ABE KING - Putting the “POWER” in the power forward position

           In the early PBA era, there was no absolute definition of roles of players inside the court. Unlike today when there’s a center, a power forward, a small forward, a shooting guard and a point guard, at that time, there was a center, 2 forwards and 2 guards. While the NBA already featured the five-position lineup, its Philippines’ counterpart relied on versatility and multi-skilling, allowing them to become well-rounded players.

            Big players like Ramon Fernandez, Philip Cezar, Boy Kutch, Manny Paner, Dave Supnet, among others were expected to play either the center or forward position. On the other hand, guys like Atoy Co, Robert Jaworski, Sr., Franciz Arnaiz, Freddie Webb, Lim Eng Beng, etc. were relied on to slide to the two guard positions at any given time.

            When Abraham Colombus King, Jr. joined the PBA in 1977 as a rookie for the multi-titled Toyota Tamaraws team, the dynamics changed significantly. Then Coach Dante Silverio, known as one of the more innovative coaches of his time, immediately inserted King in the starting roster and defined the roles of the players to make them more effective. Fernandez was the center, Jaworski manned the point, Arnaiz was the shooting guard, Gil Cortez essayed the small forward role, while King manned the #4 position.

            But the burly 6’3 King gave premium to the position given to him by putting the word “power” in power forward. While the NBA had the likes of Elvin Hayes, George McGinnis, Paul Silas, Maurice Lucas, and Bobby Jones already essaying the role to the hilt, it was Abe King who became known as the first genuine power forward in the Philippines.

Personal Life

            Abe King was born on a Tuesday, July 23, 1957. His father, Abraham, Sr., was a property contractor, while his mother, Josefina Mantilla, worked as a cashier at one of the American bases here in the Philippines. King grew up with his aunt, Eulalia Mantilla, at Imus in Cavite where he learned to play hoops.

            He finished his secondary education at the Emiliano Tria Tirona National High School located at Kawit, Cavite. It was during that time when referees Fely Sanatarina (later officiated in the PBA) and Maning Inocentes, discovered King’s talent and helped him hone his skills further.

Early Basketball Career

Later on, Coach Boy Afable brought King to San Beda College coach Caloy Loyzaga who immediately saw his potential and tapped him in the Red Lions’ roster in 1976. His teammates included the likes of future pros Frankie Lim, Chito Loyzaga, Chuck Barreiro, Noel and Joel Guzman, as well as college standouts Totoy Gagan, Bay Dela Paz, Rick Dabu, Ber Martin, Glenn Manzano, Eddie Boy Visaya, Ding Castañeda, Edwin Chu, and Mel Medina. King anchored the slot as he led the Red Lions to the Finals after more than two decades, barely losing to the talent-laden Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles led by future PBA players Joy Carpio, Steve Watson, Padim Israel, Fritz Gaston, Bambi Kabigting, and the likes of Pons Valdez, Chito Narvasa, Conrado Estrella, and Louie Rabat.

King also suited up for Toyota’s farm team in the MICAA, Crown Motors and collaborated with future Toyota teammate Emerito Legaspi and Ambo Javier to win the first conference of the 1977 MICAA. King played a pivotal role as he battled Anthony Dasalla of Solid Mills in the slot and prevailed. It gave King the impetus to prepare himself for the coming PBA wars which was to start in April that year.

Rookie at Age 19

King’s potential was already noticed, that in 1977, when he was barely 19 years old, he was recruited by Dante Silverio to play for the Toyota Tamaraws in the PBA, making him one of the youngest players ever to play in the PBA. It was clear that King’s game was cut out for the pros because of his unique size and strength, the physicality in the PBA makes him ideal to bang bodies against the veteran players.

True enough, King immediately made an impact. Silverio tapped King in the starting roster and formed a formidable partnership at the slot with Ramon Fernandez, who, by that time, has already established himself as the country’s best center. After Big Boy Reynoso left the team in 1975, Toyota found difficulty matching up against arch rivals Crispa, losing in all 3 conferences of the 1976 season that gave the Redmanizers its first franchise grandslam. With the need to shore up their frontline, King was the perfect fit in the team’s effort to match up against Crispa’s vaunted frontline of Abet Guidaben and Philip Cezar. King barely lost to Tanduay’s Jimmy Taguines in the Rookie of the Year race in controversial fashion, as many fans that time felt King deserved the accolade more.

He won one title for the Tamaraws in the 1977 season as Toyota, powered by a pair of solid imports in John “Dr. I” Irving and Bruce “Sky” King, won the Invitational Conference at the expense of the visiting Emtex Sacronels via a 3-0 sweep, the first shutout in PBA Finals history.

