Johnny Abarrientos
Johnny Abarrientos | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 17, 1970 Philippines |
| Occupation(s) | Basketball player, coach |
| Years active | 1993–2010 (player), post-2010 (coach) |
| Known for | PBA Most Valuable Player (1996), 12-time PBA champion, PBA record for most steals |
Johnny Abarrientos (born July 17, 1970) is a retired Filipino professional basketball athlete who competed in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). A distinguished personality in Philippine hoops, he was an integral part of the Philippine national basketball team and received the 1996 PBA Most Valuable Player accolade, becoming the shortest player ever to achieve this distinction. Nicknamed The Flying A, Abarrientos launched his PBA journey with the Alaska Milkmen in 1993. Presently, he holds the position of assistant coach for both Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and the FEU Tamaraws.
Amateur career
Abarrientos started his basketball tenure in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines representing the Far Eastern University Tamaraws, guiding them to consecutive UAAP championships in 1991 and 1992. His jersey number 14 was officially retired by FEU on July 6, 2011.
Prior to entering the PBA, he competed in the Philippine Basketball League with teams such as the Crispa Redmanizers and Triple-V.
Alaska Aces
Selected third overall in the 1993 PBA Draft by Alaska, Abarrientos made an immediate impact during his rookie year. In 1994, he represented the RP National team at the 1994 Asian Games held in Hiroshima, Japan.
From 1994 through 1998, he spearheaded Alaska’s pursuit of eight PBA championships, including their grand slam triumph in 1996. That same year, he was honored as Most Valuable Player and also received Best Player of the Conference recognition during the Commissioner's Cup.
In 1997, Joe Bettancourt, a scout from the Charlotte Hornets, extended an invitation for Abarrientos to join their pre-season camp; however, he declined to concentrate on his career in the PBA. That season marked his personal best averages with 16.7 points per game and a league-leading 8.6 assists per contest.
Abarrientos was a member of the Philippine Centennial Team in 1998, coached by Alaska mentor Tim Cone, alongside notable players like Alvin Patrimonio. The squad secured a bronze medal at the Bangkok Asian Games.
In 2000, he was recognized among the PBA's 25 Greatest Players of All-Time. Although Alaska clinched the All-Filipino championship that year, Abarrientos experienced a dip in performance. Subsequently, he and Poch Juinio were traded to the Pop Cola Panthers in exchange for Ali Peek and Jon Ordonio.
Pop Cola Panthers
During his only season (2001) with Pop Cola, Abarrientos consistently delivered strong performances. Together with teammates like Rudy Hatfield and former Alaska players Lastimosa and Juinio, they achieved third place in the All-Filipino Cup. Following this period, Pop Cola was acquired by San Miguel Corporation and rebranded as the Coca-Cola Tigers.
Coca-Cola Tigers
Before joining Coca-Cola in 2002, Abarrientos was included in the RP Training Pool preparing for the Busan Asian Games but was eventually cut from the roster. He then led Coca-Cola to a third-place finish in the Governor's Cup. In the All-Filipino Cup finals against Alaska, he posted 20 points during Game 1’s first half but sustained an injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the series; nonetheless, the Tigers prevailed with a 3–1 series victory.
In 2003, Abarrientos played a key role as Coca-Cola secured the Reinforced Conference championship. However, by the 2004–2005 season, injuries limited his time on court. During the 2005–2006 campaign, he shared point guard responsibilities alongside fellow FEU alumni rookies Dennis Miranda and Dale Singson.
Barangay Ginebra Kings
Approximately two weeks prior to the start of the PBA season, the Coca-Cola Tigers decided to release Abarrientos. Speculation arose linking him to both Alaska and Ginebra, but within five days, he committed to Ginebra for the 2006–07 season after no teams outside of the SMC group expressed interest in the former 1996 MVP.
Serving primarily as a backup to the main point guard and 2009 MVP Jayjay Helterbrand, he contributed significant veteran leadership on the floor. On February 5, 2007, Abarrientos surpassed Ramon Fernandez to become the league’s all-time leader in steals, playing a key role in Ginebra’s 4–2 semifinal series victory over the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals. The team secured the 2006-07 Philippine Cup title against San Miguel with a 4–2 series win, highlighted by Abarrientos’ pivotal three-point shot in the championship-deciding game.
Following this success, he shifted into a coaching role with Ginebra and officially announced his retirement before the commencement of the 2009-10 season, wrapping up an accomplished 16-year tenure in the PBA. Nonetheless, due to injuries among key players during the KFC Philippine Cup 2009-10, Coach Jong Uichico called upon Abarrientos to return as point guard.
Season-by-season averages
|- | align=left | | align=left | Alaska | 52 || 35.9 || .489 || .304 || .801 || 4.8 || 6.6 || 2.7 || .0 || 16.1 |- | align=left | | align=left | Alaska | 68 || 37.2 || .458 || .329 || .843 || 4.3 || 6.1 || 1.8 || .1 || 15.8 |- | align=left | | align=left | Alaska | 74 || 38.0 || .453 || .295 || .878 || 4.1 || 5.6 || 1.8 || .1 || 16.0 |- | align=left | | align=left | Alaska | 71 || 37.7 || .437 || .230 || .864 || 4.9 || 5.4 || 1.4 || .2 || 14.6 |- | align=left | | align=left | Alaska | 60 || 40.1 || .508 || .333 || .879 || 4.6 || 6.0 || 2.2 || .0 || 16.7 |- | align=left | | align=left | Alaska | 49 || 38.6 || .457 || .315 || .922 || 5.0 || 5.0 || 2.1 || .0 || 13.1 |- | align=left | | align=left | Alaska | 53 || 38.1 || .429 || .312 || .860 || 4.8 || 4.5 || 1.9 || .1||12.8 |- | align=left | | align=left | Alaska | 43||35.0||.381||.233||.785||4.2||5.1||1.8||.1||7.9 |- | align=left | | align=left | Pop Cola |44||33.2||.357||.248||.859||4.0||4.2||1.7||.0||9.6 |- | align=left | | align=left | Coca-Cola |31||24.4||.396||.367||.774||3.5||3.5||1.5|| .1||8.1 |- | align=left | | align=left | Coca-Cola |51||26.0||.371||.292||.746||3.2||4.6||1.7|| .1||7.4 |- | align=left | | align=left | Coca-Cola |65||30.0||.346||.312||.824||3.9||6.3||2.5||0||7.5 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-class=sortbottom ! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Career !742 !!33 !!0.!429 !!0.!303 !!0.!850 !!4.!1 !!5.!1 !!1.!8 !!0.!1 !!11.!6
Major achievements
- UAAP titleholder
- 1996 PBA Most Valuable Player
- 12-time PBA champion
- Represented the Philippine National Team on three occasions
- Holds the PBA record for most steals (1,302)
Retirement and coaching tenure
Following his appointment as assistant coach for the Barangay Ginebra Kings, Abarrientos received special recognition from Alaska's management during their 25th Anniversary Reunion, which took place after securing the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference championship against the San Miguel Beermen. In honor of his significant contributions during their 1996 Grand Slam season and MVP campaign, Alaska retired his jersey number 14.
The 1996 league MVP later became part of the coaching staff for the B-Meg Llamados in the PBA's 37th season. There, he supported former teammate Jeffrey Cariaso and head coach Tim Cone in implementing the triangle offense with a roster abundant in talent.
In March 2023, while competing against the Converge FiberXers, Abarrientos was involved in a controversy after making an inappropriate gesture toward import Jamaal Franklin. This action prompted criticism and led to a ₱10,000 penalty imposed by the league.