Former Pros: Jeffrey Graves

Before Freddie Abuda, there was the 6-3 Jeffrey Graves who was San Miguel's utility man and role player de luxe. He played a total of 261 games in the pro league, starting with a stint with San Miguel and culminating with a stint with Pepsi. In 8 seasons, he averaged only a paltry 3.4 ppg but his role off the bench was very valuable to the teams he played with.

Graves was born on March 2, 1965 in Angeles, Pampanga. Growing up, he was heavily recruited but eventually decided to play for the Angeles University Foundation (AUF) in Pampanga. The eldest of two kids of Jessie Graves and Cristina Dignos, Jeffrey played only two years in AUF before trying his luck in the PABL with Magnolia.

“My father was a football player. Kaya lang, ayaw ko ng football. Yung mga classmates ko, they prodded me to play basketball dahil matangkad nga ako. I gave basketball a try. I really learned a lot from my Angeles University coach Ramon Navarro. Siya ang nagturo nang fundamentals sa akin,” says Jeffrey. He was an ardent fan of Ramon Fernandez and Magic Johnson because of their ability to play multiple positions on the court.

He entered the PBA in 1986. He was one of the several crack amateur players who were elevated by San Miguel (carrying the colors of Magnolia) to the PBA. He was a perennial reserve but began carving a niche with his great supporting role in the Beermen's Grand Slam campaign in 1989. The Beermen left him unprotected during the dispersal draft conducted in 1990 when new teams Pop Cola and Pepsi Mega decided to join the PBA fray. He was quickly gobbled up by Pepsi where he started to play extensively. He only lasted 4 seasons with the Megas before retiring in 1994.