78 Things you may or may not know about the Big J
A tribute on the Big J on his 78th birthday
Jay P. Mercado
Today, March 08, 2024, we celebrate Robert Jaworski, Sr.’s 78th birthday. Dubbed as the Living Legend, here’s a list of 78 interesting items regarding the Big J:
2. Before “The Big J,” he was called “The Hands” by the late, great sportscaster Willie Hernandez.
3. Jaworski became the face of the UE Red Warriors and played the center position, which explains his ability to post up his defenders even when he was already half a century old.
4. Jaworski once played for future arch-rival Crispa Redmanizers in the MICAA as his UE head coach, Virgilio “Baby” Dalupan, secured his services to suit up for the textile firm.
5. While playing for the Meralco Reddy Kilowatts in the MICAA, Jaworski wasn’t among the most prominent known for bruising plays. Instead, his enforcer teammates “protected” him from the opponents’ bullies who wanted to take a swipe at him.
6. Jaworski was tagged as “The Barreling Big J” because of his ability to penetrate the interior with ease and part the defense by “barreling” his way inside.
7. Jaworski was once a columnist for the defunct Sports Flash magazine where he expressed his inner thoughts and feelings, including the 1990 Anejo walkout against Shell in the Finals. The title of his column? Refer to item #6.
8. Jaworski’s loyalty to his players is legendary. He stood by his players when he was playing coach for the Ginebra San Miguel franchise and even took in long-time rivals Philip Cezar and Freddie Hubalde.
9. What may not be known is Jaworski’s loyalty to his bosses. He stayed loyal with the Lopezes of Meralco until the team disbanded, became loyal to the Silverios until the team disbanded after the 1983 season, and was loyal to the Palanca / Soriano / Cojuangco families until he ran for the Senate in 1998.
10. Jaworski placed 9th overall in the 1998 Senatorial elections, the highest-placed finish for a former athlete. He garnered nearly 9 million votes. Freddie Webb won a seat in the Senate in 1992 while placing 12th while former teammate Ramon Fernandez landed 18th place in the 1995 polls.
11. One of the last trade moves made by Robert Jaworski as playing coach for Ginebra was trading his rookie draft pick, Steven Smith for Paul Alvarez of San Miguel Beer at the start of the 1998 season. At that time, sister teams were still allowed to trade directly with one another.
12. Jaworski attracted controversy from his critics when, as the coach of a PBA All Star team, didn’t start the voted starters for the game and instead put in five players of his choice. The PBA admitted that there was no definite rule that forces the coach to field in the voted players at the start of the game.
13. Robert Jaworski was one of the players utilized by Coach Tito Eduque to hound the South Korean hotshot Shin Dong Pa in the 1973 ABC Finals. Other players who took their turn defending against Shin were Rogelio Melencio, Dave Regullano and Francis Arnaiz.
14. It was Virgilio “Baby” Dalupan, then Veterans coach, who was responsible for the official reconciliation of Jaworski and Fernandez in the 1989 All Star game. Dalupan encouraged Jaworski to shake hands with Fernandez after the two collaborated in giving the Veterans a two-point victory, 132-130. The two obliged amidst the roaring of the crowd at the ULTRA.
15. When Toyota broke up, Jaworski counted on the support of his close buddies – Arnaiz, Chito Loyzaga and Arnie Tuadles. While the latter two didn’t join Gilbey’s Gin immediately in 1984, they eventually joined Jaworski when the Big J became the head coach in 1985 (Tuadles) and 1986 (Loyzaga).
16. In Game 4 of the 1986 AFC Finals between Tanduay and Ginebra, Jaworski and Arnaiz had a discussion in front of the cameras while plotting the last play. Down by 1 point, 93-92 with 6 seconds remaining, Arnaiz wanted a play set up. Jaworski was overheard saying, “pare, wala nang oras, di na pwede.” The Big J set up a play where he was to re-secure the ball after inbounding and attack the lane to attract a foul.
17. When Anejo Rum won its first All Filipino title at the expense of the young Purefoods TJ Hotdogs in 1988, Jaworski wound up as the best player of the game at age 42, scoring 28 points, including the critical baskets that broke the collective backs and spirits of the Hotdogs.
