Meralco’s Chris Newsome named PBA Player of the Week for the period of May 28 to June 1

The Meralco Bolts have had a mixed run in the ongoing Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup. Currently placed eighth in the standings with a 6-5 win-loss record, the team has recently gained momentum with a three-game winning streak.

Central to their resurgence is the leadership and stellar performances of team captain Chris Newsome. The 34-year-old has not only delivered on the stat sheet but has also inspired his teammates, providing the leadership needed to close the elimination round on a strong note.

Newsome tallied 16 points, six rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and one steal to lead Meralco to a crucial 82-73 victory over Barangay Ginebra San Miguel on Friday, May 30, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Chris Newsome earned back-to-back PBA Press Corps–Pilipinas Live Player of the Week honors after leading Meralco to an 82-73 win over Brgy. Ginebra with 16 points, six rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a steal to close out the Philippine Cup eliminations strong#PBASeason49 pic.twitter.com/BCe47N3Yu8

— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) June 3, 2025

His all-around performance earned him the PBA Press Corps Player of the Week honor for the period of May 28 to June 1. He edged out Adrian Nocum (Rain or Shine Elasto Painters), Almond Vosotros (TNT Tropang Giga), and Javee Mocon (NLEX Road Warriors) for the weekly accolade, which is awarded by sports journalists covering the PBA for broadsheets, tabloids, and online platforms.

This marks Newsome’s second consecutive Player of the Week citation. The last player to win the award in back-to-back weeks was TNT’s Jayson Castro, who accomplished the feat from August 3–7 and August 10–14 during the 2022 Philippine Cup semifinals.

Meralco’s recent surge ensured their qualification for the quarterfinals of the Philippine Cup. Despite being the defending champions, the team had a slow start to the conference.

“Coming into this game, we really wanted to make sure that our destiny was in our hands. We didn’t want to leave it up to somebody else,” Newsome said after the win over Ginebra. “We wanted to play playoff-type basketball, and that’s exactly what we saw. It was a classic Ginebra-Meralco game. For us, it was about getting through the lows. We had deep lows this conference, and we just wanted to stay together and battle through, because you never know what could happen.”

All eyes will be on Meralco in the quarterfinals, with hopes that Newsome’s strong form and leadership can guide the team in its title defense.

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