The TNT Tropang Giga recently reigned supreme in the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup after conquering the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok in five games.
The TNT franchise captured its sixth All-Filipino championship—eighth overall—to finally break a six-year title drought.
The Tropang Giga have a lot of talented players on their squad, some of whom put up NBA-type numbers during their Finals run.
It's tough to compare PBA players to NBA players because of the difference in playing style and talent level. But in the spirit of celebrating TNT's championship, let's match a few Tropang Giga stars with their potential NBA counterparts.
Mikey Williams — Damian Lillard
A professional freaking scorer, that’s what Mikey Williams is. Throughout the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup Finals, Williams broke scoring records left and right. He bombed away from beyond the arc with reckless abandon, despite having elite defenders hound him the entire series. But Williams wasn’t denied as he was crowned Finals MVP.
The ability to score from anywhere on the floor, and to bomb away from long distance? That’s Dame Time in a nutshell. Just like Lillard, Williams is fearless and confident—the last missed shot never counts and the next one coming is going to be a bucket. Lillard also has the uncanny ability to seize the moment and carry his team when they need him. Williams did that as well time and time again all conference long for the Tropang Giga. — Chuck Araneta
Jayson Castro — Chris Paul
In a zombie apocalypse, only those who’ll survive are the resourceful, composed, intelligent, and strong bunch. Who should lead this bunch? The ultra resourceful, super composed, hyper-intelligent, and strongest of the bunch. That’s Jayson Castro and Chris Paul. In emergency life-and-death situations, there are no two people better to have the ball in their hands than these two point heroes—two unimpeachable leaders with the answers. The Blur has the hardware to prove his credibility, while CP3 has all the milestones. When it’s over, Castro and Paul will be honored as basketball legends with the most terrifying yet satisfying zombie stories. — Jon Carlos Rodriguez
RR Pogoy — Bogdan Bogdanovic
Roger Pogoy has idolized the Atlanta Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic with good reason. Bogdanovic’s style of play closely resembles his as both players make a living from beyond the arc. They’re both lethal 3-point shooters who also can score off the dribble. In the PBA, Pogoy has become one of Coach Chot Reyes’ most reliable scorers, especially in crunch time. One thing Pogoy has that the young Bogdanovic has yet to accomplish is a championship. — Renee Ticzon
Troy Rosario — Miles Bridges
What separates Miles Bridges from almost all other forwards is his motor. He never stops moving, even when he doesn’t have the ball, and that makes him so difficult to run after and stop. Bridges has also flashed a rapidly improving 3-point shot, making him even more devastating on offense.
Troy Rosario, interestingly enough, has had the opposite path. He started his career with visions of being the next Ranidel De Ocampo, a stretch 4 operating from the perimeter almost exclusively. But Coach Chot has seemingly unlocked the best version of Troy—someone who feeds off the attention thrown to his talented backcourt teammates, allowing him to feast on under-goal stabs and putbacks. And if given space from the perimeter, Rosario can also let it fly and catch fire. The best version of Rosario is what we saw in this conference: efficient, athletic, gutsy, and versatile. — Chuck Araneta
Poy Erram — Draymond Green
Tall, reliable, and unknown. Poy Erram was never the big name that made headlines as soon as he entered the PBA. He was more like Draymond Green who had a lot of potential, but not enough breaks. Like Green, Erram was never the highly-recruited star that made it big in the pros. In his entire career, Erram would find himself second to a more dominant big that got all the attention while he sat in the shadows. But these hurdles never stopped Erram and Green. Both guys worked hard and learned how to be good at being the unknown player. They’ve made their marks by leaving everything on the floor, whether it’s scrambling to get a loose ball or making timely shots. Erram and Green are familiar with being on championship-contending teams without all the spotlights attached to it. — Renee Ticzon
Ryan Reyes — Danny Green
Ryan Reyes, now in his 13th year in the PBA, is in a sweet spot. He’s the wise, trusty veteran now, years removed from being the hotshot rookie taking the big shots and creating personal mixtapes. He comes in to relieve the stars, gets stops, and chips in two to three big baskets. He also collects championships. Sounds familiar? In the NBA, that distinct role went to Danny Green. Reyes and Green aren’t the types to make plays that are House of Highlights-worthy, nope. They only make plays that are championship-worthy. — Jon Carlos Rodriguez
Kelly Williams — Andre Iguodala
We know Kelly Williams now as TNT's reliable veteran, but the real titos know how much of a beast Williams was when he was with Sta. Lucia. Younger NBA fans either know Andre Iguodala as the 2015 Finals MVP or for being blocked by James. But before he became the veteran voice for the Golden State Warriors, Iggy was an All-Star and borderline superstar with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The OG Machine Gun Kelly earned his nickname for his monster stat lines when he was with Sta. Lucia, with the 2007-08 season being his opus when he won the MVP award. Iguodala started as Allen Iverson's favorite alley-oop target then became the face of Philly when they made a surprise run in the 2011-12 playoffs. Both also former dunk champions, Williams and Iguodala know what it's like to cede bigger roles to be part of championship squads. Now, they're two of the most respected veterans in their respective leagues. — Miguel Flores
Chot Reyes — Pat Riley
Running organizations and winning championships, all while popularizing a catchphrase/ethos — Chot Reyes and Pat Riley definitely know how to get dubs, wherever they're put. Both took a distinctly similar path throughout their coaching years.
Riley got his start with the Los Angeles Lakers, won five championships with the most iconic teams of the '80s, then leveraged that success to a job with the New York Knicks, then eventually with the Miami Heat, where he became the head coach and president of basketball operations in 1995. Reyes, on the other hand, sprinkled eight PBA titles with different franchises from his first head coaching gig with Purefoods in 1993 to his most iconic stint with TNT from 2008 to 2012.
Riley was out of the head coaching chair for a while before he regained the reins for the Heat in the 2005-06 season, leading the franchise to its first-ever title. Similarly, Reyes was TV5 CEO and president for most of the 2010s before he returned to coaching just this season to end the Tropang Giga's six-year title drought. They both also really like naming their team's ideology — Riley with Showtime and Heat Culture, and Reyes with Puso. — Miguel Flores
