Wikipedia - Rizal Golden Coolers
The Rizal Golden Coolers, also known as the Rizal Xentromall Golden Coolers for sponsorship reasons, are a Filipino professional basketball team based in the province of Rizal. The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's North Division. They are one of five teams based in the Calabarzon region and play their home games at Ynares Center in Antipolo.
The team began play during the 2018–19 season as the Rizal Crusaders. Team ownership said that the name was chosen as the province of Rizal is known for "crusades, mountaineering, and other stuff". Originally, the team was going to be called the Rizal Ankle Breakers, but was changed due to criticism that the name didn't have any relation to the province of Rizal.
In 2023, a volleyball team of the same name began play as one of eight charter teams in the Maharlika Pilipinas Volleyball Association's (MPVA) inaugural season.
History
Rizal struggled during its first two seasons, ending up with the worst record of the division in both instances. In the 2018–19 season, the team finished 7-18, last place in the Southern Division. In the 2019–20 season, the team finished 7-22, last place in the Northern Division.
Despite struggling in the 2021 Invitational, with a record of 1-4, the team rose up in the 2022 season. The Golden Coolers finished the season 10-11, earning a playoff appearance for the first time. As the sixth seed, they upset the third-seed Sarangani in the First Round, but would go on to be swept by Batangas City in the Division Semifinals,
Los Golden Coolers son conocidos por su estilo de juego rápido y por su capacidad para anotar puntos. También son conocidos por su sólida defensa, que ha sido una de las mejores de la PBA en los últimos años.
El equipo está encabezado por el base estrella Jimmy Alapag, quien ha sido nombrado MVP de la PBA en dos ocasiones. Otros jugadores clave de los Golden Coolers incluyen a Arwind Santos, Marc Pingris y Gabe Norwood.
Los Golden Coolers son uno de los equipos más populares de la PBA y tienen una gran base de fans en todo Filipinas. El equipo juega sus partidos en casa en el Smart Araneta Coliseum en Quezon City.