
(LOOK: Bol Bol arrives to play for TNT in PBA Commissioner's Cup)

Yeah I saw that news today too and it actually turned out to be true.
At first I thought it was just hype from some content creator trying to monetize the news, but looks like it’s legit.

He’s still kind of new in the NBA and I saw he already earned around $11 million in his NBA career. Now I’m wondering how much TNT Tropang Giga is paying him to play for the team. It can’t be cheap for sure, especially for someone with NBA experience.

[Mr. Magkaisa]

Original teams Plus imports.. 1 below 6'7 and 1 import with no height limit.
1-2 invited team like the Dragons
1 team as the Gilas

Just saying..

Are you saying multiple imports per team? I think that idea was suggested before by Tab Baldwin, but management didn’t really like it. If I remember correctly, he even got fined for that comment. It’s not a bad idea honestly, but you know how it is, once it goes against the league’s direction, they take it the wrong way. Sometimes good suggestions just get shut down too fast.

PBA's single-import conferences 'a big mistake,' says Tab Baldwin

I'm not entirely sure, but I think the PBA once had a two-import system, meaning each team could field two imports in a conference. I haven’t personally seen it, only read about it. The challenge with having two imports is that local players might get fewer minutes, but aside from that drawback, the PBA would be exciting to watch with two imports per team—similar to other Asian leagues like Japan’s B.League, where multiple imports are allowed.

happened before and I still remember the 2 imports of SMB that time, Well only SMB as I am a die hard fan.
Strothers one of the best Import of SMB, a MAinstay like Sean Chambers of Alaska. Another Import is Larry Robinson, One of the best 3 point shooter in Import history and has the record of fathest 3 points made.


tehre was some talks in 2024 about having 2 imports and a guest team. well I hope it will happen soon with A Gilas team entry.
There will be some bad effect as the GINKINGS will have no Headcoach.  Superstar of some team will play for Gilas.

[Russlenat]

He’s still kind of new in the NBA and I saw he already earned around $11 million in his NBA career. Now I’m wondering how much TNT Tropang Giga is paying him to play for the team. It can’t be cheap for sure, especially for someone with NBA experience.

The contract must be big for him to play in the Philippines, no way he comes here for cheap. And I think right now he’s probably the biggest import in the PBA in terms of name and presence. He’s around 7’3”, same height as Kai Sotto, so yeah we already have tall guys here, but having real NBA caliber players is still different.

In the NBA, his record is mostly single-digit averages, so nothing crazy there. But PBA is a different game for sure. Defense, pace, style, it’s not the same. Here, he can easily put up 20 points in this conference if he wants. So let’s see if it’s really worth the hype.

His stats
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bolbo01.html

[Fredomago]

He’s still kind of new in the NBA and I saw he already earned around $11 million in his NBA career. Now I’m wondering how much TNT Tropang Giga is paying him to play for the team. It can’t be cheap for sure, especially for someone with NBA experience.

The contract must be big for him to play in the Philippines, no way he comes here for cheap. And I think right now he’s probably the biggest import in the PBA in terms of name and presence. He’s around 7’3”, same height as Kai Sotto, so yeah we already have tall guys here, but having real NBA caliber players is still different.

In the NBA, his record is mostly single-digit averages, so nothing crazy there. But PBA is a different game for sure. Defense, pace, style, it’s not the same. Here, he can easily put up 20 points in this conference if he wants. So let’s see if it’s really worth the hype.

His stats
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bolbo01.html

I agree to that, he unable to produce numbers as his minutes is limited during his run in NBA but it's not the same, here, he will play more minutes and he will be able to showcase his talents, I also see some post regarding to a possible duo between him and Castro not sure though if this season Castro is already listed to comeback and play.

That's exciting to see knowing the Blurr he can use that advantage throwing ball inside knowing that the height advantages of Bol will be a good go-to-guy for his team.

[Vaculin]

That's exciting to see knowing the Blurr he can use that advantage throwing ball inside knowing that the height advantages of Bol will be a good go-to-guy for his team.

Is Jason Castro able to play already. He’s been out for like a year because of injury, and I haven’t really seen any news that he’s 100% healthy and back.

But if he can play, that would be a big help for the team. He’s a real point guard, knows how to control the game. They can really maximize Bol Bol as the big guy. At 7’3”, that’s hard to stop, probably even better than Kai Sotto in terms of impact, since Bol Bol is already NBA caliber. If this happens, that combo could be scary.

[mirakal]

Alright, the rumor about Bol Bol being signed by the TNT is actually not a fake news. It's true, I told you guys. It came from spin's article and it's now in the news.
(LOOK: Bol Bol arrives to play for

So the news was really legit after all, it’s no longer just a rumor. Now you can really see that the PBA can afford big names already. This coming conference looks exciting based on the imports reported earlier. And with the import of TNT Tropang Giga, I think they can be a championship contender again. They still have more days to practice, and I believe March will be the start of the new conference, so they can build chemistry early. Really good news for the league and for the fans.

[Russlenat]

Tim Cone said in the news that he’s not really worried about Bol Bol, that was his statement.

https://www.spin.ph/basketball/pba/cone-not-afraid-with-brownlee-facing-bol-bol-other-tall-imports-a795-20260219?ref=feed_1_section

Cone said Brownlee may be smaller but he also creates mismatches, which is why he is confident that the 37-year-old Gilas Pilipinas naturalized player can still deliver against taller opponents in the mid-season conference.

