What Made the 2015-16 PBA Season Unforgettable for Basketball Fans?
I still get chills thinking about the 2015-16 PBA season. As someone who's followed Philippine basketball for over two decades, I've witnessed countless memorable moments, but that particular season carved its own special place in basketball history. What made it truly unforgettable wasn't just the championship outcomes or statistical milestones—it was the raw human drama that unfolded across every game, the kind of emotional rollercoaster that reminds you why we fell in love with this sport in the first place.
I remember specifically watching Jake Figueroa during that crucial stretch mid-season. The guy was under immense pressure—we're talking about a player who'd just come off what even his most loyal fans would call a forgettable performance. He'd scored only 8 points in their previous outing against State U, missing 12 of his 15 field goal attempts. Those numbers don't lie, and in the PBA, where every game matters, that kind of showing sticks with you. I was covering games back then, and you could feel the tension around him during practices. His team had let what should have been a solid victory slip through their fingers, and the weight of that loss rested heavily on Figueroa's shoulders. What impressed me most was how he channeled that pressure.
The beauty of that season was how individual redemption arcs intertwined with team narratives. When Figueroa stepped back onto the court after that disappointing game, you could see something had shifted in his approach. He wasn't just playing—he was exorcising demons. I recall talking to a fellow journalist who'd been skeptical about Figueroa's ability to bounce back, but what we witnessed in the subsequent games silenced every doubter. The guy poured in 28 points in their next matchup, adding 11 rebounds and 5 assists. That's the kind of response that defines seasons and careers.
What many casual observers might not realize is how the 2015-16 season represented a transitional period for the PBA. We had veteran stars approaching the twilight of their careers while a new generation was hungry to make their mark. The league saw attendance numbers jump by approximately 17% compared to the previous season, and television ratings peaked during the Commissioner's Cup finals with an average of 12.3 million viewers per game. These weren't just numbers on a spreadsheet—you could feel the energy in arenas. The passion from fans was palpable, creating an atmosphere where every possession felt consequential.
I've always believed that great seasons are built on rivalries, and 2015-16 delivered some epic confrontations. The tension between traditional powerhouses and emerging contenders created a volatility that kept us all on edge. Teams would swing from dominant performances to heartbreaking collapses within the same week. That unpredictability became the season's signature characteristic. Even now, looking back, I find myself marveling at how many games were decided by 3 points or fewer—statistically, there were 23 such games that season, which was about 14% more than the league average.
The playoffs that year were nothing short of spectacular. The intensity reached levels I hadn't seen since the early 2000s. Every series had its own storyline, its own heroes and villains. What struck me most was how players like Figueroa transformed their early-season struggles into fuel for postseason excellence. That's the mark of true competitors—they don't just overcome setbacks; they use them as stepping stones. I remember thinking during the semifinals that regardless of who won the championship, we were witnessing something special that would be talked about for years to come.
Reflecting on it now, the 2015-16 season taught me that basketball's magic doesn't come from perfect performances. It comes from imperfection, from struggle, from the relentless pursuit of redemption. The moments we remember aren't the easy victories but the hard-fought battles where players dig deep to overcome their limitations. That season was a masterclass in resilience, with Figueroa's journey serving as just one example of many. The raw emotion, the dramatic turnarounds, the last-second shots—these elements combined to create what I consider one of the most compelling seasons in PBA history. Even today, when I discuss classic PBA moments with fellow enthusiasts, the stories from that season always dominate our conversations, reminding us why we remain hopelessly devoted to this beautiful game.
We are shifting fundamentally from historically being a take, make and dispose organisation to an avoid, reduce, reuse, and recycle organisation whilst regenerating to reduce our environmental impact. We see significant potential in this space for our operations and for our industry, not only to reduce waste and improve resource use efficiency, but to transform our view of the finite resources in our care.
Looking to the Future
By 2022, we will establish a pilot for circularity at our Goonoo feedlot that builds on our current initiatives in water, manure and local sourcing. We will extend these initiatives to reach our full circularity potential at Goonoo feedlot and then draw on this pilot to light a pathway to integrating circularity across our supply chain.
The quality of our product and ongoing health of our business is intrinsically linked to healthy and functioning ecosystems. We recognise our potential to play our part in reversing the decline in biodiversity, building soil health and protecting key ecosystems in our care. This theme extends on the core initiatives and practices already embedded in our business including our sustainable stocking strategy and our long-standing best practice Rangelands Management program, to a more a holistic approach to our landscape.
We are the custodians of a significant natural asset that extends across 6.4 million hectares in some of the most remote parts of Australia. Building a strong foundation of condition assessment will be fundamental to mapping out a successful pathway to improving the health of the landscape and to drive growth in the value of our Natural Capital.
Our Commitment
We will work with Accounting for Nature to develop a scientifically robust and certifiable framework to measure and report on the condition of natural capital, including biodiversity, across AACo’s assets by 2023. We will apply that framework to baseline priority assets by 2024.
Looking to the Future
By 2030 we will improve landscape and soil health by increasing the percentage of our estate achieving greater than 50% persistent groundcover with regional targets of:
– Savannah and Tropics – 90% of land achieving >50% cover
– Sub-tropics – 80% of land achieving >50% perennial cover
– Grasslands – 80% of land achieving >50% cover
– Desert country – 60% of land achieving >50% cover
