MANILA, Philippines – Scottie Thompson is starting the year like the last one: with him lifting the Best Player of the Conference (BPC) plum.

Thompson captured his second BPC award in three conferences following a stellar campaign in the 2022-2023 PBA Commissioner’s Cup that saw him lead Barangay Ginebra to the finals.

He averaged 11.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.6 steals through the semifinals as he bested teammate Jamie Malonzo, NorthPort star Robert Bolick, San Miguel’s CJ Perez, and NLEX’s Don Trollano for the highest individual honors for locals this conference.

The reigning MVP, who won his first BPC hardware in the Governors’ Cup last season, endured an inauspicious start to the tournament after scoring just 1 point in a 22-point loss to Rain or Shine in their conference opener.

But Thompson did not take long to regain his bearings, putting up a near triple-double of 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists the next game in a win over Meralco.

He continued to be a stabilizer as the Gin Kings ended the elimination round with a 9-3 record for the third seed.

Ginebra went on to sweep NorthPort in the quarterfinals and eliminated rival Magnolia in four games in the semifinals, with Thompson norming 13.3 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1.5 steals over that stretch.

Bolick topped the statistical race for the second time in three conferences with averages of 21 points, 6.3 assists, and 4.3 rebounds.

However, the Batang Pier failing to make it past the quarterfinals dealt a major blow to Bolick capturing his maiden BPC trophy.

Meanwhile, Malonzo immediately found his place at Ginebra in his first conference since he got traded by NorthPort as he led all Gin Kings locals in scoring.

The high-flying Malonzo averaged 13.6 points on top of 6.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.1 blocks through the semifinals. – Rappler.com

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