PBA All Star 2020 Highlights: Top Players and Unforgettable Moments
I still remember the excitement buzzing through the MOA Arena that February evening in 2020, right before the world shifted dramatically. As someone who's covered Philippine basketball for over a decade, I've witnessed numerous All-Star weekends, but the 2020 PBA All-Star had this unique energy that's stayed with me. The photographs by Jerome Ascano and Ivy Ferrer perfectly captured what made that weekend special - the raw emotion, the dazzling skills, and those fleeting moments that become basketball folklore. Looking back at their work now, it's like reopening a time capsule of Philippine basketball at its most vibrant.
What struck me most about that year's All-Star was how it balanced competitive fire with pure entertainment. The main event saw Team Japeth triumph over Team Mark with a 152-149 scoreline that had everyone on the edge of their seats until the final buzzer. I've always believed that the best All-Star games walk that fine line between showcase and competition, and this one nailed it perfectly. The photographs by Ascano show players like June Mar Fajardo and Stanley Pringle not just going through the motions but genuinely competing during crucial stretches. You can see the intensity in their eyes, the sweat glistening under the arena lights - these weren't just exhibition players; they were athletes who couldn't turn off their competitive instincts even in an All-Star setting.
The Three-Point Shootout remains one of my personal highlights, largely because of how Ivy Ferrer's lens captured Roger Pogoy's winning moment. The pure joy on his face after sinking that final shot, the way his teammates rushed to celebrate - these images tell a story beyond just another shooting competition win. Having watched Pogoy develop his outside shot over the years, seeing him beat out sharpshooters like Marcio Lassiter felt like witnessing a player reaching his peak. The numbers were impressive - Pogoy needed 22 points in the final round to claim victory, and he delivered under pressure. Ferrer's photos freeze that exact moment when the ball swished through the net, capturing the perfect form and follow-through that defines championship shooters.
What many casual fans might not realize is how much personality comes through during All-Star weekend, something both photographers excelled at capturing. Jerome Ascano's shots of the Skills Challenge showed not just the athleticism but the camaraderie between rivals. There's this fantastic sequence of photos where you see Chris Banchero and CJ Perez joking around between drills, a reminder that beneath the competition, these are colleagues who respect and enjoy each other's company. I've always felt that these behind-the-scenes moments are what make All-Star weekends truly memorable, often more than the games themselves. The way Ascano and Ferrer positioned themselves to catch these candid interactions shows their understanding that basketball is as much about relationships as it is about sport.
The Slam Dunk Contest provided some of the most visually stunning moments, with Rey Guevara's winning dunk becoming an instant classic. Looking at Ferrer's photographs of Guevara mid-air, body fully extended, you can almost feel the arena holding its collective breath. What made this particular dunk special was the creativity - Guevara incorporated props and storytelling into his routine, elevating it beyond mere athleticism. Having judged dunk contests before, I can tell you that the difference between a good dunk and a memorable one often comes down to presentation and originality. Guevara understood this perfectly, and the photographers understood exactly when to click their shutters to preserve that magic.
What fascinates me about reviewing these photographs years later is noticing details I missed during the live event. In one of Ascano's shots from the All-Star game itself, you can see veteran players like Asi Taulava still competing with the energy of rookies, a testament to their love for the game. In another frame by Ferrer, there's this beautiful contrast between the intense focus of players on court and the relaxed banter among reserves on the bench. These nuances are what separate great sports photography from merely good documentation. Both photographers demonstrated an incredible ability to anticipate moments before they happened, positioning themselves perfectly to capture basketball poetry in motion.
The 2020 PBA All-Star now feels like a significant milestone in Philippine basketball history, representing the last major gathering before pandemic restrictions changed how we experience sports. Reflecting on these images during subsequent lockdowns gave them additional emotional weight - they became reminders of what we temporarily lost and what we'd eventually regain. The work of Ascano and Ferrer inadvertently documented not just a basketball event but a cultural moment, preserving the energy of a packed arena cheering for sheer love of the game. Their photographs tell a story that goes beyond statistics and final scores, capturing the human elements that make basketball so compelling in the Philippines.
As I look through these images today, what stands out is how they've aged - not just as records of athletic achievement but as artifacts of a particular moment in time. The smiles, the intensity, the pure joy of competition - these elements feel both timeless and period-specific. Having attended every PBA All-Star since 2012, I can confidently say the 2020 edition had a special atmosphere, almost as if the basketball gods knew it would be our last major celebration for a while. The photographs become more valuable with each passing year, not just for their technical excellence but for the memories and emotions they preserve. That's the magic of great sports photography - it freezes time while allowing the stories within the frames to keep breathing and evolving in our collective memory.