10 Teams, 10 Days: San Miguel Beermen

10 Teams In 10 Days: San Miguel Beermen

Our East Asia Super League editorial staff breaks down the key storylines, players and statistics of each franchise as tip-off nears. 

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San Miguel Beermen

The San Miguel Beermen is the most successful basketball franchise in the Philippines. In the 2023-24 season, the Beermen won their record 29th PBA Commissioner’s Cup and finished runners-up in the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup. 

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Founded in 1975, San Miguel is one of three PBA clubs owned by the San Miguel Corporation group. Sister teams include the Magnolia Hotshots and the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel. The Beermen also boasts the most all-time PBA wins, with over 1,200 victories. 

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Participating in the 2024-25 season won’t be San Miguel’s first experience with the East Asia Super League. In 2019 and 2023, the Beermen competed in the EASL Terrific 12 and EASL’s Champions Week, respectively. 

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Here’s everything you need to know about the San Miguel Beermen:

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3-pointers

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1. Another Record for Fajardo 

San Miguel is led by Filipino basketball legend, June Mar Fajardo. The 6-foot-11 center and 10-time PBA Champion recently won the PBA Order of Merit for a record third time in 2023-24, passing up Filipino guards Jayson Castro, Paul Lee and LA Tenorio. 

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The PBA Order of Merit originated during the 2008-09 season. The award is given to the player with the most “Best Player of the Week” honors. 

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Fajardo’s new record only adds to his already impressive list of career accolades. He enters the 2024-25 season as an 8-time PBA Most Valuable Player and 4-time PBA Finals MVP. 

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2. Marcio Lassiter: PBA 3-pt King

On Sep. 15, 37-year-old guard Marcio Lassiter became the PBA’s all-time 3-point leader with 1,251 career 3-pointers. During a 2024 Governors’ Cup matchup against Barangay Ginebra, Lassiter knocked down a transition 3 at the 7:10 mark to make history. The former record was set by Meralco Bolts guard Jimmy Alapag in 2016. 

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“I’m just truly honored and blessed to be in this position,” Lassiter said about his record. “Words can’t describe how I feel. I’m just overwhelmed with a lot of emotions right now.”

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Now in his 13th PBA season, Lassiter is coming off a career shooting season. The eight-time PBA All-Star averaged 48% from 3 and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. 

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3. Age is just a Number

The San Miguel Beermen enter the 2024-25 season as the oldest team in EASL by age, with the average player 32.45 years old.

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But age doesn’t seem to be an issue. Not domestically, anyway. Littered with veteran talent, some of the Beermen’s best players include 35-year-old Fajardo, 37-year-old Lassiter and 39-year-old Chris Ross — a 6-foot-1 point guard. In the 2023-24 season, the trio combined for 34 points per game en route to a championship-winning campaign. 

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Players To Watch 

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1. June Mar Fajardo

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Arguably the best-ever player in PBA history, Fajardo averaged 17.8 points, 13.4 rebounds and a team-high three blocks last season. In the summer, Fajardo also competed with the Philippines national team in Olympic qualifiers and helped it take down Latvia — ranked No. 9 in the world, according to FIBA — 89-80. 

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Other notable accomplishments for Fajardo include being named a 7-time All-Defensive Team player and a 9-time PBA All-Star. 

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2. CJ Perez

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CJ Perez is one of the PBA’s most lethal scorers. The former 2018 PBA No. 1 overall pick averaged 18.8 points throughout his first five years in the league and was recently named the 2023-24 Finals MVP in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup. Perez is also a 2-time PBA champion and 2-time PBA All-Star. 

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3. Quincy Miller

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Once the No. 5 player in the 2011 high school recruiting class, according to 247Sports, Quincy Miller spent a year at Baylor before he was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in the 2012 NBA Draft. 

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After stints with the Nuggets, the Sacramento Kings and the Detroit Pistons, Miller joined Filipino team, the TNT Tropang Giga, for the 2023-24 season. Last year, Miller played four games in the EASL with TNT, averaging 28.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Now, the 31-year-old forward will suit up for San Miguel. 

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San Miguel Beermen By The Numbers

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San Miguel 2023-24 PBA Season

• Elimination Round standings: 9-2
• Finished 2nd in Elimination Round standings 
• Defeated Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (1-0), Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (3-2) and Magnolia Hotshots (4-2) to win the 2023-24 PBA Commissioner’s Cup ‍

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San Miguel 2023-24 PBA Statistic Leaders

• Points: Bennie Boatwright Jr. – 40.3 ppg
• Rebounds: June Mar Fajardo – 13.4 rpg
• Assists: Chris Ross – 4.7 apg
• Steals: CJ Perez – 2.1 spg
• Blocks: June Mar Fajardo – 3.0 bpg

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Team Schedule

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