The Sacronels were no slouch, as the nucleus of their roster were part of their national team. Names like Milton “Carioca” Setrini, the eminent Oskar Schmidt, Marcel De Souza, Markus Leite and big man Marcel made up the team that lost to the Tamaraws. Curiously, this was almost the same team that Brazil fielded in the FIBA World Championships held in Manila 10 months after, winning the bronze medal on a last second 60-foot heave by De Souza from the backcourt at the expense of Italy, 86-85.

Toyota later won two more titles in 1978 in what may be arguably regarded as their best year in the league. They defeated sister team, Filmanbank, 3-1, their best of five finals to become champions in the All-Filipino, placed 3^rd in the Open Conference, and defended their invitationals title. By this time, King was already establishing himself as the premier power forward in the league as he and Cezar have established their superiority and dominance over their colleagues. He is also regarded in Philippine basketball history as the first local to complete a two-handed reverse dunk, when it was only common back then to see a player make a one-handed dunk.

Establishing His Presence

King’s first individual award came in 1979 when he won the Most Improved Player citation. Curiously, the PBA doesn’t reflect that in their archives, stating that they started giving out the award in 1983. But King indeed won that year, just as Lim Eng Beng and Tito Varela won the Sportsmanship Award in the 70’s and 80’s while the league claims that the award was first given out in 1993. But it was a testament to King’s continuous blossoming as an elite PBA player despite the difficulty of having to play alongside 3 major superstars in the league. It was on June 21 that same year when King established his career scoring record, tallying 60 points in an end of the eliminations game against Crispa, losing to the Redmanizers, 172-142, with Atoy Co chipping in 50 points himself. King established himself as an offensive firepower himself, scoring with ease from both inside and the perimeter, while manning the frontline by his lonesome as Fernandez didn’t play in that game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_WIMa-lh3M

It was therefore ironic that after the 1979 Open Conference when Royal Tru Orange upset the Tamaraws, 3-1, in the Finals, when Silverio accused King, Fernandez and Estoy Estrada of “not playing their best.” Other than the accusation, there was no direct evidence that linked the three superstars to any involvement in game-fixing, an issue that shocked the basketball world. Silverio was later replaced by Fort Acuña by team owner Ricardo Silverio, Sr., Dante’s uncle, as the fashionable coach couldn’t provide the evidence to back up his claim.

By then, King was already receiving offers from various parties to join their teams. Ultimately, King remained a Tamaraw until the team disbanded after the 1983 season. It was in 1982 when King had his best season, earning for himself a Mythical First Team honor, alongside teammates Fernandez and Arnaiz, Crispa’s Co, and U/Tex’s Adornado. This same unit formed the very first Grosby First Five, an advertising campaign of the leading local rubber shoe brand in the country back then.   

      

https://www.facebook.com/juan.delacruz.1441810/videos/1600344116754978/

Toyota won two titles that season, the Reinforced, featuring Donnie Ray Koonce as import, topping the Norman Black-led San Miguel Beermen, 4-3, in the Finals and in the Open Conference, sweeping the Gilbey’s Gin team, 3-0. Black has always credited King as perhaps the best local player to defend him, speaking volumes of how King has established himself as a fearsome stopper. It’s unfortunate that the PBA only began recognizing its best defensive players in 1985 as King was an original recipient of the Defensive Team that year. He could have easily won at least six more in the previous years. If there’s one player that the PBA should name the Defensive Player Award to, it should be King who deserves primary consideration.

One-On One King

            Many would not remember this but Abe King was actually the fourth recipient of the PBA One-on-One Award back in 1983. The first one was in the maiden season of 1975 when Royal Tru Orange's Manny Paner lorded it over the field, defeating Crispa's Philip Cezar in the Finals. In 1979, Cezar upended Toyota rival Ramon Fernandez in a close Finals encounter, 19-17 to win the Keyhole King Award. In 1982, Fernandez won the title at the expense of Tanduay's Rey Lazaro 

(http://sportingpage.blogspot.com/2018/02/chancing-upon-pba-legend.html). And in 1983, it was King's turn, defeating Yoyoy Villamin and Ricky Relosa on route to his Finals face-off against teammate Fernandez, which he won in close fashion. 

Gaining Mainstream Popularity

            Being part of one of the two most popular teams in the country, aside from his mestizo looks and chisel cut built, it wasn’t a surprise that King became a much-sought after advertising endorser. Aside from Grosby which he endorsed in 1982, he first came out as an endorser for Manila Rum Silver in 1979 – a brand from the La Tondeña Distillery, Inc., as well as Gold Eagle Beer, Dole Pineapple with sprint star Lydia de Vega, and Kaypee, another leading local brand under the Rubberworld company. He also came out in a couple of movies, most notably “Pamilya Dimagiba,” in 1982, where he co-starred with boxing icon Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, PBA colleagues Atoy Co and Freddie Webb, character actors Paquito Diaz and Efren Reyes, Jr., and FPJ’s brother, Andy Poe. He also came out in a cameo role with several PBA players in the FPJ-starred hit, “May Isang Tsuper ng Taxi” in 1990.