18. Controversy erupted in Game 4 of the 1986 AFC Finals between Tanduay and Ginebra when Jaworski stole the ball cleanly from Freddie Hubalde using his patented “karate” chop. Replays showed that it was a clean steal but the referee called it a foul. Up by 1, Jaworski and Ginebra protested vehemently. The call stood, Hubalde canned both FT’s, and Ginebra sued for time with 6 seconds left.
19. When Jaworski won his first title as a playing coach for Ginebra in the 1986 Open Conference versus Manila Beer, he broke the record among longest-played by a local in a game. He fielded himself the whole game of Game 4, including the two overtimes, to chalk up 58 minutes of playing time. All this done at the ripe age of 40 years old!
20. When he first became playing coach of Ginebra in 1985, Jaworski wanted to hire the services of former Toyota teammate and import Andy Fields in the inaugural conference of the season. Unfortunately, Fields wasn’t available and the Big J had to contend with a lemon of an import named Harold Driver.
21. Jaworski, known for his acerbic wit and candid retorts, once said about Harold Driver, his import, upon shipping him out: “Akala ko driver nakuha namin, yun pala, kutsero!”
22. In another dig on one of his lemon imports, Carlton McKinney, Jaworski described McKinney when asked about his reinforcement: “Malakas at magaling! Malakas kumain at magaling mag-ingles!”
23. Jaworski couldn’t forget about the exploits of Billy Ray Bates for Crispa in the 1983 season that when agent Sam Unera informed the Big J about Bates’ availability, Jaworski didn’t think twice and readily gave the go signal to hire the super import to play for Ginebra in the 1986 Open Conference.
24. Jaworski loved players who worked hard and didn’t regard themselves as superstars. Which explains why he was able to mold a lot of no-namers and benchwarmers to reliable cogs. Some examples include Dante Gonzalgo, Rudy Distrito, Leo Isaac, Harmon Codinera, among many others.
25. Jaworski has 4 children with Evelyn Bautista, the daughter of actor Ramon Revilla. All of them were named starting with the letter “R” – Robert, Jr. Ryan, Ron Michael and daughter Ricci Elaine.
26. Jaworski coveted Benjie Paras ever since the latter played for him in the 1990 national team. He was willing to give up anyone from his lineup, except for himself and Chito Loyzaga, as well as future first round picks just to secure the recalcitrant Paras who wanted out from Shell at the start of the 1993 season.
27. Another personal favorite of the Big J was Avelino “Samboy” Lim. Despite his bruising defense, Jaworski was “softer” when it came to guarding Lim. He also gave Lim extensive minutes in the 1990 Asian Games, in various exhibition games and in All Star games where he allowed the Skywalker to do his thing.
28. One of Jaworski’s frequent balik-imports, Michael Hackett, tried to make a comeback by flying to Manila with the hope of being rehired by the Big J sometime in the early 90’s. Unfortunately, Hackett had been inactive and out of shape and Jaworski couldn’t offer him a job.
29. We all know of Jaworski once owning the record for having played the longest in one game with 58 minutes (eventually broken by Zandro “Jun” Limpot of Sta. Lucia) in the 1986 season. What many wouldn’t know is that Jaworski also holds the record for least time played in a single game with 1 second. In a game sometime in the mid-90’s, Jaworski didn’t field himself in the entire game, except in the final second to inbound the ball and set up a potential winning play.
30. Jaworski’s jersey number at UE was #5. He started using #7 when he suited up for Meralco in the MICAA.
31. Two players were recruited by Toyota because of their ability to play like the Big J. These were Pablo Javier and Tim Coloso. At that time, being a Big J prototype brought interest because of their built, quarterbacking, attacking the paint, and ability to defend against their opponents well.
32. The creation of the 30-second timeout can be attributed to Coaches Ron Jacobs and Jaworski. Jacobs utilized the 30-second injury timeout by instructing his players to feign injury and make use of the time so that he can talk to his players. Jaworski was responsible for complaining this to then Commissioner Jun Bernardino. Eventually, Bernardino integrated this as part of the regular timeouts given to teams and the injury timeout stricken off.
33. Jaworski’s unique surname is attributed to his Polish father who married a Filipina and resided in Baguio City – the birthplace of the Big J.
