MANILA — TNT Tropang Giga is welcoming a new chapter by bannering a new name, “TNT Tropang 5G,” which it will officially unveil in the PBA All-Filipino Cup, due for kick-off Friday, April 4, 2025.
A perennial finals contender, TNT Tropang 5G served masterclass wins in recent PBA history. The collective passion and heart they showed, particularly in the recent seven-game overtime championship-clinching victory at the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup Finals, is a reflection of the team’s connection.
The same “Tropang 5G” connection that glues the team together also powers millions of Ka-Tropas all over the country.
As the winners of 11 PBA titles, TNT Tropang 5G carries two-and-a-half decades of bringing saya to millions of Filipinos.
“Sobrang saya na maging part ako ng milestone na ito ng TNT. The fans have been with us through the years, through the ups and downs. Lahat ng naa-achieve namin as a team, as an organization, lahat ng panalo namin - we dedicate talaga to the fans, sa mga KaTropa natin na tinuturing na rin naming second family namin (I'm really happy to be part of this milestone for TNT. The fans have been with us through the years, through the ups and downs. Everything we achieve as a team, as an organization, all our wins – we truly dedicate them to the fans, to our KaTropas, who we also consider our second family),” said two-time Asia’s best point guard Jayson Castro, who has played with the franchise since being drafted in 2008.
“I feel blessed na mapabilang sa TNT kasi makulay ang history ng team. From the time nina Kuya Asi and Kuya Jimmy during the Mobiline/Talk ‘n Text Phone Pals from the early 2000s, nasubaybayan ko talaga kung paano sinundan ng PBA fans ‘yung team through the years. Salamat talaga nang marami kasi andiyan palagi ang mga KaTropa para sumuporta sa amin (I feel blessed to be part of TNT because the team has a vibrant history. From the time of Kuya Asi Taulava and Kuya Jimmy(Alapag during the Mobiline/Talk ‘n Text Phone Pals in the early 2000s, I’ve really seen how the PBA fans have followed the team through the years. I’m truly grateful because our KaTropas have always been there to support us),” added TNT power forward Calvin Oftana.
Recently crowned Finals MVP Rey Nambatac said, “It has been a tough series for us lalo na yung last one na umabot ng seven games tapos overtime pa. Pero gaya ng lahat ng KaTropa na sumusuporta sa amin, lumalaban para sa araw-araw na saya ang buong team (It has been a tough series for us, especially the last one that went to seven games and even overtime. But just like all the KaTropas who support us, the whole team fights for the daily joy).”
The Bisdak connection
Incidentally, Nambatac, who hails from Cagayan de Oro, and Oftana from Danao, Cebu, are part of the core Tropang Bisdak being celebrated online. The others are Poy Erram (Cagayan de Oro), RR Pogoy (Minglanilla, Cebu), and Glenn Khobuntin (Cagayan de Oro).
According to Khobuntin and Erram, they talk in Bisaya on the court and this tradition did not just result in quality crucial plays but has reached the point when even Best Import awardee Rondae Hollis-Jefferson calls everyone “Dong.” RHJ even claims to One Sports that he knows “some Bisaya, too,” and says, “Ingat, Dong” to his teammates.
Online posts like “Congrats, mga Bisdak,” “Solid Bisdak!” and “Tropang Bisdak” trended on social media after TNT clinched its 11th PBA title last March 28.
Biggest mobile brand
Like its basketball team, TNT continues to dominate as the country’s biggest mobile brand, with close to 35 million subscribers as of the end of 2024. To give back to its subscribers, TNT is reinforcing its commitment to bringing saya to subscribers nationwide with its wider mobile network, more affordable and value-packed data offers, and more exciting experiences and perks.
“Today, TNT is a huge part of my pre-game rituals, especially during training and workouts. I use it to listen to music, stream inspiring basketball videos, get updated on the latest game trends, and of course to stay in touch with my family and supporters who always have our backs,” shares TNT forward and former PBA MVP, Kelly Williams.
KaTropas can expect more TNT 5G Max areas and more cell sites to be rolled out across the country this year to provide better coverage and ensure a leveled-up mobile experience as KaTropas enjoy their favorite online activities—from working or studying online, streaming their favorite teleseryes on their daily commute, watching the latest TikTok uploads of their celebrity idols, to playing mobile games with the whole tropa.