Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Tiebreaker Times

Basketball

Calvin Abueva shares why he chose No. 73 inspired by age and Rodman


Calvin Abueva deemed it best to start afresh, thus his decision to change jersey numbers — again — heading into the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup.

The ‘Beast’ has done away with no.13 and is now wearing no.73, which he debuted in Magnolia’s eventual rout of Blackwater in their campaign opener.

“Na-realize ko kailangan ko siguro gamitin ‘yun this conference” he told reporters moments after their 106-84 win at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

“Masyado na tayong naano sa trese,” he added.

It’s inspired by his age, according to Abueva. He turned 37 just last February 4 and simply flipped the digits for his new jersey number.

“Pinalitan ko lang yung 1 ng 7 at least kumbaga nilayuan ko lang yung number ko, in my age na 37 — kumbaga binaliktad ko lang siya,” he said.

And another reason is ‘The Worm’ himself — NBA great Dennis Rodman, who wore no.73 during his stint with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1999.

“‘Yung number na ‘yun kay Rodman talaga, 73, his old number. Kaya kinuha ko at nakuha ko,” said the one-time league champion.

This isn’t the first time that Abueva has changed numbers.

It could be recalled that he began his career wearing no.8 with Alaska before switching to 88, and then did the same when he was with Phoenix.

The Kapampangan star wore no.12 when he first came to Magnolia via trade back in 2021 and then went to no. 13 after just one game.

Now he’s rocking no.73, and his latest change has seemingly brought good luck as Abueva played solidly with 13 points and six rebounds.

#ReadMore  Abueva on Alaska's elimination: 'Malakas yung kalaban, malakas pati sa taas'

He hopes, too, that they’d all be able to sustain their performances moving forward.

“This all-Filipino kailangan namin ‘to. Siguro ito ‘yung time namin para pumasok sa semis, Finals,” said the two-time Best Player of the Conference.

“This is the first game pa lang ng eliminations, kailangan na namin ipakita yung mga pinapakita namin sa court lalo na sa practice.”

Written By

Oftentimes on the sidelines. Forever a student of the game. Morayta-bred.




You May Also Like

Basketball

Leo Austria credited his time away from coaching after steering San Miguel back to the Promised Land by conquering the PBA Season 49 Philippine...

Basketball

Poy Erram is expected to miss a significant amount of time for TNT as he sustained an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury on his...

Basketball

June Mar Fajardo has no doubt that the PBA Press Corps Finals Most Valuable Player award landed in the hands of the most deserving....

Basketball

There remains one ultimate goal that June Mar Fajardo wishes to accomplish, even though he has already authored a Hall of Fame-worthy career. “Grand...

Basketball

Jericho Cruz’s first eight years in the PBA weren’t exactly what he envisioned. But everything changed when he joined San Miguel. Though a key...

Basketball

Jericho Cruz’s fourth PBA championship might just be his sweetest yet. The emotional 6-foot-1 guard, who has been in the league since 2014, was...

Basketball

History repeated itself as San Miguel denied TNT a shot at PBA immortality by capturing the Season 49 Philippine Cup title following a 107-96...

Basketball

Almond Vosotros is embracing the challenges that come with assuming a bigger role for a TNT side dealing with injuries while in pursuit of...

Advertisement