For Jacque Ruby, basketball is more than just a spectator sport. It is the foundation of a career that would span sports marketing, television broadcasting and digital media, while keeping him closely tied to the community that first opened the doors for him.
After serving as marketing chief of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), Ruby is finally back, serving as representative of the Macau Black Knights, a squad that aims to push Filipino cagers to their limit and bring a new level of excitement to Philippine basketball.
Ruby and the Black Knights have big shoes to fill. After the success of the Bay Area Dragons and the Hong Kong Eastern, the Black Knights are expected to come up with a strong performance to give league heavyweights like reigning champion TNT Tropang 5G, Meralco, San Miguel Beer and Barangay Ginebra a run for their money.
Leading the Black Knights is veteran mentor Garrett Kelly together with a slew of standouts like Damian Chongqui, Jenning Leung and Phoenix Shackelford with Tony Mitchell as import. They also have Filipinos on the bench with four-time PBA champion Rich Alvarez and team manager Frederic Dandan.
Ruby said he may be wearing a different hat now, but the PBA still occupies a special place in his heart.
“I owe a lot to the PBA. It really opened a lot of doors for me,” the 56-year-old Ruby said in the latest episode of Off the Court, the weekly sports show of DAILY TRIBUNE, last Thursday.
Familiar territory
True enough, Ruby owes his career to the PBA.
The Ateneo de Manila University-educated executive first entered the league in 2005 when then commissioner Noli Eala appointed him as marketing director.
At that time, social media wasn’t yet a big deal, while the league was entering into an exciting period of transition marked by individual star power, intense rivalries, and innovative marketing initiatives that turned it into a household name.
Ruby took advantage of this growth and was successful in pulling the league closer to its fans.
“In 2005, I became the marketing director of the PBA under commissioner Noli Eala. That was the time of James Yap, Willie Miller, Mark Caguioa and Enrico Villanueva were all dominating the league,” said Ruby, recalling how they were able to boost gate attendance from an average of 4,000 per game day to 7,000 by selling upper box seats for as low as P5.
“We had many successful projects like ‘Gimme Five,’ and that was also when the Molten eight-panel ball started in the league.”
True enough, his success in leading the PBA to its glory years gave Ruby a chance to test the waters in other ventures like television, where he led some of the most recognizable channels in the region, allowing him to shape programming that reached millions of viewers.
“Because of that experience, I later worked in television. I became head of Channel V Philippines, Discovery Channel, History Channel and Nickelodeon Philippines,” Ruby added.
“Right now, I work with an app called Blast TV, which is similar to Netflix.”
The transition from sports marketing to television broadcasting was a natural progression for someone who understood storytelling, branding, and audience engagement — the same instincts that helped promote basketball games and connect with fans now helped him build compelling television experiences.
But despite his success in the broadcast industry, Ruby never truly drifted far from basketball.
Answering the call
“But basketball has always been my passion,” said Ruby, who manifests his love for basketball when he worked on the deal that will bring the Black Knights — then known as the Black Bears — to the PBA.
Ruby said representing the club is not merely a professional responsibility but also an extension of the love for the sport that has guided his career for two decades.
“I’m not sure if you guys know, but I also used to work with some of the current officials of the PBA. I worked with Commissioner Willie Marcial and talked because we were exploring a possible collaboration, said Ruby, whose experience and credibility were the keys for Macau in joining the PBA.”
“The timing was perfect. When we sat down with the commissioner, we discussed the requirements, and we felt we could meet them, so we submitted a formal letter of intent.”
“For Macau, we want to level up. The next logical step for us was to join the PBA. Thankfully, the governors approved it. So we’re very grateful to the board and to commissioner Willie Marcial.”
Although the Black Knights have yet to register a win in their first two games in the PBA, Ruby said they are staying patient as their goal is to get the team stronger and learn from the best squads in the region.
“Well, it’s the second-oldest professional league in the world and the oldest in Asia. We know the level of competition in the PBA,” Ruby said.
“We also want to see the level of development of basketball in Macau and the Greater China area if we compete in the PBA.”
Ruby stressed that making it to the PBA seems impossible for a team like Macau. But with his connections, reputation, friendship and the credibility he established during his time in the pro league, everything seemed easy, giving them a chance to add luster to the already glowing Philippine basketball.
“Reputation. That’s your No. 1 currency,” Ruby said.
“You need integrity. When you say something, you must deliver.”
In many ways, Ruby’s story mirrors the evolving landscape of sports and media in Asia. It is a journey that began with basketball marketing, expanded into television leadership, embraced the digital revolution, and ultimately circled back to the game that started it all.
From the PBA’s vibrant mid-2000s era to today’s streaming-driven entertainment world, Ruby’s career reflects the importance of adaptability, integrity, and enduring passion.
And he’s far from done. For as long as the Black Knights are in the league, Ruby’s brilliance will continue to shine.