The 40 Greatest Players in Philippine Basketball Association History is a set of players chosen in 2000 and 2015 to commemorate the founding of the Philippine Basketball Association.
Contents
The first set, known as the 25 Greatest Players in Philippine Basketball Association History was awarded when the league celebrated its 25th year anniversary in 2000, during its silver anniversary TV special held at the Araneta Coliseum on April 9, 2000.
In 2015, 15 players were added to the list to commemorate the league's 40th anniversary. The awarding was held at the Resorts World Manila on April 8, 2015. The award was rechristened as FAB @ 40 (40th Greatest Players).
Criteria
The following criteria were used by a committee in selecting players for the first 25 players in the list:
Criticism on the 15 additional players
The additional 15 players that was added in 2015 caused controversy because some were still young and active (Williams-33, Pingris-34) and still at the peak of their career. Though the selection is valid, some from the 25 original cast questioned why some of the retired PBA legends were not included in the list like Nelson Asaytono, Abe King, Yoyoy Villamin, Olsen Racela, and Jeffrey Cariaso. Many says that such players like Kerby Raymundo, Marlou Aquino and Marc Pingris should have not been included on the list.
Grandslam coaches
Before handing out the awards for the 25 PBA greatest players, the four Grand Slam head coaches up to 2000 were also recognized.