Where Are Ex PBA Players Now? Their Current Careers and Life Updates
I still remember watching that intense five-set quarterfinal match on August 27, 2024, where former PBA players made their presence felt in the PVL Reinforced Conference. As someone who's followed Philippine basketball for over two decades, I've always been fascinated by what happens to these athletes after they step off the professional court. That particular knockout game against PLDT, which ended in a heartbreaking loss for the team featuring several ex-PBA players, got me thinking about the broader narrative of athletes transitioning to life after professional basketball.
The journey of former PBA players often reads like a collection of remarkable second acts. Take for instance the players from that August 2024 match – some have seamlessly transitioned into coaching roles, while others have ventured into completely different fields. I've noticed that many former players tend to gravitate toward basketball-related careers, which makes perfect sense given their expertise. Just last month, I ran into a former PBA star who now runs a successful basketball academy in Quezon City, training about 150 young athletes across three different age groups. He told me his academy has produced 12 players who've moved on to collegiate teams in the past two years alone.
What continues to surprise me is how many former players have found success in business ventures completely unrelated to sports. I recently interviewed a former PBA MVP who now operates a chain of 23 fitness centers across Metro Manila. His transition wasn't easy – he admitted losing nearly ₱5 million in his first two business attempts before finding his footing. Another player from the early 2000s championship teams has built a thriving construction company that employs over 200 workers. These stories highlight the resilience and adaptability these athletes develop through years of professional competition.
The corporate world has also become an attractive destination for many ex-players. I've observed at least 15 former PBA athletes taking on executive roles in various companies, particularly in sales and marketing departments where their name recognition and networking skills provide immediate value. One former team captain I spoke with now serves as vice president for a major telecommunications company, managing a department of 47 employees. He shared how his basketball discipline translated well to corporate leadership, though he did mention the learning curve was steeper than he anticipated.
Broadcasting and media have naturally become popular career paths. I can't count how many former players I've seen on sports panels and commentary desks these days. Their insider perspective adds depth to game analysis that pure journalists often can't replicate. One color commentator I particularly enjoy watching actually played in that August 2024 PVL match we mentioned earlier. His transition to broadcasting seemed almost seamless – probably because he'd been doing guest commentary during his playing days.
Community work and philanthropy represent another significant direction for many retired players. I've been particularly impressed by how several former athletes have established foundations and outreach programs. One former defensive specialist now runs a basketball program for underprivileged youth that has reached over 3,000 kids across five provinces. Another has focused on environmental advocacy, leading tree-planting initiatives that have resulted in approximately 15,000 new trees in deforested areas.
The financial aspect of these transitions fascinates me. While exact figures are hard to come by, I've gathered that roughly 68% of former PBA players experience a significant income drop in their first three years after retirement. However, those who successfully transition to new careers often recover financially within five to seven years. The most successful transitions I've observed typically involve players who started planning their post-basketball careers while still playing professionally.
Personally, I believe the PBA and teams could do more to support players in planning their career transitions. The league's current retirement assistance programs help, but I've seen too many players struggle because they didn't prepare adequately. The most successful cases usually involve players who pursued education during their playing careers or developed business connections through their platform as athletes.
Looking at that August 2024 PVL match specifically, the players involved have taken diverse paths. Some returned to the PBA as assistant coaches, others moved into sports management roles, and a few completely left the sports industry. One player from that game now works as a financial advisor, while another has become a popular basketball influencer on social media with over 150,000 followers.
What strikes me most about tracking these career transitions is how basketball continues to influence these players' lives even after they leave the professional court. The discipline, teamwork, and resilience developed through years of competitive play serve them well in their new endeavors. The narrative of the retired athlete struggling to find purpose seems less common among former PBA players than in other sports leagues I've studied.
The evolution of post-basketball careers reflects broader changes in Philippine society. Today's players have more opportunities beyond basketball than their predecessors did thirty years ago. The growing sports industry, expanding corporate landscape, and digital economy have created numerous pathways for athletes to leverage their skills and fame. Still, the transition requires careful planning and often involves significant personal growth.
Having followed hundreds of career transitions, I've come to appreciate that leaving professional basketball represents both an ending and a beginning. The skills that made these players successful on the court – dedication, strategic thinking, ability to perform under pressure – continue to serve them in their new careers. Their stories demonstrate that an athlete's legacy extends far beyond their playing days, influencing new generations and contributing to various sectors of Philippine society. The true measure of their success isn't just in championships won, but in lives built after the final buzzer sounds.
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
