Size isn’t just an advantage in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup—it’s the currency.

With no height limit on imports, teams are going all-in on length, wingspan, and rim protection ahead of the March 11 tipoff. The result: a conference shaping up as a showcase of seven-footers and near-seven-foot bruisers ready to tilt the floor.

Terrafirma made perhaps the boldest splash, securing 7-footer Mubasha Ali, a 28-year-old native of Helsinki, Finland, who is due to arrive in the country this week. Magnolia countered by locking in 6-foot-9 Terrell Brown-Soares less than a month before opening night, signaling urgency in a conference that often swings on the dominance of a single import.

Meralco, meanwhile, is doubling down on continuity. The Bolts are sticking with 6-foot-9 Ismael Romero, who has already been embedded with the team since the East Asia Super League began in October 2025. That early integration could prove pivotal in a short tournament where chemistry is often the separator. Romero, 34, enters the Commissioner’s Cup with an established rhythm alongside the core.

Across the league, the arms race continues.
Blackwater has brought back 6-foot-11 Daniel Ochefu, who briefly suited up for Rain or Shine in 2023 and later reinforced TNT in the EASL. Ochefu is also expected to arrive this week. Rain or Shine secured 6-foot-9 Jaylen Johnson, while TNT is finalizing negotiations with 7-foot-3 former NBA player Bol Bol—a potential game-changing presence whose length alone alters scouting reports.

Some teams moved early.

NLEX flew in 6-foot-10 Cady Lalanne, a second-round pick by the San Antonio Spurs in 2015, who already flashed his upside during a one-game stint with Meralco in its final EASL group-stage outing against the Ryukyu Golden Kings. Phoenix tapped another 6-foot-10 big in James Dickey, while Barangay Ginebra once again turned to the indefatigable Justin Brownlee. At 6-foot-6, Brownlee now stands as the smallest import in this towering field—though history suggests size has never dictated his impact.

As camp opens and reinforcements land, one theme is unmistakable: the Commissioner’s Cup is trending skyward.
Converge, Titan Ultra, San Miguel, and guest team Macau Black Bears remain the only clubs yet to unveil their imports. With the rest of the league already building vertically, the pressure is on to match height with heft—or risk being boxed out before the race even begins.

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