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        CARLOS LOYZAGA    RAMON FERNANDEZ    ROBERT JAWORSKI    BENJIE PARAS     BOBBY PARKS                                ALLAN CAIDIC                HECTOR CALMA         ALVIN PATRIMONIO

Hall of famers        All-time mythical five        25 best PBA players        Present batch of celebrities        Four-time MVPs

       

 

 

 

 

CARLOS "The Big Difference" LOYZAGA


 There was something in common in the country's third place finish in the 1954 World Basketball championship, its four consecutive gold medals in the Asian Games from 1951 to 1962, and its good performance in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and 1960 Rome Olympics. The common thing was Carlos Loyzaga, who was ironically dubbed as the "Big Difference" of Philippine basketball.

A two-time Olympian, Loyzaga, the team captain, was responsible for steering the fabled Philippine team to third place finish in the World Basketball Championship in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on November 5, 1954. He was named to the Mythical Selection for his sterling performance because he was the third best individual scorer in the world event. The Philippines beat Uruguay, 67-63 to win the third place. The title was won by the United States against Brazil.

Loyzaga was the first basketball player to be inducted into the National Basketball Hall of Fame.

 

RAMON FERNANDEZ

The Court's commander in chief. This basketball-obsessed nation elected to call him "El Presidente". Mon's policy of giving 100% all the time scored him and his team unprecedented triumphs. His platform of "discipline, perseverance, patience and honesty" consolidated his leadership stance. His performance on the court ushered in a glorious term for Philippine basketball. Mon's ultimate agenda is to make the Philippines a superior basketball republic.     

Career PBA Highlights:


-Member of the 1989 San Miguel Grand Slam Team
-Most Valuable Player in 1982, 1984, 1986, and 1988
-Mythical First Team Selection in 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, and 1992
-Mythical Second Team Selection in 1985, 1987, and 1990
-Four time PBA All-Star

Other Basketball Highlights:
-1994 Asian Games Assistant Coach
-Metropolitan Basketball Association Commissioner 1998-1999

 

ROBERT JAWORSKI

As an amateur standout, the Big J contributed to Philippine team efforts in several international competitions, including three Asian Games and the Mexico Olympics in 1968. Named one of Asia's five top basketball players in the late 1960s, Jaworski slowly gained the reputation of a perennial all-star.

Career PBA Highlights:


-Most Valuable Player in 1978
-Mythical First Team Selection in 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, and 1986
-Mythical Second Team Selection in 1985, and 1988
-All Defensive Team in 1985, and 1988
-Four time PBA All-Star
-Won four championship as a coach in 1986 Open Conference, 1988 All-Filipino Conference, 1991 First Conference, and 1997 Commissioner's Cup
-Coached the 1990 PBA All-Star Veterans, 1991 PBA All-Star Dark Team, 1992 PBA All-Star North Team, 1996 PBA All-Star Rookie/Sophomore/Juniors, and 1997 PBA All-Star Veterans

Other Basketball Highlights:
-Head Coach of the 1990 Asian Games

 

ALVIN PATRIMONIO

 Alvin Patrimonio (born November 17 1966) also known as "The Captain" is a basketball player from the Philippines. He holds several Filipino and Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) records including most consecutive games played and most number of Most Valuable Player awards. He played with the Purefoods TJ Hotdogs and won several championships (mostly in the PBA All Filipino Cup); he also played for the Philippine national team including the 1998 Philippine Centennial team.

Career PBA Highlights:

International Career Highlights:

Philippine Basketball Association All-Time Records:


 BENJIE PARAS


 Benjie Paras of Formula Shell was the first and only PBA player who won the MVP and the Rookie of the Year awards in the same year. Paras, with the moniker "Tower of Power", accomplished his double feats in 1989. When tall Filipino-American players posed a threat to this record, Paras again rose to the occasion and bagged the coveted MVP title in 1999.

BOBBY PARKS


 Bobby Parks won the "Best Import" award in the PBA for seven times. Parks has played for Shell and is now one of the team's consultants.