34. Ex-Crispa players Bernie Fabiosa and Atoy Co were reputed to have tried their luck by practicing with the Ginebra team after Hubalde and Cezar were taken in by the Big J. Alas, the two didn’t crack the final lineup.
35. Jaworski was a stickler for discipline and physical conditioning. When he drafted the 6’4 Anthony Mendoza in the 1987 PBA Draft, many fans felt Mendoza would be a key contributor for the team, owing to the perennial size problem the team had. But Jaworski eventually gave up on Mendoza for his inability to cope with the rigors of the game.
36. Jaworski’s longevity in the PBA made him a revered figure among players and fans. He was also disliked by players who he had skirmishes with. Notable names include the likes of Jojo Lastimosa, Romy Orillosa, Jay Ramirez, Totoy Marquez, Willie Generalao, Biboy Ravanes and Abet Guidaben.
37. The Big J surprised many when he took in Bal David from free agency at the start of the 1996 season. Back then, Jaworski wasn’t noted for getting small point guards who didn’t have enough bulk. Jaworski’s unusual decision made dividends as David instantly provided the spark off the bench and made the team more endearing to their fans, becoming one of the most popular players in the history of the PBA.
38. Jaworski resurrected the dying careers of several players, making them worthy once more when they played for him. Names include Rudy Distrito, Pido Jarencio, Sonny Cabatu, Romy Mamaril, Philip Cezar, among others.
39. Twice, Jaworski got spurned by his rookie draft picks because of lower pay. Romy Dela Rosa, in 1989, and Victor Pablo, in 1993 were both first round picks by the Big J but didn’t play for him when the salaries offered to them weren’t enticing enough. The Big J traded DL Rosa to Shell for Rey Cuenco while Pablo was released to Pepsi for Manny Victorino.
40. The Big J was the undisputed leader of the Toyota franchise until he suffered from a groin injury in 1982. It was when Ramon Fernandez established himself as the new leader of the team. This led to the internal turmoil within the team, ultimately exploding when the team disbanded in 1983.
41. In 1991, at the ripe age of 45, Jaworski became the Best Player of the deciding Game 7 of the Open Conference. Scoring 13 points, collaring 7 boards and dishing off 6 dimes, the Big J led Ginebra to a scintillating come-from-behind title win against Formula Shell, having come back from a 1-3 deficit to beat the Oilers, 4-3.
42. Because of his value for loyalty, Jaworski took it bitterly when Toyota disbanded and sold their playing rights to Beer Hausen without consulting them. He blamed then team manager Jack Rodriguez for the team’s demise while professing his continued loyalty to the Silverio family.
43. Jaworski averaged 20 points, 11.2 boards and 8.8 dimes for the entire season of 1978 – regarded as perhaps the most incredible performance in PBA history by a local player for one season.
44. Jaworski made a lot of questionable decisions in the Draft. In 1989, he drafted unknown Romy Dela Rosa instead of bigger names like Zaldy Realubit or Ato Agustin. Dela Rosa ended up not getting signed and traded for Shell’s Rey Cuenco. He could have gotten Johnny Abarrientos in 1993 but instead opted for Vic Pablo, who also didn’t sign up. In 1995, he recruited Edward Joseph Feihl as the 2nd overall pick instead of 1998 MVP Kenneth Duremdes.
45. Jaworski endorsed several brands during his entire playing career. Some notable brands include Juvelon E+, Toyota Macho, Pepsodent toothpaste, Timex, Dr. J Rubbing Alcohol, Cerveza Negra, Tender Leaf Tea and Ginebra San Miguel.
46. Jaworski appeared in several movies and television shows. He had a sitcom program on BBC 2 called Prrt! Foul along with Francis Arnaiz and Yoyong Martirez. He also came out in an action show called “Manila Files” with Arnaiz where they portrayed swashbuckling detectives, ala Starsky & Hutch.
47. At the ripe age of 40 years old, Jaworski was still among the 5 best players of the league, cracking the PBA Mythical 5 alongside Ricardo Brown, Hubalde, Fernandez and Victorino. This, while essaying his role as Ginebra playing coach!
