Robert Jaworski

Early life and college career

Robert Jaworski was born in Baguio on March 8, 1946. He was born to a Polish American father, Theodore Vincent Jaworski, and a Filipino mother of Ilocano descent, Iluminada Bautista Salazar, Jaworski grew up in Beata, Pandacan. In high school, he played other sports such as baseball and softball. He also represented his high school, Roxas High School, in swimming and track and field events during public school meets. Before finishing high school, he grew taller, which led to him pursuing basketball.

At first, Jaworski tried out for the FEU Tamaraws. However, the roster for FEU was already full. Turo Valenzona, a player on FEU, saw his potential to play multiple positions and recommended him to coach Baby Dalupan. In 1964, he played for the University of the East Red Warriors in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP). Known as "Big Jack", at first he played as a center; at that time, being just over six feet tall was often tall enough to play that position. Playing under Dalupan, he led them to three straight titles from 1965 to 1967. He also led them to several National Seniors titles, a tournament where they competed not just against college athletes, but also against commercial teams, government-sponsored teams, and even teams sponsored by movie and recording companies.

Basketball

Amateur

In 1967, Jaworski joined the YCO Painters under coach Carlos Loyzaga in the now-defunct semi-pro league Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA). He played for YCO during the 1967 National Seniors and National Invitational, both of which were won by YCO. That year, he and veteran internationalist Narciso Bernardo were named as members of the Mythical Five.

Jaworski then transferred to the newly formed Meralco Reddy Kilowatts (owned by public utility Meralco) in 1968 but was unable to play due to lack of release papers. He finally suited up for Meralco in 1970. He won the MVP award during the 1970 Presidential Cup.

In 1971, Jaworski was an MVP candidate once again, as he was the highest-scoring Filipino player with 15.2 points per game and also averaged 10.6 assists, 6.2 rebounds during the Reinforced (Open) Conference. During the All-Filipino Conference, he was averaging 15.7 points (eighth-best in the league), 10.1 assists (second only to YCO's Freddie Webb), 8.5 rebounds, and 3.0 steals (fifth-highest in the league) in eight games. On December 19, 1971, during a physical game between Meralco and the Crispa-Floro team, with Crispa up 65–50, he and Alberto "Big Boy" Reynoso assaulted two basketball officials, Eriberto Cruz and Jose Obias. Reynoso and Jaworski chased the two officials on the court and mauled them in front of the crowd. MICAA banned them for two years, but the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) raised it to a lifetime ban.

In February 1973, both players were reinstated with the help of then-presidential assistant Guillermo de Vega. They played for Meralco for a final time during an exhibition match against the Japanese national team, which they won. Meralco then quietly disbanded, due to the incident and due to the Marcos government taking over the public utility.

It was also around this time when the nickname "Big J" was given to him by play-by-play commentator Willie Hernandez, resembling the "Big O" tag given to Oscar Robertson who Jaworski played like.

Jaworski and Reynoso, with other former Meralco players, Fort Acuña, Francis Arnaiz and Orlando Bauzon formed the core of the newly formed Komatsu Komets (later renamed the Toyota Comets). They first competed in National Seniors tournaments. He then led the Comets to the 1973 MICAA title. He would go on to play for them for 10 seasons, from 1973 to 1984.

Professional

Jaworski became a PBA player in 1975 after the Toyota Comets became one of the league's founding franchises when the league was formed the same year. Jaworski had for his original teammates Arnaiz, Reynoso, Reynoso's younger brother Cristino (Tino), Ramon Fernandez, Rodolfo "Ompong" Segura, Oscar Rocha, Joaquin "Jake" Rojas, and Orlando "Orly" Bauzon, along with imports Byron Jones and Stan Cherry. He later became the acknowledged leader of the team and a major player in Toyota's nine PBA championships. In that inaugural season, Toyota won two of the three conferences and finished second to Crispa in the third conference, coming close to a grand slam.