Grand Slam Coaches


Four PBA coaches were able to win a grand slam (three championship titles in a year) each for their respective teams. They are Baby Dalupan and Tommy Manotoc of Crispa Redmanizers, Norman Black of San Miguel Beer, and Tim Cone of Alaska Milk.

ALLAN CAIDIC

Allan Caidic, probably the best three-point shooter in the land during his heyday, has represented the Philippines as a player in four Asian Games (1986, 1990, 1994 and 1998) and as an assistant coach in the 2002 Asian Games. He was a part of the basketball team that won the Jones Cup in 1985 and 1998 and played a large part in clinching the Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) championship in 1986.

Career PBA Highlights:


-Most Valuable Player in 1990
-Rookie of the Year in 1987
-Mythical First Team Selection in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1995
-Mythical Second Team Selection in 1993, and 1994
-Best Player of the Conference in 1995 Governor's Cup
-Eight time PBA All-Star
-Most Valuable Player of the 1993 PBA All-Star Game

Other Basketball Highlights:
Member of the 1990, 1994, and 1998 Asian Games

 

HECTOR CALMA

Hector Calma was a part of the Philippine basketball team that won the Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) juniors championship in 1978 and 1982 and played a pivotal role in clinching the ABC men's title in 1986. Calma was also a part of the Philippines in Asian Games in 1990 and 1994.

Career PBA Highlights:


-Member of the 1989 San Miguel Grand Slam Team
-Mythical First Team Selection in 1987, 1988, and 1989
-Three time PBA All-Star

 

Hall of Famers


As of 2002, there are 22 basketball players enshrined into the Hall of Fame. Aside from Loyzaga, other basketball players who have been named to the National Basketball Hall of Fame since 1999 include Kurt Bachmann, Carlos Badion, Narciso Bernardo, Charlie Borck, Ramoncito Campos, Loreto Carbonell, Jacinto Ciria-Cruz, Geronimo Cruz, Fely and Gabby Fajardo, Tony Genato, Rafael Hechanova, Eddie Lim, Alfonso (Boy) Marquez, Antonio and Primitivo Martinez, Lauro Mumar, Ed Ocampo, Ambrosio Padilla, Mariano Tolentino, and Francisco Vestil.
 

All-Time Mythical Five

 
In January 1998, the Philippine Basketball Association has recognized the All-Time Mythical Five of Philippine Basketball: Carlos Loyzaga, Narciso Bernardo, Robert Jaworski, Hector Calma and Alvin Patrimonio representing five decades of Philippine basketball. Loyzaga was cited for his exploits in the 1950s, Bernardo in the 1960s, Jaworski in the 1970s, Calma in the 1980s and Patrimonio in the 1990s.

25 Best PBA Players

 
 The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) has recognized the "25 All-Time Greatest Players" in the league: Johnny Abarrientos, William "Bogs" Adornado, Ato Agustin, Francis Arnaiz, Lim Eng Beng, Ricardo Brown, Allan Caidic, Hector Calma, Philip Cezar, Atoy Co, Jerry Codiņera, Kenneth Duremdes, Bernard Fabiosa, Ramon Fernandez, Danny Florencio, Alberto Guidaben, Freddie Hubalde, Robert Jaworski, Jojo Lastimosa, Samboy Lim, Ronnie Magsanoc, Vergel Meneses, Manny Paner, Benjie Paras, and Alvin Patrimonio.

Present Batch of Celebrities

 
 A new batch of tall basketball players, many of them Filipino-Americans, has been recently hogging the PBA limelight. Standing at least six feet and six inches tall, these players include Marlou Aquino, Bonel Balingit, Davonn Harp, Dennis Espino, Edward Joseph Feihl, Danny Ildefonso, Jun Limpot, Eric Menk, Mick Pennisi, Andy and Danny Seigle, Paul "Asi" Taulava, and James Walkvist. Feihl, for one, stands seven feet tall.

Four-Time MVPs

 
Two PBA players hold the record of having won the MVP awards four times in their career. These players are Ramon Fernandez of Crispa Redmanizers and Alvin Patrimonio of TJ Hotdogs. Fernandez retired from the PBA in the early 1990s while Patrimonio remains an active player for the Hotdogs.