There was no love lost between Calvin Abueva and his former team Magnolia on Sunday, as tensions flared in their matchup against the Converge FiberXers.
The game saw multiple instances of hard fouls and trash talk as things became heated between the Hotshots and the FiberXers. At one point, even Magnolia head coach LA Tenorio got involved in an exchange with Abueva.
“Calvin is just being Calvin,” said Tenorio after Magnolia’s 106-94 victory over Converge, a win that moved them into a joint seventh spot with San Miguel in the 2026 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
“Even when we were playing against each other, he has been like that. He’s the type of player that if you’re irritated by him, talo ka.”
The first notable incident involving Abueva came with 1:57 left in the third quarter. While posting up against Alfaro, the San Beda guard pulled Abueva down, drawing the ire of the San Sebastian standout.
Moments later, Paul Lee blew by Abueva, and in an attempt to stop him from getting a clear lane, Abueva went for the ball and ended up slapping Lee’s wrist.
This led to another heated exchange between Abueva and Tenorio.
“So it’s just me talking to Calvin and being his Kuya also, reminding him to just keep playing,” said Tenorio, who is three years older than Abueva.
(C) PBA Images
The tension did not stop there.
Early in the fourth quarter, Abueva was assessed a technical foul after being called for chirping at the referee.
Just eight seconds later, he was again in the middle of controversy after catching Zavier Lucero with an elbow while both were in midair, resulting in a flagrant foul.
Fortunately, Lucero came out unscathed.
“I’m alright, I’m alright,” said the UP product, who finished with 17 points, 14 rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block.
After the game, Abueva declined to comment, having already been fined earlier in the conference for remarks deemed detrimental to the league.
For his part, Tenorio brushed off their sideline exchange.
“Wala siya. Nag-walkout din siya. Again, it’s just Calvin being Calvin,” he said.
