Ramon Sadaya Fernandez (; born October 3, 1953) is a Filipino former professional basketball player and current commissioner of the

Philippine Sports Commission The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC, ) is an agency of the Philippine government which tackles matters concerning sports in the country. The sports agency is independent from the Philippine Olympic Committee which enjoys autonomy from the gov ...

. Fernandez won four PBA Most Valuable Player awards and a record 19 PBA titles. Fernandez stood at 6'4 barefoot during his prime but due to mild

gigantism Gigantism ( el, γίγας, ''gígas'', " giant", plural γίγαντες, ''gígantes''), also known as giantism, is a condition characterized by excessive growth and height significantly above average. In humans, this condition is caused by o ...

grew to 6'5 during his final seasons. He scored 18,996 points to finish as the PBA's all-time scoring leader. He is also the PBA's all-time leader in rebounds, blocked shots, free throws made, playing minutes and second all-time in assists, games played and steals. He played for five teams in his entire PBA career starting with the

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

, Manila Beer, Tanduay, Purefoods and San Miguel. Fernandez played in many international tournaments as a member of the Philippine basketball team. He is often regarded by tenured analysts as the greatest player to have ever played in the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...

Basketball career

Fernandez graduated from

University of San Carlos The University of San Carlos, also referred to by its acronym USC or colloquially shortened to San Carlos, is a private, Catholic, research, coeducational basic and higher education institution administered by the Philippine Southern Province ...

Cebu Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and ...

. In 1972, he joined the San Miguel Braves, playing in the

Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association The Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA) was a sports association which existed in Manila, Philippines from 1938 to 1981. Throughout its existence, it staged various sports and was participated by prominent Philippine co ...

(MICAA). The following year, he transferred to the newly formed Komatsu Komets (later renamed the Toyota Comets). He was a member of several national teams, these include the teams for the 1972 ABC Under-18 Championship, the

1973 ABC Championship The 1973 Asian Basketball Confederation Championship for Men were held in Manila, Philippines. Preliminary round Group A Group B Final round Classification 7th–12th Championship ...

, the

1974 FIBA World Championship The 1974 FIBA World Championship was the 7th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's teams. It was hosted by Puerto Rico from July 3 to 14, 1974. The tournament was won by the Soviet Union. Venues Comp ...

, the

1974 Asian Games The 7th Asian Games ( fa, بازی‌های آسیایی ۱۹۷۴) were held from 1 to 16 September 1974 in Tehran, Imperial State of Iran. The Aryamehr Sports Complex was built for the Games. The Asian Games were hosted in the Middle East for th ...

and the

1990 Asian Games ) , Nations participating = 36 , Athletes participating = 6,122 , Events = 308 in 27 sports , Opening ceremony = 22 September 1990 , Closing ceremony = 7 October 1990 , Officially opened by = Yang Shangkun , Of ...

. Fernandez moved to the

in 1975, when the Toyota Comets became one of the nine pioneer teams of the league. With his teammates,

Robert Jaworski Robert Vincent Salazar Jaworski Sr. (; born March 8, 1946) is a Filipino former professional basketball player, head coach and politician who served as a Senator of the Philippines from 1998 to 2004. He played 23 seasons in the Philippine Ba ...

, Francis Arnáiz, Arnie Tuadles, Danny Florencio, Emerito "Emer" Legaspi and Abe King, Toyota won nine titles from 1975-1983. Fernandez was the 1982 PBA Most Valuable Player, the only time he achieved the award during his days with the fabled Toyota team. After Toyota's disbandment in 1984, Fernandez and several former Toyota teammates joined Beer Hausen. With Toyota's disbandment, the ongoing feud between Fernandez and Jaworski became public. Fernandez won the 1984 MVP award, his second, during his first season with the Lucio Tan-owned franchise, but never led the team to the championship until he was shipped in the middle of the 1985 season to Tanduay for Abet Guidaben. From 1986-1987, Fernandez along with former Crispa rivals Freddie Hubalde and Padim Israel, J.B. Yango, Willie Generalao, Onchie dela Cruz and imports Rob Williams, Andre McKoy and later, David Thirdkill, led the Rhum Masters to three PBA titles. Fernandez won his third MVP award in 1986. Tanduay would disband before the 1988 season, but the franchise rights were bought by the Purefoods. Fernandez would become playing coach, his first coaching stint, of a young team composed of

Jerry Codiñera Jerry Herman Codiñera (born November 14, 1966) is a Filipino coach and retired professional basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association. He is nicknamed the "Defense Minister" for his prowess at the defensive end. He is the curre ...

