San Miguel point guard Chris Ross is now at No. 6 in the PBA's list of all-time steals leaders. PBA Media Bureau
MANILA, Philippines -- San Miguel point guard Chris Ross on Wednesday became only the sixth player in the history of the PBA to notch 900 steals in his career.
Ross, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, recorded six steals in the Beermen's 83-67 triumph over the TNT Tropang GIGA in the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup. All six of his steals came in the first half, and brought his career total to 901.
He now ranks sixth all-time in the PBA's list of all-time steals leaders.
"That's what we're expecting from him," San Miguel coach Leo Austria said of Ross' latest achievement. "That is the one thing na makikita mo kay Chris Ross … 'yung kanyang energy sa defense."
"I'm happy for him, dahil he was able to perform," he added.
Ross' relentless activity on defense set the tone of the game for San Miguel, as they raced to an 18-2 lead in the first quarter and never looked back.
The veteran point guard, who has won eight championships with San Miguel Beer, also had three points, three rebounds, and four assists in 31 minutes of action. He is currently averaging 4.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 2.7 steals per game in the conference.
Johnny Abarrientos is the PBA's all-time leader in steals with 1,358, followed by Ramon Fernandez (1,302), Bernard Fabiosa (1,235), Sonny Jaworski (937) and Dindo Pumaren (902).
Also on Wednesday, Barangay Ginebra forward Japeth Aguilar moved to 11th all time in the PBA blocks list. His rejection of Rain or Shine's Nortber Torres with eight minutes left raised his total to 628 blocks, displacing Billy Robinson (627).