Dylan Ababou

Dylan Ababou
Born	Dylan Simon Rosales Ababou (1986-12-07) December 7, 1986 Leyte, Philippines
Occupation	Professional basketball player (retired)
Years active	2005–2021
Known for	Philippine Basketball Association player, UAAP Season MVP (2009)

Dylan Simon Rosales Ababou (born December 7, 1986) is a retired Filipino professional basketball athlete who competed in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Selected as the 10th pick in the 2011 by Barako Bull Energy, he represented seven different PBA franchises during his playing tenure.

Ababou played a pivotal role in securing the UAAP championship for the UST Growling Tigers in 2006 and was honored as the 2009 UAAP Season Most Valuable Player. Additionally, he donned the jersey of the Philippines men's national basketball team.

Early life

Born in Leyte to parents Rachid Ababou and Rosemarie Rosales, Dylan Ababou was raised by his grandmother. He took up basketball at the age of eight.

College career

From 2005 to 2009, Ababou was a member of the UST Growling Tigers competing in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines. During the 2006 season, he contributed to the 2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team that triumphed over the favored Ateneo Blue Eagles with a 2–1 series victory. That year, he was awarded Sixth Man of the Year and later received the Season MVP accolade in his final collegiate season.

Barako Bull Energy (2011–12)

Ababou entered the PBA when he was selected 10th overall by Barako Bull Energy in the 2011 PBA draft. In his first game, he tallied 20 points, helping secure an 88–75 victory against Barangay Ginebra Kings. He rapidly established himself as a starting player. The team advanced to the quarterfinal stage but was ousted by the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters, who possessed a twice-to-beat advantage.

Barangay Ginebra Kings (2012–15)

Ababou was traded from Barako Bull to Barangay Ginebra Kings in a deal that also involved Kerby Raymundo moving from the B-Meg Llamados. In exchange, the Llamados acquired JC Intal, while Barako Bull received Ronald Tubid and Reil Cervantes. During the 2012 All-Star Weekend, he participated in the Rookies/Sophomores/Juniors versus Veterans Game, where he and fellow player James Yap each scored 44 points, surpassing Samboy Lim's previous All-Star scoring record—a mark later broken by Terrence Romeo in 2018. Ababou helped Ginebra reach a playoff for a Finals berth during the 2012 Governors' Cup and earned a spot on the All-Rookie Team by season’s conclusion.

Early into his second season, Ababou suffered an ACL tear that sidelined him for approximately ten months. A potential trade involving Barako Bull's first-round pick in 2013 was modified, resulting instead in a transaction sending Rico Maierhofer and Willy Wilson. Upon recovery, Ababou returned to action by scoring 16 points in just 17 minutes during a victory over the San Mig Coffee Mixers.

Return to Barako (2015)

In March 2015, Ababou and James Forrester were traded back to Barako Bull Energy from Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in exchange for Barako’s first-round draft selection. This transaction marked the inaugural trade under Barangay Ginebra’s new head coach, Frankie Lim. Ababou played a role in leading Barako Bull to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2015 Governors' Cup.

TNT Franchise (2015–16)

On October 8, 2015, the PBA authorized Ababou's transfer to the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters, with the team exchanging a 2016 second-round draft pick for him.

Frequent Trades (2016–17)

On November 14, 2016, TNT traded Ababou to the Blackwater Elite in return for Frank Golla. The following year, he was moved to the GlobalPort Batang Pier in a deal involving KG Canaleta. He marked his debut by scoring 17 points despite the team's defeat. Subsequently, Ababou became part of a three-team transaction that sent him to the Phoenix Fuel Masters. Afterward, he was unable to secure a contract renewal with Phoenix and entered free agency.

Kia Picanto / Columbian Dyip (2017–18)

Ababou signed a one-conference agreement with the Kia Picanto. However, he was excluded from the roster ahead of the 2019 season.

Attempted PBA Return and Retirement (2021)

In late 2021, Ababou sought to rejoin the PBA through participation in the 3x3 tournament, joining the guest squad Platinum Karaoke. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury ten days before the competition began. Ongoing injuries throughout his career ultimately led to his retirement from professional basketball.

Season-by-season averages

|- | align=left rowspan=2| | align=left | Barako Bull | rowspan=2|42 || rowspan=2|22.6 || rowspan=2|.406 || rowspan=2|.299 || rowspan=2|.816 || rowspan=2|3.1 || rowspan=2|.7 || rowspan=2|.2 || rowspan=2|.3 || rowspan=2|8.0 |- | align=left | Barangay Ginebra |- | align=left | | align=left | Barangay Ginebra | 6 || 8.5 || .267 || .222 || 1.000 || 1.2 || .2 || .0 || .5 || 2.7 |- | align=left | | align=left | Barangay Ginebra | 27 || 9.3 || .317 || .235 || .727 || 1.1 || .3 || .3 || .1 || 2.9 |- | align=left rowspan=2| | align=left | Barangay Ginebra | rowspan=2|18 || rowspan=2|10.8 || rowspan=2|.400 || rowspan=2|.387 || rowspan=2|.875 || rowspan=2|1.1 || rowspan=2|.2 || rowspan=2|.2 || rowspan=2|.0 || rowspan=2|3.7 |- | align=left | Barako Bull |- | align=left | | align=left | TNT | 24 || 8.4 || .438 || .389 || 1.000 || .5 || .4 || .2 || .3 || 2.8 |- | align=left rowspan=3| | align=left | Blackwater | rowspan=3|26 || rowspan=3|9.8 || rowspan=3|.347 || rowspan=3|.386 || rowspan=3|.750 || rowspan=3|1.4 || rowspan=3|.3 || rowspan=3|.1 || rowspan=3|.1 || rowspan=3|2.8 |- | align=left | GlobalPort |- | align=left | Phoenix |- | align=left | | align=left | Kia / Columbian | 27 || 9.7 || .384 || .222 || .786 || .4 || .2 || .4 || .1 || 2.8 |-class=sortbottom | align=center colspan=2 | Career | 170 || 12.7 || .384 || .309 || .819 || 1.5 || .4 || .2 || .2 || 4.2

Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 (2019–2020)

During the 2019 Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 President's Cup, Ababou suited up for the Pasig Grindhouse Kings before moving on to play with Big Boss Cement–Porac MSC Green Gorillas.

PBA 3x3

In 2021, Ababou became part of the Platinum Karaoke roster in the PBA 3x3. Unfortunately, an Achilles tendon injury sustained prior to the season curtailed his involvement. The following year, in 2022, he made the decision to relocate to the United States to be closer to his family.

International career

In 2004, Ababou was a member of the RP Youth Team that competed in both the Southeast Asia Junior Basketball Championship and the Asia Basketball Confederation Junior Men's Championship.

Following his collegiate tenure, he joined Smart Gilas, playing alongside prominent talents such as Chris Tiu, JVee Casio, and Mark Barroca. However, his minutes on the court diminished after the team added players like Marcio Lassiter and Chris Lutz.

Personal life

Ababou practices Christianity and actively leads Bible study sessions with fellow PBA athletes. Beyond basketball, he manages multiple business enterprises. In 2022, he served as an analyst for the UAAP Season 84 broadcast and provided commentary for PBA games. That same year, he moved to California to reunite with his family, who had previously settled in the United States.