The San Miguel Beermen have the PBA championships, but the San Miguel Corporation’s crown jewel continues to be the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings. So where does that leave the Magnolia Hotshots? 

Right now, the Hotshots can lay claim to the best record in the 2025 Honda PBA Philippine Cup. 

Magnolia’s 118-99 victory over the Phoenix Fuel Masters extended their unbeaten run to four games and the win pretty much summed up how the Hotshots have operated at least for the All-Filipino conference. Right now, Magnolia has no generational star, but they have great players who not only complement one another, but can also step up any given time. It’s also become more evident that the rest of the Hotshots have become more comfortable in their roles, with veterans like Mark Barroca, James Laput, and Jerrick Ahanmisi providing contributions on the court. 

For much of the 2025 Philippine Cup, Magnolia has been led by Zavier Lucero, as his two-way ability and improved overall game have been tougher to guard. But then, he has also been supported by the likes of Ian Sanggalang and Paul Lee, with the latter coming up with a vintage performance  in the Hotshots’ victory over the Fuel Masters. 

We’ve seen Magnolia go on strong starts quite a few times in recent years, but since the 2018 Honda Click–PBA Governor’s Cup it’s been one disappointing ending after another. Tough matchups and injuries have been factors to their early exits so it seems they can’t find the sweet spot to go on a title run. However, the Hotshots have had a continuity through it all, something that even their sister teams would envy. Magnolia’s veterans remain major contributors while they have been able to integrate their younger stars in order to remain competitive. If only a championship wasn’t so elusive. 

This year, though, feels different (although it’s always felt different only to end up the same). Lucero is coming into his own and Sanggalang and Lee seem to be holding up in terms of health. Moreover, the Hotshots will be playing once a week until June, a development that allows them to pace their aging veterans as they hand out more of the workload to their younger players. Record-wise, Magnolia has finished the tougher part of their schedule and barring an opponent gaining momentum, they should be poised for a top seed in the postseason. 

That being said, the Magnolia Hotshots can boast one thing that neither the San Miguel Beermen nor the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings have: an undefeated record in the 2025 Honda PBA Philippine Cup that has them setting the pace for the rest of the league. Yes, it’s a long season, but the Hotshots have distanced themselves from the potential logjam that could occur in the fight for the last few spots in the All-Filipino Conference’s knockout round. 

And given how things can be decided by the slimmest of margins, Magnolia won’t take any chances in their pursuit for an elusive PBA title.