Aaron Black (basketball) facts for kids

Norman Aaron Black (born December 3, 1996) is a Filipino-American professional basketball player. He plays for the Meralco Bolts in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). In 2021, he won the PBA Outstanding Rookie award. Aaron is the son of Norman Black, a famous former basketball player and coach. His father also used to coach the Meralco Bolts.

College Career

Aaron Black played high school basketball for the Ateneo Blue Eaglets. After that, he joined the main Ateneo team for college. He did not play in his first college season. This was because he was a team captain for the Philippine national team in the 2014 FIBA Asia U-18 Championship.

He played his first college game the next season. He scored 11 points in a win against the Adamson Soaring Falcons. Later, he scored 13 points in just 13 minutes. This helped Ateneo win five games in a row against the De La Salle Green Archers. His team lost in the semifinals that season to the FEU Tamaraws.

After Kiefer Ravena left, Aaron became one of Ateneo's top players. In their first game of Season 79, he scored 23 points. This led his team to a win against the UST Growling Tigers. In a game against FEU, he hurt his left foot. This made him miss three weeks of games. He came back and helped Ateneo win against the UE Red Warriors. He also scored 16 points to stop La Salle from winning all their games. For this, he was named Player of the Week. Ateneo later lost to La Salle in the Finals.

In Seasons 80 and 81, Aaron's scores were a bit lower. But he was still a key player for Coach Tab Baldwin. Ateneo won two championships in a row during these seasons. After winning these titles, he decided not to play his final year of college basketball.

Professional Career

Quezon City Capitals (2019)

After college, Aaron played for the Quezon City Capitals. This team is part of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League. In one game, he had an amazing performance. He scored 17 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and made 10 assists. This is called a triple-double, and it helped his team win against the Binan City Laguna Heroes. Overall, Aaron averaged 11.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.4 assists in 14 games for Quezon City.

AMA Online Education Titans (2019)

In 2019, Aaron Black also played for the AMA Online Education Titans. This was in the semi-professional PBA D-League Foundation Cup. In his very first game, he had 25 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 assists. In another win, he got 26 points, 16 rebounds, and 14 assists. This made him only the third player in D-League history to have multiple triple-doubles. He had another triple-double with 45 points, 18 assists, and 12 rebounds. This helped AMA reach the quarterfinals.

Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines (2019–2020)

Aaron was later traded to the Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines team. There, he played alongside Alvin Pasaol, who would later become his teammate at Meralco.

Meralco Bolts (2020–present)

2020 season: Rookie season

In the 2019 PBA Draft, the Meralco Bolts picked Aaron as the 18th player overall. His father, Norman Black, was the coach of the Meralco Bolts. This made Aaron only the third PBA player to be coached by his own father. In the Bolts' first win, he scored 8 points, had 2 rebounds, and 2 assists. He later scored 16 points in an overtime win against the Magnolia Hotshots. He was named Rookie of the Week as Meralco started the year with a strong record.

Meralco finished the season well and made it to the playoffs. In Game 1 against the San Miguel Beermen, Aaron scored 11 of his 14 points in the last quarter. Meralco won, forcing a deciding game. This performance earned him another Rookie of the Week award. Meralco won the next game and reached the semifinals. In the semifinals, they lost to the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in 5 games. Aaron finished his first season by winning the Rookie of the Year Award. He was also named to the All-Rookie Team.

2021 season: First Finals appearance

In a 2021 Philippine Cup game, Aaron scored 14 points against the Beermen. He hurt his hand in a game against the Terrafirma Dyip. He was able to return almost a month later during the playoffs. Meralco reached the semifinals in that conference but was eliminated by Magnolia. In a 2021 Governors' Cup win, he scored 19 points against the NLEX Road Warriors.

Meralco faced Magnolia again in the semifinals. In Game 1, Aaron had 14 points, six rebounds, and four assists in their win. In Game 5, he stepped up with 16 points while Chris Banchero was injured. Meralco beat Magnolia and reached the Finals against Ginebra. In his first Finals game, he scored 12 points as Meralco won. He then scored 24 points in the next game, but Ginebra won to tie the series. In Game 5, he scored a season-high 25 points. However, Ginebra won that game and the next, becoming the Governors' Cup champions.

2022–23 season

On May 24, 2022, Aaron signed a new two-year contract with the Meralco Bolts. To start the 2022–23 season, he scored 19 points in a win. He then tied his career-high with 25 points in another win. He missed the next game because of a wrist injury. When he returned, he scored 20 points, grabbed five rebounds, and made seven assists. This led Meralco to a win against the NorthPort Batang Pier. In a win over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, he scored 20 points, including a crucial three-pointer late in the game.

Meralco finished the 2022 Philippine Cup with a good record. In Game 1 of their playoff series against Ginebra, Aaron led with 25 points as they won. Meralco finally beat Ginebra in a series. In Game 4 of their semifinals against the Beermen, he led with 21 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists to tie the series. In Game 6, he scored 11 of his 17 points in the last quarter to force a deciding game. However, they lost Game 7 and were out of the championship race.

Meralco started the Commissioner's Cup with two losses. They got their first win against Terrafirma, where Aaron had 17 points. In a game against Rain or Shine, Aaron was accidentally hit in the nose and had to go to the hospital. In a win against the TNT Tropang Giga, he had 17 points and 11 rebounds, plus six assists. Meralco did not make the playoffs in that conference.

Aaron missed some games during the Governors' Cup due to a knee injury. In a win, he scored 19 points, had three rebounds, and seven assists. He then had 21 points and eight rebounds in a loss to TNT. In a win over Converge, he scored 26 points along with eight rebounds and five assists. During the PBA All-Star Week, he took part in the Three-Point shootout. In the playoffs against Magnolia, he scored 16 points and made a shot at the buzzer. This sent the game into overtime, where Meralco won. In Game 2 of their semifinals against TNT, he led Meralco to a win with career-highs of 28 points and 10 assists. TNT eventually eliminated Meralco in that series.

PBA career statistics

As of the end of 2023–24 season

Season-by-season averages

National Team Career

Aaron Black was a team captain for the Philippine team in the 2014 FIBA Asia U-18 Championship. He also played for Mighty Sports in the 2019 William Jones Cup. In 2023, he was part of the group training for the SEA Games.

Personal Life

Aaron's father, Norman Black, was also a coach for the Ateneo Blue Eagles. Aaron's older sister, Dominique, is a lawyer who works for a Canadian company in London.