48. Several rumors came about of a Jaworski coaching comeback in the past couple of years. He was rumored to have been offered by several teams, including Red Bull, Air 21 and Meralco, to coach the team or serve as their consultant.
49. Despite his demi-god status, Jaworski wasn’t spared of injuries that normally befell basketball players. In 1982, he was only active in the first conference and didn’t play much in the remaining two because of a groin injury.
50. Jaworski was the first coach in the PBA to use the magnetic slate – the board that uses magnets instead of markers when drawing up plays. At that time, other coaches like Norman Black used the whiteboard while others made use of writing their plays on the floor using a white chalk.
51. Despite the popularity of the long shorts popularized by Michael Jordan, Jaworski continued using the shorter-length bottoms as he wanted a “lighter” feeling whenever he plays.
52. The Big J’s age was slowly being manifested through his thinning hair. Whenever he took free throws, Jaworski was one of only a few players who would uncharacteristically comb his hair with his hand to see that every strand is in its proper place.
53. In the Crispa-Toyota reunion game of 2003, Jaworski’s first and only FG attempt at the basket was the three point shot that he made from a Ramon Fernandez dish. That turned out to be the game winner as the final score ended at 65-61, the last points coming from the Big J’s trey. He did miss two FT’s in the final few plays after being fouled.
54. In an informal survey conducted in 1991 by a television network, Robert Jaworski remained to be the country’s most popular sports personality, topping the list with Samboy Lim placing second overall.
55. In a 1973 survey, the Big J came second in national popularity among the top cagers in the country, averaging 25.8% just behind the most popular player that time, Freddie Webb, who garnered 28.7%. The Big J’s popularity spread for at least 4 decades which explains why his name remains cognizant even among the younger fans today.
56. Young fans admire Beau Belga’s baseball pass – a lost art in the PBA today. This was commonly used by Jaworski from 1975 until he last played in 1997 – using the baseball pass to take advantage of an unprepared transition defense from their opponents. The baseball pass was a vaunted weapon of the Toyota Tamaraws, Jaworski’s team. Import Andrew Fields and local big men Ramon Fernandez and Abe King used this to jumpstart the transition attack.
57. One of Jaworski’s most famous lines was, “kung ayaw mong masaktan, mag-chess ka na lang!” This was in response to his critics who felt he was playing the game beyond the normal physicality necessary. How appropriate that this line is frequently used by younger fans at present when they see physicality being tolerated in the game today.
58. When Jaworski was appointed by Lito Puyat as head coach of the 1990 national team, Jaworski initially assembled a 15-man pool that also included Jerry Codiñera, Paul Alvarez and Jojo Lastimosa. Codiñera was actually part of the final 12-man list but contacted hepatitis and had to be repaced by Presto center Zaldy Realubit.
59. “Caidic or Lim? Calma or Magsanoc? Victorino or Guidaben? Paras or Codinera?” If Jaworski were asked these questions, he would have opted for Lim, Magsanoc, Victorino and Paras. What was their common denominator that the Big J appreciated? One word: toughness.
60. Jaworski wore the Converse brand during his earlier years in the PBA. He also became an endorser for Kaypee that featured his own signature. By the time he was about to leave the game, he was already wearing shoes named after him.
61. One of the PBA logos created and used by the league in the early 90’s was inspired by the silhouette of a Big J dribbling the ball.
62. Robert Jaworski’s middle name is Salazar. He is a cousin of his assistant coach and former Toyota teammate, Quirino Salazar.
63. We normally hear Coach Norman Black quip to his players during timeouts: “Jimmy, this is you, Larry, this is you.” That particular line traces back to Robert Jaworski, who used that same line when drawing up plays – “Chito, this is you…Joey, this is you…Dante, this is you.”
64. When the 3-point shot was instituted by the PBA in 1980, the first player to ever score beyond the arc, albeit, in a pre-season game, was Robert Jaworski. Officially though, Tefilin import Charlie Floyd made the first trey in the debut game of the 1980 season.
65. Believe it or not, Jaworski and Atoy Co were once teammates for the national team. This happened in 1974, when the two represented the country in the Teheran Asian Games. The two became primary rivals in the PBA when they suited up for the two most popular teams in the land.