The First PBA Franchise Player

The team virtually imploded in the 1983 season brought about by a growing feud between Jaworski and Fernandez. For the first time, Toyota failed to crack the playoffs in the 1983 Open Conference, getting eliminated by the Tanduay Rhum Makers in their sudden-death game for the last playoff slot, 111-110. With King’s contract expiring, Gold Eagle Beer (of the San Miguel Corporation) tendered him an offer, with the commitment that he would be their franchise player – the cornerstone of the team. When many fans have always thought Fernandez being the first and only franchise player in the league, it was actually King who deserves the accolade as Gold Eagle’s offer came a few weeks before Fernandez became the franchise player of Beer Hausen, Gold Eagle’s corporate rival, and the company that bought the Toyota franchise.

True enough, King led a battery of young and veteran players at Gold Eagle. Note though that the conglomerate’s CEO, Danding Cojuangco, was more focused on the Philippine National Team, sponsored by Northern Cement and San Miguel Beer. With his former Crown Motors coach Nat Canson at the bench, King put up excellent numbers, including a couple of triple doubles, as he became the fulcrum of the Beermen’s offense and defense while manning the slot. Backstopping him at Gold Eagle included Marte Saldaña (http://sportingpage.blogspot.com/2018/06/marte-saldana-mighty-mite-of-philippine.html), Renato Lobo (http://sportingpage.blogspot.com/2018/03/renato-lobo-last-breed-of-pigeon.html), Dasalla, Manny Paner, Biboy Ravanes, Jess Migalbin, Bokyo Lauchengco, Noli Banate, Jerry Samlani, and future Ginebra stars Joey Loyzaga, Rudy Distrito and Dante Gonzalgo.  

King was already a major PBA personality that then national team coach Ron Jacobs once named him in his preferred all-PBA team if given the opportunity to form a pro squad that can play in international competitions. It was a testament to King's growing stature and his ability as a fearsome stopper inside the paint, someone who could have easily guarded the likes of Wang Libin, Song Tao, and later, Song Ligang, Ma Jian and Gong Xiao Bing. He would have essayed the role of Yves Dignadice, or, to a greater extent, that of Jeff Moore. 

It was unfortunate though that the team didn’t fare well that season, winning only 11 of their 38 games. Lack of team chemistry, their inability to secure elite import reinforcements, and King getting injured that spelled their fate. Couple that with Cojuangco’s greater focus on the NCC team which was also playing in the PBA as a guest team in the first two conferences and Gold Eagle’s campaign was doomed to fail.

Moving to Great Taste

King eventually moved to the emerging league powerhouse, Great Taste Coffeemakers, in the 1985 season, where he played a crucial role in the team’s cause. King went back to his #4 position, backstopping Manny Victorino in the frontline, while providing the body to screen off defenders against pointmakers Ricardo Brown, Wilie Pearson, and Jimmy Manansala. King’s leadership also surfaced as he was the most veteran and multi-titled in the team, with Coach Baby Dalupan assigning him the governance role for the Gokongwei franchise.

Great Taste won 2 titles in the 1985 season, missing out on the Grandslam in the 3^rd Conference when the team couldn’t latch on a quality import that would fit their needs. He won an additional two titles for the franchise, including a memorable 1990 All Filipino championship at the expense of the up and coming Purefoods TJ Hotdogs squad.

It was with Great Taste when King relished his PBA career the most. Given the freedom by Dalupan to play his game while acting as mentor to the younger players, King mellowed considerably and enjoyed his role as the team’s defensive anchor. When Philip Cezar joined him in the team in 1987, they formed a powerhouse frontline that went up against the Bruise Brothers of Yoyoy Villamin and Ricky Relosa of Hills Bros in the 1987 All-Filipino Finals, sweeping their corporate rivals, 3-0. King and Cezar were also responsible for giving the bone-crushing picks that helped set up Allan Caidic for open outside shots, helping the Triggerman crack the Mythical First Team on his rookie year. At the same time, King helped mentor future Great Taste big men Zaldy Realubit, Sonny Cabatu, Rey Ramos, Bong Hawkins, Nani Demegillo, among others. In the 1990 season, King averaged 9.4 points and 7.5 boards per game, leading the team in the rebounds department.

