Ryan Araña

Professional career

Ryan Araña entered the PBA as the twelfth pick of the Welcoat Dragons in the 2007 draft. He quickly made a name for himself as a tough, gritty defender on the perimeter, averaging 7.7 points during his first season. In 2009, he dropped a career-high 25 points against the Burger King Whoppers, though his team lost after he missed a free throw that could have won the game. Araña won his first PBA championship in 2012 when Rain or Shine took the Governors' Cup, contributing five points, three rebounds, and two assists per game over 18 minutes while playing his usual tough defense.

Welcoat Dragons / Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (2007–2015)

That same year, he was fined P5,000 for kicking Meralco Bolts forward Cliff Hodge in the groin during a game. In 2013, Araña and import Bruno Šundov both scored 20 points to beat Meralco. Later, with scorer Jeff Chan sidelined by injury, Araña stepped up, pouring in 12 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter to push Rain or Shine into the Governors' Cup semifinals. There, they fell to Petron Blaze Boosters in four games, ending their title defense.

The two teams met again in the 2013–14 Philippine Cup semifinals. In Game 5, Araña, Chan, and Paul Lee combined for 43 points, including six three-pointers, to eliminate Petron. During the finals, Araña hurt his collarbone in Game 2, sat out Game 3, and returned for Game 4, but Rain or Shine lost the championship to San Mig Coffee Mixers. They faced San Mig again in the 2014 Governors' Cup finals and lost once more, allowing San Mig to complete a Grand Slam.

In a preseason game, Araña got into a scuffle with NLEX Road Warrior center Enrico Villanueva late in the first quarter. Araña ended up with a bloody nose, Villanueva had bruises, and a referee was accidentally kicked. Both players apologized, and Araña was fined P40,000. He missed several games during the 2014–15 Philippine Cup due to a hamstring injury.

In the 2015 Commissioner's Cup, Rain or Shine returned to the finals. After Game 3, Talk 'N Text import Ivan Johnson challenged Araña to a fight in the hallway of Araneta Coliseum, but Araña's teammates stepped in to stop it.

Personal life

Araña was once rumored to be in a relationship with Miss Philippines Fire 2011 Michelle Gavagan. He is married to Erika Ono and has a son named Thanos; their daughter Marvel was born in 2020. He owns a farm in Tanay, Rizal and other small businesses, and enjoys photography as a hobby. Araña is known for wearing pink shoes during games, starting in his second year in honor of his aunt, a breast cancer survivor.

He donated half of his bonuses to a breast cancer foundation. With the Mahindra Enforcer, he switched to yellow shoes to signal a change in image and play style from slasher to shooter. After his father died in 2020, he wore pink customized Nikes as a tribute. He is also known for his pregame outfits; in 2018 he wore a suit and shorts before a game, inspired by LeBron James, and said, "May kasabihan nga sila, 'If you don’t perform, japorms.'"

He encouraged teammates to dress up. In October 2018, he, Jeric Teng, and Jonathan Grey dressed as characters from the Netflix series 'Money Heist'. In 2015, he was featured on the centerfold of the September 2015 issue of Cosmopolitan Philippines.

Did You Know?

• Araña started playing basketball at age seven and looked up to Robert Jaworski and Manu Ginóbili.
• In high school, he played for the Colegio de San Lorenzo Baby Griffins in the NCRAA.
• He was a member of the DLSU Green Archers team that won the UAAP championship in 2004, but the title was later recalled due to technicalities.