Grand Reunion Tour Features
Ruffy Ignacio - 1/3/2008
 Ramon Fernandez, Philip Cesar and Abe King
 

A spectacular engagement and what promises to be a Classic One-on-One Battle of Champions will be presented during the Grand Reunion Tour of Philippine Basketball Greats in all four venues in California in March  2008.

 

As background, in the 1980s, the Philippine Basketball Association sponsored a One-on-One competition among superstar athletes of the era. When the dust settled in the contests, in 1981, Philip Cezar emerged as Champion, followed by Ramon Fernandez in 1982. In 1983, the last year of the competition, Abe King, Jr. reigned champion. Since then the One-on-One contest was terminated and never revived. And to this day, therefore, the undisputed champions were Cezar, Fernandez and King.

 

In March 2008 in California, in all four venues of the Grand Reunion Tour roadshow, the audience will be treated to unprecedented One-on-One Battles between the three champions. Cezar, Fernandez and King will battle it out, mano a mano, and relive their prideful, glory days in the hardcourt.

 

Here is what makes the encounters more interesting. Before each One-on-One contest, the audience will have the chance to pick up the evening’s winner among the three superstars. Cezar, Fernandez and King will have their respective boxes at the lobby where the audience can cast their votes. From the winning box (Cezar, Fernandez or King), the final winner from the audience will be selected via raffle. Handsome prizes will be awarded to the lucky winners by Cezar, Fernandez and King.

 

Let’s know more about the One-on-One Champions of the golden years of Philippine professional basketball.

 

Philip Cezar

He goes by the monicker Tapal King, Mr. Stretch and the Scholar. Philip Cezar was able to score a couple of commercial endorsements by being the “Tapal King” for his expertise in blocking shots. Cezar distinguished himself as one of the headiest players in the pro league. His former teammate in the champion Crispa team, Atoy Co, called him a perfect thoroughbred.  Cezar has a wiry body that withstood the rough and tumble of Philippine basketball, notwithstanding his care-free lifestyle. His wingspan is unusual for a man his size. It was not mere physical talent but something else that made him a great player: his defense, teammanship, and smarts.

Ramon Fernandez bears various monickers: "The Franchise", "El Presidente" and "Don Ramon".. Considered by experts to be one of the greatest Filipino basketball player of all time, Fernandez won four Most Valuable Player awards, a record 19 PBA championships (the equivalent of 6 championships in the NBA as the PBA runs three championships a year). His legendary jersey number was 10 though he would wear no. 19 from the time he played for Tanduay in 1985 until his retirement in 1994. Fernandez scored 18,996 points to finish as the PBA's all time scoring leader. He is also the PBA's all-time leader in rebounds, blocked shots and 2nd all time in assists and steals.

Abe King, Jr. was the original Chairman of the Boards, one who was king of rebounds. He became known for exceptional  abilities in his 18-year professional career – power, toughness and superlative rebounding attributes. From the time he broke into the pro league with Toyota in 1977 to his retirement with Purefoods in 1977, King distinguished himself as a tenacious defender and relentless rebounder who wouldn’t back down a good fight. To this day, King’s record as the youngest player in the PBA, at 19 years old, still stands.

King was a prolific scorer as well. He scored 60 points for Toyota against arch rival Crispa in 1979 becoming then only the second Filipino athlete after Danny Florencio who scored that milestone.

Abe King is a born leader. He is founder of the PBA Legends USA Foundation and is its very first Chairman of the Board and President.