The following season, Reynoso and Jaworski separated ways when Reynoso joined the Mariwasa team. In the 1976 season, although they made it to the finals in all three conferences, Toyota did not win any titles, as Crispa won the grand slam.

The 1977 season was where Jaworski took on more of a leadership role. In the opening game of the season, Jaworski was among several players from both Crispa and Toyota who got into a massive brawl. The players were then detained in Fort Bonifacio. He led the team to a title in the 1977 Invitational over a guest team from Brazil.

Jaworski was named the league's Most Valuable Player in 1978. His MVP performance may arguably be considered as his best single season, averaging a career-high 20.2 points, 8.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 10.2 rebounds per game. This was done despite the presence of tall imports with no height limit, and with Fernandez on the team.

Toyota made the 1980 Open Conference finals, but they lost to the U/Tex Wranglers in five games. In their matchup against Crispa during the 1980 All-Filipino Conference, Jaworski was benched in the first half. This led to their coach, Fort Acuña, to be fired at halftime. Team manager Don Pablo Carlos took over coaching duties. Jaworski then led Toyota to the comeback win. Although Crispa went on to win the title that conference, they were not able to sweep the tournament due to this loss.

Crispa and Toyota met one last time in the 1981 Open Conference finals. In that matchup, Jaworski was key to defending Atoy Co. Toyota won the series 3–2.

National team

In 1966, Jaworski was part of the amateur selection sent to represent the country in the 1966 Bangkok Asian Games. The following year, he represented the country in the Asian Basketball Championship (now FIBA Asia Cup) in Seoul, South Korea where the Jaworski-led Philippine team won the gold medal at the expense of the host country. He also competed in the 1968 Olympics, in which the Philippines finished 13th out of 16 countries.

Due to their suspension from the BAP, Jaworski and Reynoso were excluded from the RP team to the 1972 Olympics. The two later on teamed up in the Philippine national team for the 1973 ABC Championship. Jaworski was the lead guard and team captain of that team alongside Reynoso, Fernandez, Francis Arnaiz, and William "Bogs" Adornado. Other players in that team included Rogelio "Tembong" Melencio, David "Dave" Regullano, Rosalio "Yoyong" Martirez, Manuel "Manny" Paner, Alberto "Abet" Guidaben, Jaime "Jimmy" Mariano and Ricardo "Joy" Cleofas. They regained the ABC crown (their second FIBA Asia title) and went to the 1974 FIBA World Championship.

Jaworski, after being appointed national team coach by the BAP, later selected Fernandez in the team to represent the Philippines in the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing, China. Fernandez was among 12 PBA players personally chosen by Jaworski to lead the charge for the team – others included Paras, Alvin Patrimonio, Allan Caidic, Samboy Lim, Yves Dignadice, Hector Calma, Ronnie Magsanoc, Zaldy Realubit and the Big J's players with Añejo Rum – Dante Gonzalgo, Chito Loyzaga and Rey Cuenco. This team salvaged the silver medal against host China in the final, losing 90–76.

Player profile

Jaworski had impressive physical attributes. He had huge hands, which led to one of his earlier nicknames "Big Hands". He also had high leaping ability, similar to Julius Erving's. These attributes helped him in his drives to the rim against taller players, which led to his nickname "The Barreling Big J". His feet were also big for his size, around size 14 to 16. Because of his size, he at first played the center position, and posted up his defenders even as a guard. He could play all five positions.

According to Atoy Co, Jaworski was "an average player". He didn't have a signature move, but could rebound, pass, and bring the ball up. It was his intangibles and discipline that made him special. Steve Watson, a teammate of Jaworski's, called him "the ultimate point guard" and compared him to Magic Johnson. Comparisons have also been made between him and Oscar Robertson, leading to his nickname "The Big J". As a passer, he had a "baseball pass" that he used to take advantage of unprepared transition defenses.

