Norwood gets his flowers

Gabe Norwood is set to have his jersey No. 5 retired following a 17-year career with Rain or Shine in the Philippine Basketball Association.

The Elasto Painters made the announcement, saying that they are preparing a special halftime ceremony during their game against Converge on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

After being taken as the No. 1 pick by the Elasto Painters in 2008, the Filipino-American forward from George Mason University had shown professionalism, humility and solid performance that gave the franchise its two titles in the Governors’ Cup in 2012 and the Commissioner’s Cup in 2016.

Aside from that, he was also hailed as Rookie of the Year in 2009 as well as a spot in the Mythical Second team before blossoming into one of the most reliable two-way players in the league.

He also represented the franchise with pride as he was part of the squad that clinched the silver medal in the 2013 FIBA Asia Men’s Championship, paving the way for the country’s historic appearance in the FIBA World Championship in Spain in 2014.