TNT Tropang Giga is welcoming a new chapter as it will be called by a new name in “TNT Tropang 5G” when the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup kicks off today at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
A perennial finals contender, TNT Tropang 5G served masterclass wins in recent PBA history. The collective passion and heart they showed, particularly in the recent seven-game, overtime championship-clinching victory in the Commissioner’s Cup finals is a reflection of the team’s connection.
The same “Tropang 5G” connection that glues the team together also powers millions of Ka-Tropas all over the country.
As the winners of 11 PBA titles, TNT Tropang 5G carries two-and-a-half decades of bringing saya to millions of Filipinos.
“I am so happy to be part of this milestone of TNT,” two-time Asia’s Best point guard Jayson Castro, who has played with the franchise since being drafted in 2008, said.
“The fans have been with us through the years, from the ups and downs. Everything that we achieved as a team, as an organization, all of our victories are dedicated to our fans and our KaTropa whom we consider as our second families.”
“I feel blessed to be part of TNT because of its colorful history as a team,” TNT power forward Calvin Oftana said.
“From the time of Kuya Asi (Taulava) and Kuya Jimmy (Alapag) during Mobiline/Talk ‘N Text Phone Pals from the early 2000s, I was able to see how the fans supported the team through the years. I am truly grateful because they are always there to support us.”
Recently crowned finals Most Valuable Player Rey Nambatac echoes, “It has been a tough series for us, especially the last one that reached seven games and an overtime. But just like other KaTropa who have been supporting us, we are competing everyday to make them happy.”
Incidentally, Nambatac who hails from Cagayan de Oro and Oftana from Danao, Cebu are part of the core Tropang Bisdak being celebrated online. The others being Poy Erram from Cagayan de Oro, RR Pogoy from Minglanilla, Cebu, and Glenn Khobuntin from Cagayan de Oro.
According to Khobuntin and Erram, they talk in Bisaya on the court and this tradition did not just result in quality crucial plays but has reached the point when even Best Import awardee Rondae Hollis-Jefferson calls everyone “Dong.”
Hollis-Jefferson even claimed to One Sports that he knows “some Bisaya, too,” and says, “Ingat, Dong” to his teammates.
Online posts like “Congrats, mga Bisdak,” “Solid Bisdak!” and “Tropang Bisdak” trended on social media after TNT clinched its 11th PBA title last 28 March.
Like its basketball team, TNT continues to dominate as the country’s biggest mobile brand with close to 35 million subscribers as of end-2024.
And to give back to its subscribers, TNT is reinforcing its commitment to bring saya to subscribers nationwide with its wider mobile network, more affordable and value-packed data offers, and more exciting experiences and perks.