All-Star game began during PBA’s early years

Puerto Princesa City – When was the first ever PBA All-Star Game? Contrary to popular belief, the league’s first annual All-Star game took place at the end of the PBA’s inaugural season in 1975 between the Ovaltine Yellow and Ovaltine Browns, said PBA historian and resident MYPBA.com writer Atty. Percival Flores. Most PBA fans would think that the very first All-Star game was played in 1989 where Ramon Fernandez and Robert Jaworski, bitter rivals after Toyota got disbanded, teamed up to push the Veterans to a tense 132-130 win over the Rookies, Sophomores and Juniors squad. “Coach Baby Dalupan handled the Ovaltine Browns featuring some of his players from Crispa like Bogs Adornado, Rudy Soriano, Atoy Co, Freddie Hubalde and Rey Franco. Abet Guidaben played for the Ovaltine Yellow coached by Dante Silverio. Philip Cezar was suspended from participating in the event after getting involved in fights in the last championship series. His place was taken by Romeo Frank of U-Tex," Flores said. Flores added that in that same year, a group of NBA players came to the PBA led by Walt Fraizer of the New York Knicks. “In June, 1975 the PBA took a break to host a group led by Frazier composed of 30 barnstorming NBA and ABA players for a series of exhibition games against PBA teams," said Flores. Other notable players who joined Frazier are Bob Netolicky, George McGinnis, Ron Behagen and Clifford Ray. Frazier, Bechagen and Ray became Crispa imports while Netolicky and McGinnis suited up for Royal Tru-Orange as reinforcements. Flores added that in a side event, Royal Tru-Orange’s Manny Paner became the first PBA One-on-One champion when he defeated Cezar, 20-17. The first official North versus South All-Star Game series happened in 1982 presented by Mello Yello. Jaworksi wasn’t able to play due to a groin injury and only coached the North squad while Yoyong Martirez handled the South All-Stars. Cezar, Adornado, Co, Manny Victorino, Lim Eng Beng, JB Yango, Abe King and rookie Marte Saldana bannered the North team while the South squad was led by Fernandez, Paner, Bernie Fabiosa, Willie Generelao, Marlowe Jacutin, Biboy Ravanes, Abet Guidaben, Francis Arnaiz, Ponkee Alolor and Arnie Tuadles, who wound up as the MVP. The game was held at the Cebu Coliseum, which then has a wooden backboard on its goal, where fans filled the venue to the rafters Tuadles was the star of the series. In the first game, in front of his hometown crowd, he scored a career-high 50 points to lead the South to a 122-119 win. Then finished with 20 when the series shifted to Manila with the North squad winning, 123-118. The North team, which won the series, by virtue of a higher quotient, bagged the P45,000 top prize. In 1989, the All-Stars were revived and gave a refreshing format featuring the Rookies and the Sophomores versus the Veterans. The following year, the Juniors were added to the first and second-year players against the more experienced cagers in the league. Year 1991 saw the Light versus the Dark selection and in 1992, the league decided to go back to the 1982 format where Alaska’s Tim Cone steered the South to a 108-105 upset win over the Jaworski-coached North squad. This old format was then kept by the league the succeeding years. – Rey Joble, GMANews.TV