Shell Turbo Chargers (2004–05) Cruz had been drafted 19th overall by the
Talk 'N Text Phone Pals during the
2002 PBA draft. In 2004, Cruz was brought in to the PBA by the
Shell Turbo Chargers. He made his PBA debut during the
2004–05 season at the age of 27.
Red Bull Barako (2005–2008) With Shell leaving the PBA, Cruz and his Shell teammates were placed into a
dispersal draft. He was drafted second overall in that draft by the
Red Bull Barako, who acquired their pick from the
Sta. Lucia Realtors. That season, Red Bull became known for their physical style of play, which led to their success. This also led to them getting into fights, such as when he hit an
Alaska Aces player, for which he was fined . In Game 7 of the semifinals, he had five points in the clutch, as well as a block and rebound that brought Red Bull into the finals over
Barangay Ginebra. Red Bull went on to win the
finals over the
Purefoods Chunkee Giants. They also made it to the
2006 PBA Philippine Cup finals in a rematch against Purefoods, but this time Purefoods won the series in six games. Later on during the conference, he and
Cyrus Baguio both contracted
chickenpox causing them to miss several games. He came back in time to contribute in Red Bull's semifinals series against Purefoods.
Air21 Express / Burger King Titans (2008–2009) On December 27, 2008, Cruz and Baguio were traded to the
Air21 Express in exchange for two of Air21's draft picks. For the
2009 Fiesta Conference, the team became known as the
Burger King Titans. They brought in head coach
Yeng Guiao, who had coached Cruz before with Barako. In a win over Ginebra, he made a clutch three-pointer that sealed the win.
Purefoods (2009) On April 17, 2009, Cruz was traded from Burger King to the
Purefoods TJ Giants for forward
Aaron Aban.
Barangay Ginebra (2009–2010) On August 3, 2009,
Barangay Ginebra traded
Paul Artadi,
Rafi Reavis, and the rights to
2009 eighth overall pick
Chris Timberlake for
Enrico Villanueva,
Rich Alvarez, Cruz, and
Paolo Bugia of Purefoods. Burger King acted as the conduit team, trading
Pocholo Villanueva to Ginebra and acquiring the rights to 2009 18th overall pick Orlando Daroya and two future draft picks. In a game against Talk 'N Text, he fractured his left hand, and could not play the rest of the game.
Powerade (2010–2012) At the end of the
2009–10 PBA season, he was released by the
Barangay Ginebra Kings. Days after, he was signed by the
Powerade Tigers as a free agent. This would be his third time that he played for a team owned by the
San Miguel Corporation. He played a key role on his first year as its starting point guard. Together with
Gary David, they became a one-two punch for their offense. In the 2011 offseason, Powerade selected
JVee Casio and
Marcio Lassiter with the first and fourth picks in the
2011 PBA draft respectively. Together with David, they became a new "Big 3" on offense. In a win over the
Shopinas.com Clickers during the
2011–12 Philippine Cup, Cruz scored 15 points, stepping up for a temporarily injured Casio. Despite entering the playoffs as the eighth-seeded team, Powerade went on to stun the top ranked
B-MEG Llamados in the quarterfinals and upset Rain or Shine in the semifinals to make the
finals. A few days later, on May 1, 2012, he and
Carlo Sharma were traded back to Barako for
Dorian Peña. This would be the seventh team of his career. In a win over Ginebra during the
2012–13 Philippine Cup, he scored eight of his 10 points in the third quarter. However, during the conference, he fractured his thumb when he fell from a folding chair trying to fix a ceiling light in his home. Before the start of the next conference, the
Commissioner's Cup, he fractured it again when his thumb got caught in
Meralco Bolts rookie
Cliff Hodge's playing shorts during a practice game. Before the start of the
2013–14 season, he was cut from the team. == National team career ==