CJ Perez and the venerable Jayson Castro are at the forefront of the initial group of players set to be honored at the upcoming PBA Press Corps Awards Night for Season 47.
Perez, representing San Miguel, is the recipient of the Scoring Champion award, while Castro, a pillar of TNT, will be bestowed with the Order of Merit by the men and women covering the PBA beat.
The awards ceremony is scheduled for Monday (Nov. 20) at Novotel Manila Araneta City.
Also set to be acknowledged is the opening game of the Philippine Cup finals between TNT and San Miguel, recognized as the Game of the Season.
The 29-year-old Perez averaged 18.75 points last season, once again leading the league in scoring and solidifying his reputation as one of the premier offensive players in the PBA today. He previously claimed the scoring title in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
On the other hand, Castro secured the top spot in the Order of Merit after earning the most Cignal Play-Player of the Week honors.
The veteran guard found himself in a tie with Mark Barroca, Christian Standhardinger, Perez, and Encho Serrano—the only rookie named Player of the Week twice.
However, Castro clinched the PBAPC recognition by securing back-to-back wins during the semifinal stretch of the Philippine Cup between TNT and Magnolia.
Incidentally, the 37-year-old Castro, an eight-time champion and five-time Best Player of the Conference awardee, played a pivotal role in the Game of the Season between TNT and San Miguel during Game 1 of the Philippine Cup finals.
Castro secured the win for the Tropang Giga with a buzzer-beating game-winner, sealing an 86-84 victory and a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. The ‘Blur’ finished the game with 15 points.
