The Phoenix Fuel Masters is a professional basketball team owned by Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc., which debuted in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) in the 2016 Commissioner's Cup. The franchise began after the company acquired the second Barako Bull team in January 2016.
In March 2011, Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc., a sponsor of the PBA games, had expressed interest in acquiring a PBA franchise and were in talks to acquire the franchise of the original Barako Bull Energy Boosters team (owned by the Energy Food and Drink, Inc.).[1] For the sale to proceed, a two-thirds approval from the PBA Board of Governors was needed (7 out of 10 votes).[2] However, it failed to get the necessary number of votes.[3] Reportedly, San Miguel Corporation (SMC) intended to rename its PBA team as the Petron Blaze Boosters for the 2011 PBA Governors Cup, hence its objection to the proposed entry of Phoenix Petroleum, a business competitor of Petron, in 2011.[4] SMC reverted to playing as the San Miguel Beermen in 2014.
In July 2011, the PBA franchise of the original Barako Bull Energy Boosters was acquired by the Lina Group of Companies (Alberto Lina), owner of the original Air21 Express team, reportedly for 50 million pesos.[5] The franchise went on to play as the Shopinas.com Clickers[6] and, later, as the second Air21 Express team. In June 2014, the Lina Group sold this franchise to Manila North Tollways Corporation and became the NLEX Road Warriors.[7][8]
In January 2016, Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc. sealed a deal to acquire the team known as the second Barako Bull team (also known as the original Air21 Express team) from the Lina Group, reportedly in the amount of 100 million pesos.[9] The PBA board of governors unanimously approved the sale on January 20, 2016. In addition, the board also gave its approval for Phoenix Petroleum to play in the 2016 PBA Commissioner's Cup instead of waiting until the 2016–17 PBA season.[10] The coaching staff, players' contracts and contractual obligations will be carried over by the new owners.[11]
On February 10, 2016, the Phoenix Fuel Masters officially announced their entry into the PBA with a press conference, followed by the unveiling of their new uniforms, held at Novotel Manila in Araneta Center, Cubao.[12] The Fuel Masters debuted in the PBA with a 118–106 win over the NLEX Road Warriors at the 2016 PBA Commissioner's Cup, with Nigerian Kenny Adeleke as import.[13] After four games, he was waived and Kevinn Pinkney took his place as the team reinforcement.
On May 31, 2016, Phoenix announced the appointment of Westports Malaysia Dragons head coach Ariel Vanguardia as the new head coach of the team. He will take over the position formerly occupied by Banal.[14]
The Fuel Masters drafted Matthew Wright and Jason Perkins as its first superstars. However, the team struggled to win games and did not win a single game in its first four appearances in the quarterfinals.
On August 7, 2018, 10 days before the start of the Governors' Cup, the Fuel Masters traded Karl Dehesa and a draft pick for 2019 in exchange for Calvin Abueva. He along with Wright, Perkins and import Eugene Phelps led the team to its first twice to beat advantage berth in the quarterfinals after posting an 8–3 record in the eliminations but lost both games to the Meralco Bolts.
During the Philippine Cup of the following season, the team changed colors and logo from red and silver to black and red. They clinched the top seed and a consecutive twice to beat advantage in the quarterfinals with a 9–2 record. They defeated the Alaska Aces 91–76 before losing to the eventual champion San Miguel Beermen five games in the semifinals. Abueva got suspended indefinitely in June 2019 due to two infractions: clotheslining TNT KaTropa import Terrence Jones and doing obscene gestures to the girlfriend of Blackwater Elite player Bobby Parks Jr..
During the pandemic-shortened 2020 Philippine Cup bubble tournament, the team under the name Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters, paraded teal and blue as its colors and a new team logo. Topex Robinson was elevated to full-time head coach replacing Louie Alas and Willy Wilson joined the coaching staff after playing three seasons for the team. Abueva was allowed to re-join the roster in October 2020 after undergoing tests imposed by the league. The Fuel Master clinched a twice to beat advantage as the 2nd seed with an 8–3 record in the eliminations. They won against the Magnolia Hotshots 89–88 before losing to the TNT Tropang Giga two games to three in the semifinals. Several players won awards at the end of the tournament including Abueva and Wright as part of the Elite Five, RJ Jazul as Mr. Quality Minutes, Justin Chua as Defensive Player of the Tournament. Chua and Abueva also won as members of the All Bubble D-Fenders team. Veteran JC Intal retired at season's end.
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| PBA Rookie of the Year Award |
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| PBA All-Defensive Team |
| PBA Mythical First Team |
| PBA Mythical Second Team |
| PBA Best Import |
| PBA Defensive Player of the Year | Mr. Quality Minutes | All-Rookie Team |
|---|---|---|
| All-Star MVP | Slam Dunk Contest | All-Star Selection |
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2017 2018
2019 2024
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| # | Name | Start | End | Regular Season | Playoffs | Best Finish | Achievements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | Win% | GC | W | L | Win% | ||||||
| 1 | Koy Banal | 2016 | 2016 | 11 | 3 | 8 | .273 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | N/A | N/A |
| 2 | Ariel Vanguardia | 2016 | 2017 | 44 | 17 | 27 | .386 | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
| 3 | Louie Alas | 2017 | 2019 | 66 | 33 | 33 | .500 | 7 | 1 | 6 | .857 | Semifinals | Semifinals |
| 4 | Topex Robinson | 2020 | 2023 | 56 | 26 | 30 | .464 | 8 | 3 | 5 | .375 | Semifinals | Semifinals |
| 5 | Jamike Jarin | 2023 | present | – | 7 | 2 | 5 | .286 | Semifinals | Semifinals | |||
| Assistant coaches | Team Manager | Board Governor | Alternate Governor |
|---|---|---|---|
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List of the last five conferences completed by the Phoenix franchise. For the full-season history, see List of Phoenix Fuel Masters seasons.
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, W–L% = Winning percentage
| Season | Conference | GP | W | L | W–L% | Finish | Playoffs |
| 2023–24 | Commissioner's | 11 | 8 | 3 | .727 | 4th | Lost in semifinals vs. Magnolia, 1–3 |
| Philippine | 11 | 3 | 8 | .273 | 11th | Did not qualify | |
| 2024–25 | Governors' | 10 | 1 | 9 | .100 | 6th (Group B) | Did not qualify |
| Commissioner's | 12 | 3 | 9 | .250 | 12th | Did not qualify | |
| Philippine | 11 | 4 | 7 | .364 | 9th | Did not qualify | |
| An asterisk (*) indicates one-game playoff; two asterisks (**) indicates team with twice-to-beat advantage | |||||||
| Current teams | |
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| Events | |
| History | |
| Awards | |
| Others | |