, Jojo Lastimosa, Al Solís,

Glenn Capacio Glenn Capacio (born May 15, 1964, in Palo, Leyte) is a Filipino retired professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and the former head coach of PBA team GlobalPort Batang Pier and was also the former head coach ...

and later Alvin Patrimonio. In the 1988 Open Conference, he led his new team to a runner-up finish to San Miguel Beer. However, midway through the All-Filipino Conference, he would relinquish his coaching duties to his assistant, Cris Calilan, to concentrate on his game. But in a controversial move, Fernandez was benched during the Finals against Añejo Rhum. The said event led to his transfer to San Miguel Beer in exchange for, the second time, Abet Guidaben. Fernandez would later lead the Beermen to the 1988 Reinforced Conference Championship and also won his fourth MVP Award, becoming the first and the only player to win four MVP awards with four teams. Fernandez was a vital cog in San Miguel's historic grandslam run in 1989, while making amends with rival Jaworski during the All-Star Game of the same season, when El Presidente scored an undergoal stab off a Jaworski inbound pass at halfcourt, to lead the Veterans to a 132-130 win over the Rookie-Sophomores team. Legendary coach

Baby Dalupan Virgilio "Baby" Adam Dalupan (October 19, 1923 – August 17, 2016) was a Filipino basketball coach and player. Dubbed "The Maestro", Dalupan was best known for his lengthy coaching tenure with the Crispa Redmanizers and garnered a career to ...

, then coaching the Veterans, summoned both players to a historic handshake at centercourt signaling the end of their bitter feud. However, despite leading his team to the "triple crown" that season, Fernandez narrowly lost to rookie

Benjie Paras Venancio Johnson Paras Jr. (born October 2, 1968), better known as Benjie Paras, is a Filipino actor, comedian, and a retired professional basketball player who played for Shell Turbo Chargers and San Miguel Beermen of the Philippine Basketba ...

in the MVP balloting, denying the then 36-year old veteran a fifth MVP plum. In 1990, Fernandez was a member of the Philippine basketball team that won a silver medal in the Beijing Asian Games. He was supposed to participate in the 1994 Asian Games team, but begged off due to an injury. That year also saw the final season of Fernandez's PBA career when he announced his retirement. In 1984, Fernandez was five assists away from averaging in triple-double the whole season. He ended his PBA career as the all-time leader in most points scored with 18,996, second in assists with 5,220, first in defensive rebounds with 6,435, second in offensive rebounds behind Guidaben with 2,217, first in overall rebounds with 8,652, first in minutes played with 36624:30, second in games played, first in blocks with 1,853, and second in steals with 1,302 (first at retirement in 1994). He ended with career averages of 17.7 points per game, 8.1 rebounds per game, 4.9 assists per game, 1.2 steals per game, and 1.7 blocks per game in 1,074 games.

Post-PBA career

After his playing career, Fernandez ran for a senatorial seat under the

Nationalist People's Coalition The Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC) is a conservative political party in the Philippines, founded in 1992 by then-presidential candidate Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. History The Party was founded in 1992 after some members of the Nacionalista ...

in the 1995 elections but lost. In 1998, he became the first commissioner of the defunct professional league,

Metropolitan Basketball Association The Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA), or Metroball, was a Professional sports, professional basketball league in the Philippines that ran from March 7, 1998, to July 26, 2002. History The MBA played its first game on March 7, 1998, at t ...

