The list, which starts with a tough loss and ends with an iconic handshake, mirrors the breadth of El Presidente’s legendary career.
From the time he first made his towering presence known as a member of the 1972 Philippine Youth Team until his retirement as an all-time PBA great in 1994, Ramon Fernandez has played in over a thousand official basketball games.
These included stints with the national team, the old MICAA, and of course, the PBA where he was a pioneer when the league opened shop in 1975. By the time he walked away from the sport, Fernandez had won an Asian Youth gold and Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC, precursor of FIBA-Asia) gold, 19 PBA championships, and an Asian Games silver.
With a list of accomplishments as long as his six-foot-five frame, one would expect Fernandez to think long and hard about his five most memorable games. Instead, he showed he was as quick-thinking off the court as he was on it.
Here’s his list, as told to The GAME in an exclusive interview:
The one that got away
In a mild surprise, no. 1 on the list is a loss. And not just any loss. Ever heard of the Pinoy basketball expressions panalo na, natalo pa? This game was the perfect example. On August 2, 1980, the Toyota Tamaraws were 16 seconds away from winning the PBA Open Conference crown as they led the U/Tex Wranglers, 94-90, in the deciding Game 5.
Somehow, that lead vanished and U/Tex won by one point in overtime. Over four decades later, Fernandez still hasn’t gotten over it.
“Definitely the one that really sticks to my coconut is our loss to U/Tex in the championship series,” he said. Fernandez eventually retired with 19 championships, but it really should have been 20.
Asian champions
Quick question: When was the last time a purely homegrown Philippine national team hoisted the Asian championship trophy? You have to turn your mind’s eye all the way back to 1973 for the answer to this one.
Ramon Fernandez, then a gangling 20-year-old, was part of the national team that won the 1973 Asian Basketball Confederation championship before a home crowd at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum. That team included future PBA stars like Bogs Adornado, Sonny Jaworski, Abet Guidaben, Francis Arnaiz and Yoyong Martirez.
“Number two would be our championship game in the 1973 national team, which is FIBA Asia right now, the ABC, which was held at Rizal Memorial Coliseum,” he said. The RP Team, as they were known back then, swept the tournament with a perfect 10-0 record, culminating in a 90-78 victory over fierce rivals South Korea that earned for the Philippines the lone Asian slot in the 1974 World Championships. Which is the perfect segue to…
Beating the Aussies
“The other one was our win against Australia in the 1974 World Basketball Championships in Puerto Rico,” Fernandez said.
Yes, decades before that infamous brawl, there was a time when the Philippines beat Australia on the world stage. It came during the classification round of the 1974 FIBA World Basketball Championships, after the Philippines had gone winless in the group stage.
Relegated to the classification round, the Philippines were still in search of a win entering their game against Australia. They had to overcome a 39-point effort from the hot-shooting Eddie Palubinskas to squeeze out a huge 101-100 win. Adornado led the way with 20 points, and just behind them was the young Ramon Fernandez, who poured in 16 against a taller Aussie frontline.
The Philippines eventually finished 13th out of 14 teams with a 2-5 record, beating Central African Republic in their last assignment.
Youth movement
Around a year before he won the ABC men’s championship, Ramon Fernandez collected his first international title as a member of the RP Youth team that won the Second Asian Youth Basketball Championships, also at the fabled Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
“Of course, also our championship in 1972 when I was a member of the youth team,” Fernandez, then only 19, recalled.
The Philippines had won the inaugural tournament in 1970, so the pressure was on to retain it in front of their countrymen. The boys, among them future Fernandez rivals Philip Cezar and Atoy Co, rose to the challenge, sweeping the tournament with a perfect 9-0 record.
That handshake
If you were a PBA fan in the 1980s, you’ll never forget the 1989 All-Star Game.
The league, wisely capitalizing on a unique intersection in its history where a new breed of players was coming up to challenge the old guard, introduced a new format, pitting the veterans against the rookies and the sophomores.
For sheer star power alone, that All-Star Game had extra high wattage. The young guns led by Alvin Patrimonio, Jojo Lastimosa and Benjie Paras going up against the established stars like Philip Cezar, Samboy Lim, and Allan Caidic.
But at the center of it all were two veterans: Ramon Fernandez and Sonny Jaworski, former Toyota teammates who were in the midst of their own Cold War. The final play of the game, just moments after Lastimosa had buried a corner triple to tie it up with seconds left, saw Jaworski inbound the ball to Fernandez, who drove the baseline and put up a short shot at the buzzer to win it all.
Afterwards, Veterans coach Baby Dalupan grabbed both men and had them shake hands as the crowd went nuts. Nearly four decades later, Fernandez still looks fondly at that last play.
“That was the time when we were not yet on talking terms with coach Sonny, my former teammate before,” he recalled. “So it was kind of a special game also considering that the last play, he passed it to me in the last 3, 4, 5 seconds and I was able to shoot it to win the game. And most especially after that when Baby Dalupan got me and Sonny Jaworski to shake hands and you could hear the whole crowd.”
Banner images from Ed Simon/KLIQ Inc.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fernandez cites the Toyota Tamaraws’ Game 5 loss to U/Tex in the 1980 PBA Open Conference finals as his most memorable game, where Toyota blew a 94-90 lead with just 16 seconds remaining and lost in overtime.
Fernandez was part of the Philippine national team that swept the 1973 ABC championship with a perfect 10-0 record, defeating South Korea 90-78 in the final to earn the country’s lone slot in the 1974 World Championships.
The Philippines defeated Australia 101-100 in the classification round, overcoming a 39-point performance from Eddie Palubinskas, with Bogs Adornado scoring 20 points and a young Ramon Fernandez adding 16.
The game featured a veterans-versus-rookies format, with Fernandez hitting the game-winning shot off a pass from former rival and teammate Sonny Jaworski, followed by an on-court handshake between the two that became an iconic PBA moment.
Ramon Fernandez won 19 PBA championships during his career, along with an Asian Youth gold medal, an Asian Basketball Confederation gold medal, and an Asian Games silver medal.
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