Jaworski was also known as a physical defender and hustle player whose tactics could be seen as "dirty". He was known for sliding his feet under jump shooters. He also hit or punched players such as Billy Ray Bates and Jojo Lastimosa in the abdomen. A trademark move of his was his "karate chop", which he used to steal the ball. When he was asked about his physicality, he was quoted as saying: "Kung ayaw mong masaktan, mag-chess ka na lang!" (If you don't want to get hurt, just play chess!"

It was only later in his career that Jaworski learned to shoot. He is known as the first PBA player to make a three-point shot, albeit in a pre-season game. Import Charlie Floyd is the PBA player to officially make a three-point shot, which he did during the 1980 season. In 1980, he became the first player to make more than eight three pointers in a game.

Post-playing career

Shortly after retiring, Jaworski joined Tanduay as its product endorser and spokesperson. Due to his duties as senator, he spent little time with Tanduay before he renewed his ties with Barangay Ginebra.

On May 30, 2003, 23 years after the end of the Crispa-Toyota rivalry, Jaworski made an appearance at a reunion game in the Araneta Coliseum, alongside fellow players from both teams. Toyota beat Crispa in that reunion game, 65–62, off his game-winning three pointer. He made another public appearance, this time as the coach of Ginebra, at a reunion game for charity between former players from Ginebra and Purefoods.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Manila Times reported on February 13, 2007, of Jaworski's possible return in the PBA as coach for either the Air21 Express or the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals for the 2007 PBA Fiesta Conference but declined to accept the offer since talks stalled before any contract offer was made. After the tournament, talks resurfaced again between Jaworski and the Air21 management. However, with the resignation of Noli Eala as league commissioner, Jaworski was one of the names mentioned as replacements for the said post although no formal offer had been made. In the end though, Jaworski did not accept either offer and chose to retire from the public eye with his family. He was once again considered for the role of league commissioner in 2015.

In 2014, UE considered him for the title of UAAP commissioner for Season 77. They also considered him for the role of head coach of the Red Warriors.

Career highlights

PBA Hall of Fame Class of 2005

PBA Most Valuable Player (1978)

PBA Mythical First Team Selection (1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1986)

PBA Mythical Second Team Selection (1985 and 1988)

PBA All Defensive Team (1985 and 1988)

Four time PBA All-Star

Won four championships as a playing coach in 1986 Open Conference, 1988 All-Filipino Conference, 1991 First Conference and 1997 Commissioner's Cup all with the Ginebra franchise

Coached the 1990 PBA All-Star Veterans, 1991 PBA All-Star Dark Team, 1992 PBA All-Star North Team, 1996 PBA All-Star Rookie/Sophomore/Juniors, and 1997 PBA All-Star Veterans

Finished his PBA career with 5,825 career assists

Member, 1966 Asian Games

Member, 1967 Asian Basketball Confederation (Champions)

Member, 1968 Olympic Games

Member, 1969 Asian Basketball Confederation (Third Place)

Member, team captain 1971 Asian Basketball Confederation (Second Place)

Member, 1973 Asian Basketball Confederation (Champions),

Member, 1974 World Championship

Member, team captain, 1974 Asian Games

Sports legacy

Jaworski played 23 seasons in the PBA, a record he holds along with Asi Taulava. He is also the PBA's all-time leader in assists with 5,825 assists. Aside from assists, as of 2021, he is also in the top 10 in four other categories: third in games played (958), fifth in minutes played (28,915), seventh in rebounds (5,367) and ninth in scoring (11,760). He was the first point guard to achieve 1,000 offensive and 2,000 defensive rebounds, and the seventh player to reach the 10,000 points milestone. He and Fernandez are the only players with 10,000 points, 5,000 rebounds, and 5,000 assists. In 2005, he was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame. In 2021, he was inducted into the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame. That same year, PHLPost honored him with a set of commemorative stamps. He and Fernandez were then honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at 2022 PSA Annual Awards. In 2024, Jaworski was awarded with the PBA Lifetime Achievement Award. Ginebra also retired his jersey on July 8, 2012.

