Player Profile Series: “The Triggerman" --- Allan Caidic

As we continue our Player Profile Series featuring the greats from the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), we now take a look at the contributions of the league’s 1990 Most Valuable Player.

Allan Caidic, known as “The Triggerman” in the PBA, entered the league in 1987 as the first overall pick by the Great Taste Coffee Makers. He immediately made an impact, winning Rookie of the Year honors and capturing a championship in his debut season.

Three seasons later, he claimed the league’s highest individual honor—his lone MVP award—and added a second championship to his resume that same year.

Even before that, Caidic had already tasted PBA success while still in the amateur ranks. He was part of the all-amateur guest NCC national team that won the 1985 PBA Reinforced Conference as part of their preparations for international competitions

The hot-shooting guard from the University of the East remained with the franchise—later renamed Presto Tivoli—until 1992, before being acquired by the San Miguel Beermen in 1993. He won another championship that year, followed by one more in 1994.

Beyond his five PBA championships, MVP and Rookie of the Year awards, Caidic was a 6-time PBA Mythical First Team member, 2-time Mythical Second Team honoree, 5-time scoring champion, 8-time PBA All-Star, and was once named All-Star MVP. He also won the PBA Three-Point Shootout once.

Caidic is part of the PBA’s 50 Greatest Players (selected in 2000) and was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame that same year.

On the international stage, he represented the Philippines in several major tournaments, including the 1985 FIBA Asia Championship in Kuala Lumpur, where he was named tournament MVP.

He was also a three-time Asian Games medalist, winning bronze in 1986 (Seoul), silver in 1990 (Beijing), and another bronze in 1998 (Bangkok).

Another international gold was added to his résumé in 1985 when the Philippines topped the Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand.

In 1999, Allan Caidic took over as the playing coach of the Barangay Ginebra Kings following the sudden resignation of interim coach Rino Salazar.

A year later, in 2000, Caidic made the selfless decision to place himself on Ginebra’s reserve/unprotected list to safeguard key players on the roster. He was picked by the expansion team Red Bull in the dispersal draft, but rather than suit up for a different team, he chose to retire—officially ending a storied career that began in 1984 as an amateur guest player in the PBA.

He became just the third player in league history—after Ramon Fernandez and Bogs Adornado—to have his jersey number retired by a PBA team. Remarkably, both the San Miguel Beermen and the Barangay Ginebra Kings retired his iconic No. 8 jersey in tribute to his impact on Philippine basketball. That same year, as the PBA celebrated its 25th anniversary, Caidic was named one of the league’s 25 Greatest Players of all time.

Caidic also shattered multiple Philippine and PBA all-time records during his career. These include the most points scored in a single game (79), the most three-point field goals made in a game (17, breaking his previous record of 15), the most consecutive free throws made (76), and the most career three-pointers (1,242)—a record later broken by Jimmy Alapag. He played for several PBA teams, won numerous championships, and proudly represented the country as a key member of the national team, including the 1998 Centennial Team.

During his prime, Caidic was widely regarded as one of the best three-point shooters in Asia. His lethal shooting earned him the respect of international teams—including the powerhouse Chinese national squad, whose coaches reportedly reminded their players to always keep an eye on “Philippine No. 8,” a reference to Caidic’s jersey number while playing for the national team.