Patrimonio’s Plea

Great Taste eventually disbanded after the 1992 season. There were reports that Ginebra coach Robert Jaworski was interested in acquiring the free agent’s services, a rumor that worried Purefoods superstar Alvin Patrimonio. The scuttlebutt was Patrimonio requested Purefoods management to hire King, as Ginebra would now have King and Chito Loyzaga taking turns guarding him. King eventually joined the Hotdogs and continued his role as mentor to the younger players, particularly Patrimonio and Jerry Codiñera. King added two more championships in his shelf, helping the Hotdogs win the 1993 All Filipino and 1994 Commissioner’s Cup. He eventually retired at the end of the 1994 season, opting to spend time in his role as councilor at Parañaque city after having initially won in 1988 and being re-elected in 1992 for the PDP-Laban party.

Post-PBA Life

King eventually moved to the United States in 1998 with his wife of 19 years (at that time), Ligaya, and son Paul Abraham, and lived with his elder brother.  He started out as a cashier at a 7-11 convenience store in Anaheim in California. He later moved to Orange County, also in California and worked at another 7-11 store. Ligaya, the former Ms. Maja Pilipinas of 1978 and the 1976 Ms. Hispalidad (a beauty contest among colegialas in prestigious universities and colleges in the country), worked as a junior bookkeeper at Sta. Catalina also in California.

He has already settled in Seattle, Washington where he dotes on his 8 grandchildren. On the side, he used to organize charity events in the US, assembling former PBA players to play in exhibition games. He has remained in contact with several PBA players and is regarded as one of the leaders of the PBA alumni based in the United States.

This blogger met up with King last May in Torrance, California. The two have been regularly corresponding via facebook messenger for the past couple of years, the blogger having been invited when Abe and his wife celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary at Sambojikin along EDSA. It was unfortunate that this blogger had a previous commitment at that time and couldn't make it. That meeting in Torrance was also a mini-reunion of sorts among PBA stalwarts Renato Lobo, Noni Robles of Manila Beer and Great Taste Coffee, and Ben Obrique of CDCP / Galleon Shippers. Having had the opportunity of spending an up close and personal discussion with a genuine PBA legend and superstar and allowing this blogger to have his life chronicled through this website will forever be remembered and cherished.

Personal Musings

            Abe King’s best friend is Joey Loyzaga, his former teammate at Gold Eagle Beer. While Joey is younger, King treats the Loyzagas as his second family, with the late Caloy as his second father. Being an authentic Native American, his father’s family being legitimate American-Indians, it’s not a surprise therefore why King’s physique was significantly different than his contemporaries. He was regarded as one of the strongest PBA players of his time, and his ferociousness in collaring the rebounds gave him the moniker, “Chairman of the Boards” from the late broadcaster, Joe Cantada.

            While King excelled defensively, he regards Billy Ray Bates as the most gifted offensive player he has ever guarded in his entire playing career. Bates was so good that no matter how hard King tried to study his game and come up with a defensive gameplan, it didn’t come to fruition as Bates’ ability to score from both inside and outside, coupled with a combination of speed and power, made him indefensible. Even when Bates came back in 1986 to play for Ginebra at 40% of his capability, Bates remained difficult to guard.

The Greatest List Snub

            There’s no denying that Abraham Colombus King, Jr. deserves a slot in the PBA 40 Greatest Players List. As a matter of fact, King should have been a shoo-in as early as year 2000 when the league recognized its 25 Greatest 25 Players. Among the biggest snubs in the list – Nelson Asaytono, Arnie Tuadles, Yoyoy Villamin, Danny Seigle, etc. – it’s King who is generally regarded as the most noteworthy non-cast. Not only did he revolutionize the power forward position, King taught everyone how to guard taller imports and re-define what defending the post is all about.

King is arguably the greatest post defender in PBA history, and would have given the likes of today’s bigs like Junemar Fajardo, Greg Slaughter and Ian Sangalang major headaches, not to mention, bruises and painful muscles, after every game. King was the epitome of defense as he held his own against imports three to nine inches taller than him – having to guard the likes of Billy Robinson, Cyrus Mann, Ansley Truitt, Glenn McDonald, Larry Pounds, among others, and later on, against the likes of Russell Murray, Michael Hackett, Black, Bates, Michael Young, Jamie Waller, Michael Phelps, etc. Among the locals, he had the unenviable task of trying to contain Fernandez, Cezar, Paner, Guidaben, Terry Saldaña, and later, Patrimonio, Codiñera, Dondon Ampalayo and Benjie Paras.

Let’s hope that come 2025, when the league commemorates its 50^th year, and name 10 more players to make the 50 Greatest List, Abe King will finally get his due recognition. It’s perhaps the greatest injustice that the PBA can correct in 2025. At the same time, naming the Defensive Player of the Year Award after him would be another fitting accolade for the man called “The Chairman," someone I regard as "the greatest prototype power forward of all-time."