There’s no question about it, this will be a mismatch. Bol Bol won’t be guarded by JB, so most likely what will happen is Justin Brownlee will score, and Bol Bol will score too. It’s just that kind of matchup.

The real question is, who can actually stop Bol Bol inside. Barangay Ginebra San Miguel doesn’t really have a solid center right now. They’re relying a lot on Japeth Aguilar, but let’s be honest, he’s too small for that kind of job. That’s where Ginebra might really struggle.

[LogitechMouse]

He’s still kind of new in the NBA and I saw he already earned around $11 million in his NBA career. Now I’m wondering how much TNT Tropang Giga is paying him to play for the team. It can’t be cheap for sure, especially for someone with NBA experience.

The contract must be big for him to play in the Philippines, no way he comes here for cheap. And I think right now he’s probably the biggest import in the PBA in terms of name and presence. He’s around 7’3”, same height as Kai Sotto, so yeah we already have tall guys here, but having real NBA caliber players is still different.

In the NBA, his record is mostly single-digit averages, so nothing crazy there. But PBA is a different game for sure. Defense, pace, style, it’s not the same. Here, he can easily put up 20 points in this conference if he wants. So let’s see if it’s really worth the hype.

His stats
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bolbo01.html

He has single-digit averages on the NBA because he's only being given limited minutes. His peak average minutes per game was on Orlando where he averaged around 20 minutes per game. In the PBA, he will play at least 40 minutes that's for sure, and that's one problem with him. Can he play for more than 40 minutes?

Yes he's tall, and agile for most if not all of the bigs in our league, and the best way to stop him is only through the opponent's import... or at least they have the chance. As much as I want to be optimistic with him because of how good he is when he's in the NBA, I wonder how his "thin body" be tested on our league where the physicality is at it's peak. With it, his body will be tested that's for sure. I really hope that he's worth the hype because at one point, even Shaq compared Bol Bol to Wembanyama and let's not forget that.

Anyway, I'll try to watch one game of TNT in the Commissioner's Cup online to see how Bol will play.

[Mr. Magkaisa]

PBA 50th Season Commissioners' Cup IMPORTS
(As confirmed by the PBA and other trusted media outlets)

1. CADY LALANNE (6'10) - NLEX Road Warriors
2. JAMES DICKEY III (6'10) - Phoenix Fuel Masters
3. JUSTIN BROWNLEE (6'6) - Barangay Ginebra San Miguel
4. TERRELL BROWN-SOARES (6'9) - Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots
5. JAYLEN JOHNSON (6'9) - Rain or Shine Elasto Painters
6. MUBASHAR ALI (7'0) - Terrafirma Dyip
7. ISMAEL ROMERO (6'😎 - Meralco Bolts
8. DANIEL OCHEFU (6'11) - Blackwater Bossing
9. BOL BOL (7'3) - TNT Tropang 5G
10. KYLOR KELLEY (7'0) - Converge FiberXers
11. SAM DEGUARA (7'6) / TONY MITCHELL (6'7) - Macau Black Bears (Similar arrangement with former guest team Bay Area Dragons)

EDIT: Titan Ultra at SMB are the 2 teams not announcing their Import yet in this conference. Can we see  Howard to play in PBA? is it possible for the SMB to help JunMar inside the Paint?

[Fredomago]

That's exciting to see knowing the Blurr he can use that advantage throwing ball inside knowing that the height advantages of Bol will be a good go-to-guy for his team.

Is Jason Castro able to play already. He’s been out for like a year because of injury, and I haven’t really seen any news that he’s 100% healthy and back.

But if he can play, that would be a big help for the team. He’s a real point guard, knows how to control the game. They can really maximize Bol Bol as the big guy. At 7’3”, that’s hard to stop, probably even better than Kai Sotto in terms of impact, since Bol Bol is already NBA caliber. If this happens, that combo could be scary.

Yup, with that combination for sure those remaining fans of PBA will support this duo, with height and skills and talent and speed, hopefully they click together, upon reading updates seems that Castro is expected to return this upcoming season, with him leading his teammates and the system of coach Chot, I guess we might see them back to another title chase, let see if what Bol brings them together with Castro leading TNT's system.

[blockman]

Alright, the rumor about Bol Bol being signed by the TNT is actually not a fake news. It's true, I told you guys. It came from spin's article and it's now in the news.
(LOOK: Bol Bol arrives to play for TNT in PBA Commissioner's Cup)

Yeah I saw that news today too and it actually turned out to be true.
At first I thought it was just hype from some content creator trying to monetize the news, but looks like it’s legit.

He’s still kind of new in the NBA and I saw he already earned around $11 million in his NBA career. Now I’m wondering how much TNT Tropang Giga is paying him to play for the team. It can’t be cheap for sure, especially for someone with NBA experience.

That's a lot for few seasons in the NBA despite that he's not in the first unit. I guess that he's also paid that much by the TNT since they have money to import him. This is also going to be a new reason for the fans to watch the games because there's an NBA player playing for a PBA team. I hope that this effort of the TNT and the other teams that have also good imports will bring back the healthy crowd and excitement for the fans. Because if it's not, we don't know what else can trigger the fans to be excited in watching the live games again.

[Russlenat]

Titan Ultra at SMB are the 2 teams with out an Import in this conference. Can we see  Howard to play in PBA? is it possible for the SMB to help JunMar inside the Paint?

Is this already final? Because I don’t really think SMB would play without an import, especially since they just won the championship last conference.

Maybe the import hasn’t arrived yet, or they haven’t chosen one, but I’m pretty sure before this conference starts, they’ll be able to get one.