PBA legend and Olympian Jimmy Mariano passes away at 84

Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) pioneer, Olympian, and champion coach Jimmy Mariano passed away on Sunday afternoon, December 7, at the age of 84 after a lingering illness.

The PBA announced the news shortly before the second half of the 2025 Philippine Cup game between the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and the Converge FiberXers, with the league holding a moment of silence at the Ynares Center in Montalban to honor one of its earliest stars.

“Our prayers and condolences to the family and loved ones of former PBA player and Presto champion coach Mr. Jimmy Mariano,” the league said in a statement.

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A standout for the UE Red Warriors in the 1960s, Mariano captained the Philippine team that captured the 1973 ABC Men’s Championship (now the FIBA Asia Cup). That squad remains the last all-homegrown national team to win the continental title.

Our prayers and condolences to the family and loved ones of former PBA player and Presto champion coach, Mr. Jimmy Mariano.

Requiescat in pace, sir 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/PS1jCsWYdA

— PBA (@pbaconnect) December 7, 2025

Known for his rare combination of size and shooting touch during an era dominated by traditional big men, Mariano also served as the star and flagbearer of the Philippine men’s basketball team at the 1972 Munich Olympics — the nation’s most recent appearance in Olympic men’s basketball.

Mariano later became a fixture in the early years of the PBA, suiting up for Carrier, Seven-Up, and Filmabank while averaging an impressive 14.4 points per game over his professional career.

After retiring, he transitioned to coaching and etched his name in league history once again by steering the Presto franchise to the sixth and final championship in its history during the 1990 All-Filipino Conference.

Four-time PBA MVP Ramon Fernandez, who played alongside Mariano on the national team, paid tribute to his former teammate, calling him “one of the true pillars of the game.”

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