My Journey Hunting Down Filipino Basketball’s Wildest Fights
Alright so I got this idea after watching a PBA game last week where two players nearly threw hands over a foul. Made me wonder about the most epic fight moments in Philippine basketball history. Figured fans would wanna relive that raw adrenaline, you know?
Started by digging through my own memory first. Remembered that insane 2018 Baste-San Beda college game brawl where benches cleared like ants on sugar. But I knew I needed more clips to make this legit. Grabbed my laptop around 10 PM, fired up YouTube and just typed “PBA fights”, “UAAP brawls” and whatever came to mind.
Searched for hours like some basketball detective. Clicked through grainy old recordings – some videos looked like they were filmed on potatoes honestly. Found that legendary 1990 Shell vs Ginebra melee where Rudy Distrito swung at everybody. Damn that clip still gives me chills.
Then I hit a wall trying to find that 2011 Gilas vs Jordan international fight. Kept getting fake highlights and reaction videos. Almost gave up but then remembered this Facebook group called “Pinoy Basketball Throwbacks”. Posted there asking if anyone had it. Woke up to 17 notifications – three dudes actually DMed me rare angles recorded from the stands!
My final lineup has these fire moments:
- Jeff Cariaso vs Johnny Abarrientos (1999) – Classic guards squaring up mid-game like boxers
- The Entire Talk N Text Bench Storming (2013) – Looked like a flipping tsunami hitting the court
- June Mar Fajardo Shoving Incident (2017) – Rare moment seeing the gentle giant snap
Edited everything using basic software – just splicing clips and adding captions. Took way longer than expected cause one file corrupted at 2 AM. Wanted to quit but kept hearing my coach’s voice: “Finish what you start!”
Honestly watching these back-to-back made me realize something deeper. All these fights? They show how much passion Filipino ballers have. Sometimes too much passion, yeah, but that fire’s why our basketball culture stays alive. Fans need to see this raw history – not just perfect three-pointers.
Final step was uploading with a simple caption: “For those who bleed basketball, here’s our heart on sleeve moments.” Got over 200 shares in two hours. Guess I wasn’t the only one craving that realness.