66. It was reported that the lifting of the ban on Jaworski to play basketball was requested by Bongbong Marcos, a well-known Jaworski fan, to his father. In 1973, the ban was lifted and Jaworski was recruited to play for the national team.
67. When once asked if he was smoking, Jaworski reportedly replied, “kung sa usok na galling sa tambutso ng bus eh lumalayo tayo, yun pang isusubo sa bibig mo?” The Big J would have been a perfect endorser for then DOH Secretary Johnny Flavier’s “YOSI KADIRI” campaign during Fidel Ramos’ time.
68. Robert Jaworski never participated in any one-on-one tournament sponsored by the PBA despite constant prodding from the Commissioner’s Office. Jaworski has always felt that basketball is a team game.
69. Another player who tried out unsuccessfully to join Ginebra was the tough Ramon “Onchie” Dela Cruz. It was no secret that the Big J steered clear from Dela Cruz’s ruggedness as much as he can. In 1993, he was given an invitation to try out at Ginebra but things didn’t work out in the end. Dela Cruz would eventually revert to amateur status and helped lead the Philippine national team to the gold medal in the Singapore SEA Games.
70. Jaworski was close to Bogs Adornado. They were roommates when the Philippines went to San Juan, Puerto Rico for the 1974 World Basketball Championship. The two became very good friends and the Big J made Bogs feel welcome to the team that featured a couple of Toyota stars – Fernandez, Arnaiz and Reynoso.
71. In 1985, the Big J was close to signing Adornado to a contract where the latter will play for Ginebra. At the last minute, an unnamed league official made a call at the PBA office just when Adornado was to sign on the dotted line of the Ginebra contract. The said official disallowed the two to be part of one team as this was part of the league’s efforts to establish parity. “Hindi puwede magsama ang dalawang superstars sa isang team,” so claimed the league official. Adornado ended up signing for new team, Formula Shell, which bought the Crispa franchise.
72. Jaworski possessed one of the most recognizable shooting forms in PBA history. There were many notables, like Fernandez’s “elegant shot” or Atoy Co’s turnaround fadeaway jumper, or Allan Caidic’s left-handed shot slightly above his head and his right hand lending stability to the ball. The Big J’s right hander, aided by his large palms, would see him flipping the ball with ease yet with so much control. Couple that with bended knees to provide the power in his jumpshot.
73. The Big J owns the league record for the most number of assists ever with 5,825. This may be a record that may not be broken in the coming generations. His closest pursuer, teammate Fernandez, has 605 less dimes.
74. When Jaworski won the MVP award in 1978, he was also named Mr. Basketball for the year.
75. Robert Jaworski was tapped to be one of the hosts of the entertainment program, “Celebrity” aired over GTV-4, in 1978. This was a testament to his massive popularity.
76. Jaworski would have made a case as MVP in the 1977 season. From 1975 to 1979, MVP winners were awarded after the first conference of the season – the All Filipino. Deservingly, Freddie Hubalde won the award that year because he was Crispa’s main man that gave the Redmanizers their 5th consecutive championship. However, had the award been given at the end of the season while factoring the performance of all the 3 conferences, Jaworski would have been the likely winner as he was the top player in terms of statistics as well as backstopping the Tamaraws to the 3rd conference championship against foreign team, Emtex Sacronels.
77. This may sound incredulous to many but back in the late 60’s to early 70’s, the Big J was actually described by fans to be a “ballhog.” Given that he was one of only a few players willing to take responsibility of winning the game by putting the ball in his hands, his success and failure in knocking down the go-ahead or tying basket created this perception. Eventually, the Big J will be remembered as the consummate teammate who prefers to involve his teammates rather than bask in personal glory.
78. It’s only fitting that on this 78th birthday, we remember the Big J’s best year being 1978. He won the MVP crown, had a near triple double season average in points, rebounds and assists, won the Mr. Basketball award, and led his team, Toyota, to two championships that year. Most impressive of which was how he carried the Tamaraws to twin victories against eventual world champions, Yugoslavia, 118-113, and Canada, 92-88 prior to the 1978 World Basketball Championship held in Manila. Yugoslavia won the gold medal in the tournament while Canada placed 5th.
Happy Birthday, Senator Jaworski! Cheers!
