2002–03 Philippine Basketball League season
| 2002–03 PBL season | |
|---|---|
| Duration | November 4, 2002 – June 19, 2003 |
| Number of teams | 9 |
| TV partner(s) | NBN |
| Conferences | |
| Challenge Cup champions | Welcoat Paints |
| Runners-up | Dazz |
| Sunkist-Unity Cup champions | Hapee Toothpaste |
| Runners-up | Viva Mineral Water |
| Awards | |
| Season MVP |
Rommel Adducul Gary David |
| Seasons | |
The 2002–03 season of the Philippine Basketball League (PBL).
2002-03 Challenge Cup
Team standings
|
|
Welcoat Paintmasters, the top team in the eliminations, will enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage against the fourth finisher in the crossover semis. Welcoat will meet the winner of ICTSI and LBC-Batangas. Blu Detergent and Dazz finished with identical 7-4 won-loss cards and will play in the other crossover semis. [1]
Finals
Comebacking Welcoat Paintmasters completed a three-game sweep over Dazz. Coach Leo Austria now won three PBL titles, two of which came when he was a Shark Energy Drink mentor. The Welcoat franchise won their fifth PBL championship, and all their series victories were via sweeps. [2]
Individual awards
- Most Valuable Player: Rommel Adducul (Welcoat)
- Sportsmanship Award: Alex Compton (LBC-Batangas)
- Most Improved Player Award: Paul Artadi (Welcoat)
- Top Newcomer: Mark Cardona (ICTSI-La Salle)
- Finals MVP: Rommel Adducul and Ronald Tubid (Welcoat)
2003 Sunkist-Unity Cup
| Semifinal standings | Win | Loss | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hapee Toothpaste | 5 | 1 | .833 |
| Viva Mineral Water | 4 | 2 | .667 |
| Montaña Jewels | 3 | 3 | .500 |
| John-O | 0 | 6 | .000 |
Two new teams joined the league, replacing Cheeseballs-Shark and Sunkist-Pampanga, these are Viva Mineral Water, coach by Koy Banal, and Nutrilicious, handled by Monel Kallos.
Hapee (formerly Dazz) and Viva Mineral Water advances to the championship after the double-round semifinals among the top four teams in the eliminations. [3]
Finals
Hapee Toothpaste won their first title since the 1996 Reinforced Conference, denying Viva Mineral Water a championship in their very first try. Hapee mentor Junel Baculi won his sixth title as a coach. [4]