Benjie Paras facts for kids
Benjie Paras in 2010
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Born | October 2, 1968 Caloocan, Rizal, Philippines |
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| Nationality | Filipino | |||||||||||||
| High school | San Beda (Manila) | |||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | UP | |||||||||||||
| PBA Draft | 1989 Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall | |||||||||||||
| Selected by the Formula Shell | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1989–2003 | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| As player: | ||||||||||||||
| 1989–2002 | Shell Turbo Chargers | |||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | San Miguel Beermen | |||||||||||||
| As coach: | ||||||||||||||
| 2012–2019 | San Beda (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | UP (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
As player:
As assistant coach:
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Medals
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Venancio Johnson Paras Jr. (born October 2, 1968), known to many as Benjie Paras, is a famous Filipino actor, comedian, and a retired professional basketball player. He played for the Shell Turbo Chargers and San Miguel Beermen in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He is the only player in PBA history to win both the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards in the same season (1989). As a star player, Paras led the Shell Turbo Chargers to several championship titles.
Contents
Early Basketball Days
High School Years
Benjie Paras played basketball for the San Beda Red Cubs. He played alongside other future basketball stars like Ronnie Magsanoc and Eric Altamirano.
College Years
Paras continued his basketball journey with the UP Fighting Maroons in the UAAP league. In 1986, his team, the UP Fighting Maroons, won the championship. He played with his high school teammates Magsanoc and Altamirano, plus Joey Guanio and future coach Goldwin Monteverde. Their coach was Joe Lipa.
Professional Basketball Career
Shell Turbo Chargers (1989–2002)
In 1989, Benjie Paras was chosen by the Shell Turbo Chargers in the PBA draft. He quickly earned the nickname "The Tower of Power" because of his amazing skills. He was great at handling the ball, grabbing rebounds, shooting from mid-range, blocking shots, and scoring close to the basket.
Even though Shell didn't win a championship in his first year, Benjie's skills stood out. He not only won the Rookie of the Year award but also became the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the same season. As of 2020, he is still the only PBA player to achieve this incredible feat.
In 1990, Paras led Shell to their first Open Conference title. They beat Anejo Rhum in a tough championship series. In 1992, with new teammates like Leo Isaac, Paras helped Shell win another title against the San Miguel Beermen.
After 1992, Shell's performance became a bit up and down. Benjie even sat out for one conference in 1993 due to a contract disagreement. He focused on his acting career for a while. When he returned, Shell made it back to the Finals in 1996. They had a thrilling seven-game series against the Alaska Milkmen, but Alaska won.
Two years later, in 1998, Paras led Shell to the Governor's Cup Finals against the Mobiline Phone Pals. Shell came back from being down in the series to win the championship in a tough Game 7.
In 1999, Paras was outstanding against many talented players in the PBA. He led Shell to another championship, beating Tanduay Rhum Makers. This was Benjie's last championship as a player. He also won his second MVP award that year, ten years after his first one.
San Miguel Beermen (2002–2003)
In the early 2000s, Benjie Paras played fewer games due to injuries. In 2003, he decided to retire from basketball. However, he made a brief comeback later that year, playing for the San Miguel Beermen before retiring for good at the end of the season. Throughout his career, Benjie Paras scored a total of 10,322 points in 574 games.
Playing for the Philippines
Benjie Paras was also chosen to play for the Philippine national basketball team. In the 1990 Asian Games, his team won the silver medal. They played well but lost to China in the gold-medal game.
Coaching Career
In 2013, Benjie Paras returned to basketball, but this time as an assistant coach for the San Beda Red Lions. In 2014, he joined the PBA Legends Team, playing in a special tour in Singapore.
Acting Career
After retiring from basketball in 2003, Benjie Paras started a successful career as an actor. He has appeared in many local films and television shows. He even played in the NBA Asia Challenge in 2011 with other famous PBA and NBA players.
He has been in various TV shows, including his first drama series Narito Ang Puso Ko and the sitcom Lagot Ka, Isusumbong Kita. He also played the character Wahid in the fantasy series Encantadia. Benjie has hosted TV shows like ABC's local version of Guinness Book of Records. He also took on different roles in shows like Lupin and Fantastic Man.
Benjie Paras has also starred in movies. He played the best friend of Vic Sotto in Iskul Bukol 20 Years After (Adventures of Vic Ungasis and the Escalera Brothers). He was also the best friend of Vhong Navarro in the movie My Only U. He continues to appear in many TV dramas and comedy shows.
Personal Life
Benjie Paras is married to Lyxen Diomampo. She used to be a pre-school teacher and a model. They have two sons named Riley and Sam, and a daughter named Georja. Benjie also has two older sons from a previous marriage, Andre and Kobe. Both Andre and Kobe have followed in their father's footsteps and play basketball. Andre is also an actor. Kobe has played college basketball in the US and currently plays professionally in Japan.
Awards and Achievements
PBA (Philippine Basketball Association)
- 4-time PBA Champion (1990, 1992, 1998 & 1999)
- 2-time Most Valuable Player (1989 & 1999)
- Rookie of the Year (1989)
- 5-time Mythical First Team Selection (1989, 1990, 1991, 1995 & 1999)
- 3-time Mythical Second Team Selection (1992, 1994 & 1996)
- Best Player of the Conference (1999 Commissioner's Cup)
- Comeback Player of the Year (1999)
- 8-time PBA All-Star
- 2-time PBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (1994 & 1999)
- Named one of the PBA's 25 Greatest Players of All-Time
Philippine National Team
- Member of the 1990 Asian Games national team, winning a silver medal.
