Noblezada, Cabahug make nostalgic return

A pair of Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) legends couldn’t help but wax nostalgic after witnessing the match between San Miguel Beer and Meralco in the Philippine Cup last Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

Jaime “Jimmy” Noblezada and Elmer “Boy” Cabahug were both honored during the tip-off ceremony of the Beermen-Bolts match what highlighted the league’s 50th founding anniversary.

Noblezada, who was on the court for Concepcion Carrier when the league held its first ever game on 9 April 1975, said he is thankful for the league for giving him a chance to prove his worth that paved the way to a happy life with his wife, Gold, and their three daughters.

“I’m happy that the PBA invited me. Without the PBA, I wouldn’t be here,” said Noblezada, who is the first PBA player to score 20 or more points in a PBA game.

“The thing I take pride in is my discipline. I came here to Manila and used it well.”

“I always appreciated being famous as a player because my mindset was for my children to finish their education.”

Now 74, Noblezada eventually won two PBA titles after playing seven seasons with both Concepcion Carrier and U-Tex.

Meanwhile, Cabahug was amazed to see how much the game has progressed compared to his time as a player from 1989 to 1998.

“It’s faster now. In fact, it’s faster now because the kids are really high-tech,” said Cabahug, who is now a consultant for the Mandaue City Sports Commission.

“We would sometimes eat and chat before the game. Now, you can see the players are well-prepared before the games.”

The 60-year-old Cabahug also bagged two PBA titles during his playing days, won the All-Star MVP in 1989 and was part the 1992 PBA Mythical Second Team along with Benjie Paras and Ronnie Magsanoc of Shell, Jerry Codiñera of Purefoods, and Alvin Teng of San Miguel Beer, most who are in the PBA Greatest Players list.