MONTALBAN — Getting a crack at the PBA’s crown jewel for one final time was simply the reason why Gabe Norwood deemed it best to hold his much-talked-about retirement tour in the recently opened Season 50 Philippine Cup.
The 40-year-old actually wanted to call it quits after last season, but ultimately decided to suit up for one last conference as he took advantage of the rare opportunity of the all-Filipino tilt being held in successive fashion.
Season 49 concluded with the said meet, and the league returned to its usual calendar by kicking off its golden festivities with its most prestigious tournament.
“It’s rare that you get back-to-back chances, right?” he said.
“Last conference, and now to start the season, back to, kinda, the normal.”
But the motivation isn’t really about succeeding for himself as he wants to give a Philippine Cup title to the same franchise he began his career with, and to head coach Yeng Guiao, who’s also been in the hunt for that particular gold.
“Just wanted to try and get one more for the organization, for Coach Yeng his first All-Filipino, and for myself as well. We’ll see.”
Norwood was part of Rain or Shine’s two PBA championships in 2012 and 2016, but the one thing missing in their collection is the coveted Jun Bernardino Trophy, which they competed for in 2013 but got swept by TNT.
But now, another Philippine Cup has begun, and that means another chance for the Elasto Painters to vie, but with some extra spring this time as they’re competing with an even more inspired winger who’s in his final curtain call.
The crew began its season on Saturday night at the Ynares Center II here, and it couldn’t get any more dramatic as Norwood came through in the clutch to help RoS eventually take down Meralco in overtime to kick off his ‘one last flight.’
In a play that’s a tad reminiscent of his game-winner against San Miguel during his rookie year, Norwood tipped in the missed shot of Adrian Nocum to tie things up at 90-all with 1.1 seconds left in regulation to extend the match.
The troika of Mike Malonzo, Anton Asistio, and Caelan Tiongson then made sure that their former captain’s efforts wouldn’t go down the drain, delivering the crucial hits in extra time to come away with the thrilling 96-95 victory.
“Against San Miguel? Yeah. It was just crazy,” he said, clearly remembering one of the best plays of his young career. “We didn’t rebound the ball well all night, and just wanted to get in there, try to make a play.
“Honestly, I thought I jumped the opposite direction, I thought I jumped out of the play and I just tried to tip it, tried to put it up on the backboard, hoping somebody was running behind, and it just fell into the basket,” continued Norwood, who finished with 11 points and three rebounds.
“We got lucky. We got down and got a stop later and figured it out in overtime.”
Now that the first game of his farewell tour is done, Norwood looks forward to the next outings ahead, and he himself admitted that it’s going to be one emotional ride as he’s doing it in the league he’s been calling home since 2008.
“I mean, it’s gonna be emotional for a while, man,” said the former No. 1 overall pick by Rain or Shine. “The PBA has given me a lot. I grew up here.
“I came out 21, 22 years old, and I’m 40 now, lived most of my adult life here in the PBA. I’m gonna cherish every game and try to leave on a high note.”
#WATCH: Gabe Norwood knows that his last few games in #PBA50 will be an emotional ride 🏀#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/C1OkYJOSZ7
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— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) October 11, 2025