. In 2000, he was included in the PBA's 25 Greatest Players' list and was awarded during the league's anniversary on April 9, 2000. In 2003, Fernandez was named the Commissioner of the Collegiate Champions League tournament. A few months earlier, Fernandez was part of the

Toyota Tamaraws is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 m ...

in the Crispa-Toyota Reunion Game. The highlight of the event was the kickout pass of Fernandez to Jaworski, who sank a three-pointer to seal the Tamaraws' 65–61 win over their bitter rivals, the Redmanizers. He also became the Commissioner of the now-inactive

United Regional Basketball League The United Regional Basketball League (URBL) was a community-based amateur basketball league in the Philippines that played only one season in 2004. The league was managed by persons identified with the old Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA) ...

during its only run in 2004. Fernandez was also inducted in the PBA Hall of Fame and participated in the Greatest Game, a reunion of several members of the league's 25 Greatest Players, on May 30, 2005 when they lost to the TM Greats team, 96–92. He also ventured in several business opportunities and is currently based in

, managing his flourishing "Suka ni El Presidente" brand of bottled spiced

vinegar Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–8% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting simple sugars to ...

. In 2016, Fernandez was appointed as one of the four commissioners of the

. In 2018, Fernandez was appointed to the Board of Directors for UGE Philippines, a local leader in solar energy solutions for the commercial and industrial sector - a subsidiary of

UGE International UGE International is a worldwide distributed solar energy company, founded in 2008, with headquarters in New York City and Toronto, and a local office in the Philippines. As of 2021, the company has installed 500MW of solar energy worldwide and c ...

. He first became involved with UGE in 2015 due to an interest in renewable energy advocacy. Fernandez became Officer in Charge of the

in lieu of Chairperson Butch Ramirez. Ramirez went on leave until July 20 to attend to his sick wife.

Gigantism

In a September 2015 interview, Fernandez revealed that he has a mild case of

after discovering he has recently grown to 6'7". During his PBA career, his listed height was only between 6'4" and 6'5".

Legacy

Fernandez is remembered as one of the most popular players during the PBA's golden years and is also one of the most prominent faces in Philippine basketball, even to this day. He remains the poster-boy of many a PBA Legends Reunion game in the country and abroad. Fernandez could actually play all five positions on the basketball court, having mastered the skills needed as a point guard, off-guard, forward, power-forward and center. He is known for his dribbling skills (unusual for a center during his era), uncanny passing ability, perimeter jumpers, and unstoppable high or low post moves. In an open court game, it was not unusual to see him, after collaring a rebound, dribble down the full length of the court and finish off a fastbreak with a lay-up from the middle or a fancy pass to a streaking teammate on the wings. The fact that he could dribble the ball so well came about as a result of him playing point-guard in high school when he was still too short to play the center slot. He is also well known for his trademark one handed running shot dubbed as "the elegant shot." He could play facing the basket or with his back to it. Major distinguishing aspects of his game which showed a level of skill unmatched in Philippine basketball before or since, was his ability to improvise his own shots, create the necessary space for a play and drive towards the basket at will during a half-court game. This was remarkable because centers and power-forwards even in today's brand of basketball usually play near or underneath the basket and often rely on specifically designed plays involving their teammates. Fernandez is perhaps the most ambidextrous player to have played the game since Carlos Loyzaga a generation before him. Almost always, whenever he would get the defensive rebound he would assume the role of "point-center", leading the fast-break (a throwback to his point-guard days), which he admitted was a habit he could not break in the pros. Fernandez would dribble the ball running the middle of the court, either hitting the open man on either wing or finishing a lay-up with either hand. There were many instances when he would switch the ball from right hand to left hand, often drawing a foul or setting up a three-point play. One of his more famous moves was the "kili-kili" (armpit) shot, which he set up by driving down the middle of the lane coming from the right side of the court, faking a right-handed shot and then, at the last second when the defender has committed himself, switching the ball to his left hand for a scoop shot under the armpit of the same defender that almost always drew a foul. He had an ambidextrous hook shot that was almost impossible to stop and a weird-looking variation of a lay-up that was executed while "fading away" from the basket which made it equally intriguing. His "elegant shot" often came after a right-handed cross-over dribble and moving away from a defender. He used pivot moves, pump fakes, lookaway or no-look passes, looping shots, fadeaways and an array of what seemed to be trick shots from near or under the basket that he executed to perfection. He was doing this before Kevin McHale was doing his moves worthy of a chapter in an NBA playbook. Fernandez owned what was perhaps the craziest no-look pass that was executed on Philippine hardwood: an assist initiated as a fake behind-the-back pass going to one direction only to go the opposite direction at the precise moment when the recipient is ready to receive the pass. He did this in front of a capacity crowd on May 30, 2003 during the

