It’s the day of reckoning for the huge 122 total aspirants as the Philippine Basketball Association holds its annual Rookie Draft for its 50th season on Sunday.
The event presented by Pocari Sweat starts at 5 pm at the Mall of Asia Music Hall, kicking off the league's first official activity on its golden anniversary.
The number of applicants will go down as one of the biggest in the history of Asia's first ever play-for-pay league since adopting the draft system in 1985.
Among the prominent names who entered this year’s proceedings presented by Pocari Sweat are former Gilas Pilipinas pool members Juan Gomez De Liano and big man Geo Chiu, Fil-foreign players Jason Brickman and Dalph Panopio, also a former Batang Gilas stalwart, and college standouts LJay Gonzales, Christian Manaytay, CJ Austria, Chris Koon, Yukien Andrada, Jose Antonio Quiteves, Dawn Ochea, King Gurtiza, Harvey Pagsanjan, Tony Ynot, Jack Cruz-Dumont, Shawn Umali, Lorenz Capulong, John Denver Omega, John Barba, Ximone Sandagon, among others.
Others who made a case for themselves during the two-day Draft Combine at the Ynares Sports Arena are tournament MVP Sonny Estil, Mythical selection members June Roque, Edrian Ramirez, and Mario Barasi, along with Three-Point King Chris Miller.
Terrafirma owned the distinction of selecting the no. 1 overall pick in this year’s Draft sponsored by ArenaPlus and Daily Fantasy, and Aristocrat as food partner.
After the Dyip, Phoenix comes next at no.2 followed by Blackwater, Northport, NLEX, Magnolia, Meralco, Converge, San Miguel, Rain or Shine, Barangay Ginebra, and again Rain or Shine to complete the order in the first round.
Initially, a total of 128 hopefuls applied for this year’s draft.
But at the conclusion of the Draft Combine and determining those who are eligible for Sunday’s event, six applicants were officially crossed out of the list for various reasons.
Big man Justin Baltazar was the consensus top pick by the Converge FiberXers during the Season 49 draft.