Taking a cue from the NBA logo which was inspired from a photo of a dribbling Jerry West, the PBA updated its logo in 1993 to feature a silhouette of Jaworski in a dribbling pose. This cemented his reputation as one of the league's most popular players to this day and an influential figure in Philippine basketball.

Jaworski's longevity, charisma and popularity also carried the PBA to one of its most successful eras. Fans of opposing teams came to cheer for him as he played foil to other PBA stars. When Ginebra had a game, television ratings spiked that day. He rewarded his fans by making time for them, even visiting his fans in hospitals. His popularity led to him getting multiple endorsement deals, making him the first to endorse Timex in the country. He also had an endorsement deal from Converse, and his own signature shoe, the Kaypee Jawo. Other bands he endorsed included Juvelon E+, Toyota Macho, Pepsodent, Dr. J Rubbing Alcohol and Ginebra San Miguel.

Jaworski is also one of the reasons why Ginebra remains one of the most popular teams in the league. In his time with the team, Ginebra became known as a team that pulls of comeback wins through its blue-collar attitude. In 2013, Ginebra released a commemorative bottle.

Sports publications have consistently included Jaworski in their rankings of the greatest PBA players and Ginebra players. In 2012, InterAKTV ranked him as the top Ginebra player in history. They also ranked him as the top point guard in PBA history. In 2020, Spin.ph put him at the top of their "25 Greatest PBA Players" list.

Political career

Jaworski was elected as a senator in the 1998 Philippine general election as a candidate for Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino. He placed ninth in the senate election, one of the highest finishes for a former sportsman after former bowler Tito Sotto's first-place finish in the 1992 elections, and Manny Pacquiao's seventh-place finish in 2016. As a senator, Jaworski focused on environmental and sports legislation. He was chairman of the Economic Affairs, Trade and Commerce Committee and a member of the Games and Amusement and Sports Committee.

Among more than 300 bills he authored or co-authored, Jaworski is most associated with establishing four protected areas – the Mount Kitanglad Range in the province of Bukidnon, the Northern Sierra Madre Mountain Range in Isabela, the Batanes Group of Islands, and Mount Kanlaon – and with regulating the ownership, possession and sale of chainsaws.

Jaworski made proposals to protect the country's national marine sanctuaries and to impose strict penalties on oil pollution damage in Philippine waters. He co-authored the Clean Air Act and the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

Jaworski unsuccessfully ran for re-election in the 2004 Philippine Senate election, placing 17th overall.

Acting

Jaworski had his acting debut in the Fernando Poe Jr.-led film Fando. Poe had personally invited him to appear in the movie. He then appeared in several movies made by his father-in-law Ramon Revilla Sr. In 1971, Jaworski and Freddie Webb co-starred in the comedy Fastbreak, where they played a pair of snatchers. They also co-starred alongside Nora Aunor in the 1978 comedy Dobol Dribol. He also starred in television shows such as Prrt! Foul! and Manila Files.

Personal life

Since 1968, Jaworski has been married to Evelyn Bautista-Revilla, the daughter of actor Ramon Revilla Sr. His coach Baby Dalupan was one of the godfathers at their wedding, along with Carlo Loyzaga. The couple have four children - Robert Jr., Ryan, Ron Michael, and daughter Ricci Elaine. His assistant coach at Ginebra, Rino Salazar, is his cousin.

Jaworski is known to be charitable. He is known for using his money to send relief goods to victims of calamities. Other times, his Ginebra teammates would raise funds, then he would deliver the donations personally.

Jaworski continued to support Ginebra, occasionally watching their games live when Ginebra made the finals. He would sometimes give locker room speeches when Ginebra was down in the first half of finals games. These proved to be effective in motivating the team, such as when Ginebra forced a Game 7 during the 2013–14 Philippine Cup semis.

After retirement, Jaworski stayed in shape by playing tennis three to five times a week and going swimming. In 2021, Robert Jr. revealed that his father was suffering from a rare blood disorder that raised his iron levels while making him anemic at the same time. He had also had contracted pneumonia a year prior. As of 2024, his condition was improving.