BASKETBALL

Basketball is a sport played by two teams of five players on a rectangular court. The objective is to shoot a ball through a hoop 18 inches (46 cm) in diameter and 10 feet (3.0 m) high mounted to a backboard at each end. Basketball is one of the world's most popular and widely viewed sports.

A team can score a field goal by shooting the ball through the basket during regular play. A field goal scores two points for the shooting team if a player is touching or closer to the basket than the three-point line, and three points (known commonly as a 3 pointer or three) if the player is behind the three-point line. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins, but additional time (overtime) may be issued when the game ends with a draw. The ball can be advanced on the court by bouncing it while walking or running or throwing it to a team mate. It is a violation to move without dribbling the ball, to carry it, or to hold the ball with both hands then resume dribbling.

Violations are called "fouls". A personal foul is penalized, and a free throw is usually awarded to an offensive player if he is fouled while shooting the ball. A technical foul may also be issued when certain infractions occur, most commonly for unsportsmanlike conduct on the part of a player or coach. A technical foul gives the opposing team a free throw, and the opposing team also retains possession of the ball.

As well as many techniques for shooting, passing, dribbling and rebounding, basketball has specialized player positions and offensive and defensive structures (player positioning). Typically, the tallest members of a team will play "center", "power forward" or "small forward" positions, while shorter players or those who possess the best ball handling skills and speed play "point guard" or "shooting guard".

      

         Philippine Basketball Association

Current season or competition:  2013–14 PBA Philippine Cup
PBA logo
Sport	Basketball
Founded	April 9, 1975, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Commissioner	Chito Salud
Inaugural season	1975
No. of teams	10
Country	Philippines
Continent	FIBA Asia
Most recent champion(s)	Philippine - Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters Commissioner's - Alaska Aces Governors' - San Mig Coffee Mixers
Most titles	Petron Blaze Boosters (19 titles)
TV partner(s)	TV5 & AksyonTV Fox Sports AksyonTV International (International)
Official website	PBA.ph

The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of ten company-branded franchised teams. It was the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the second oldest in the world after the NBA. The league's regulations are a hybrid of rules from FIBA and the NBA.

The league played its first game at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on April 9, 1975.Its individual team offices are directed out of PBA head offices located in Eastwood City in Quezon City. The league is currently headed by Commissioner Chito Salud

                                            PBA Hall of Fame

Year	Inductee	Achievements
2005	Robert Jaworski	1978 PBA Most Valuable Player. 23 seasons in the PBA as player and coach.
2005	Ramon Fernandez	Four-time PBA Most Valuable Player (1982, 1984, 1986, 1988)
2005	Atoy Co	1979 PBA Most Valuable Player
2005	Philip Cezar	1980 PBA Most Valuable Player
2005	Bogs Adornado	Three-time PBA Most Valuable Player (1975, 1976, 1981)
2005	Francis Arnaiz	Three-time Mythical Five member. Played 12 seasons for Toyota and Ginebra
2005	Baby Dalupan	Led three teams (Crispa, Great Taste & Purefoods) to PBA titles as coach; first-ever grand slam winning coach in 1976
2005	Leo Prieto	Founding PBA Commissioner
2005	Emerson Coseteng	Founding PBA Chairman
2005	Rudy Salud	Former PBA Commissioner; drafted league constitution
2005	Danny Floro	Crispa Redmanizers team manager
2005	Joe Cantada	Play-by-play commentator for Vintage Sports during the 1980s
2007	Abet Guidaben	Two-time PBA Most Valuable Player (1983, 1987)
2007	Manny Paner	One of the top big men in the league's early years
2007	Danny Florencio	played several years with Toyota and later for U-Tex
2007	Norman Black	former PBA import and later coach of the grand slam winning San Miguel Beer in 1989
2007	Ron Jacobs	led guest-team Northern Consolidated to a PBA title in 1985; coached San Miguel from 1997-1998.
2007	Domingo Itchon	league's founding president
2007	Danding Cojuangco	team owner of three PBA teams (San Miguel Beermen, Barangay Ginebra Kings, and Purefoods TJ Giants)
2007	Dante Silverio	former head coach of Toyota and Shell winning five titles
2007	Tony Siddayao	former sportswriter
2007	Pinggoy Pengson	Play-by-play commentator for Vintage Sports during the 1980s
2009	Bobby Parks	Seven-time Best Import awardee.
2009	Allan Caidic	1987 Rookie of the Year, 1990 PBA Most Valuable Player
2009	Samboy Lim	player known as The Skywalker for his daredevil drives to the basket.
2009	Hector Calma	player known as The Director for his manning at the point guard spot.
2009	Ricardo Brown	Rookie of the Year (1983), MVP (1985), 1st Filipino-American to play in the PBA, drafted by Houston Rockets in 1979.
2009	Jun Bernardino	5th commissioner of the PBA
2009	Carlos 'Honeyboy' Palanca III	former PBA chairman and team governor of Ginebra San Miguel.
2011	Alvin Patrimonio	Four-time PBA Most Valuable Player (1991, 1993, 1994, 1997)
2011	Billy Ray Bates	import of the 1983 Crispa Redmanizers grand slam squad
2011	Freddie Hubalde	1977 PBA Most Valuable Player
2011	Tommy Manotoc	Coach of the 1983 Grandslam Crispa Redmanizers grand slam team.
2011	Tito Eduque	Former Mariwasa head coach
2011	Mariano Yenko	2nd Commissioner of the PBA
2011	Carlos "Bobong" Velez	CEO of Vintage Enterprises, Inc., the coveror of the PBA games from 1982 to 2002.
2013	Lim Eng Beng	Played for the U/Tex Wranglers from 1975-1982, 1978 mythical five member, one of the 25 Greatest Players in PBA History.
2013	Ed Ocampo	Head coach of the Toyota Super Corollas from 1981 to 1983
2013	Ronnie Magsanoc	four-time mythical team member (1989, 1990, 1991, 1992). One of the 25 Greatest Players in PBA History.
2013	Benjie Paras	two time MVP awardee (1989, 1999). The only Rookie to win the MVP award. One of the 25 Greatest Players in PBA History.