Crispa Redmanizers The Crispa Redmanizers were a multi-titled Filipino basketball team that played in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) from 1975 to 1984. It was one of the nine founding teams of the PBA, winning a total of thirteen PBA championships, i ...

vs.

Toyota Super Corollas The Toyota Super Corollas were a multi-titled basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) from 1975 to 1983. Founded in 1973 by businessman and sportsman Dante Silverio, the team - formally named Toyota Athletic Club - was ow ...

Reunion game at the

Smart Araneta Coliseum The Araneta Coliseum, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Smart Araneta Coliseum, is an indoor multi-purpose sports arena that is part of the Araneta City in the Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines. Nicknamed as "the Big Dom ...

. With Toyota up 37-29, Fernandez intercepted a pass from Bernie Fabiosa underneath the Crispa basket, dribbled with his left hand, crossed-over a defending Atoy Co, brought the ball down the full length of the court with his right hand and just after entering Toyota's shaded lane shovelled the no-look pass to teammate Rolly Marcelo on the right side for an unmolested layup. Broadcaster Dick Ildefonso who was calling the game that night along with Emy Arcilla described it on air as "a pass that nobody saw except the receiver". His pinpoint passing ability was so devastating to opponents because he often executed them at critical junctures of the game, either coming from his right or left hand. It didn't matter to Fernandez whether he was hitting the open man through a crowd of defenders or hitting the same open man via a Hail Mary pass from outside the backcourt. Philip Cezar and Abe King, two premier defenders of local players and imports alike, in television interviews, always said that Fernandez was the toughest assignment they ever had to handle. Fernandez was also one of the least athletic players to have laced on a pair of sneakers in the history of the PBA. He was too thin for a center who had to go up against imports who usually had more muscle and speed than he did. To be sure, there were many other players in his era who were a lot stronger than him. In addition, he did not possess a high vertical leap, rarely doing a slam-dunk during a career that spanned about twenty years. But these limitations were offset by the fact that he had an array of astonishing skills, a basketball IQ that was off the charts and mental toughness that enabled him to impose his will against opponents. Case in point: Fernandez, even on a bad night, could still cut down an opponent, by baiting him into senseless fouls or getting him to react in an unsportsmanlike manner to many pre-designed tirades. One broadsheet called him, upon his retirement, as the man "who could control every variable of the game". His MVP-stats in the 1984 season of the PBA, where he averaged in double figures in almost all of the major statistical categories (points, rebounds, assists), turning in an incredible 27 point-15 rebound-9.9 assist performance (an almost a triple-double season), may never be matched as it stands as perhaps the most dominating individual performance in the history of Philippine professional basketball.

Basketball achievements

Ramon Fernandez 2022 stamp of the Philippines

PBA

*4-time Most Valuable Player (1982, 1984, 1986, 1988) *PBA Hall of Fame *Member of the 1989 San Miguel Grand Slam Team *13-time Mythical First Team Selection (1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992) *3-time Mythical Second Team Selection (1985, 1987, and 1990) *6-time PBA All-Star *Member of PBA's 25 Greatest Players *Member of PBA's 40 Greatest Players *PBA Hall of Fame Class of 2005

Others

*Member, 1972 Asian Youth, Manila, Philippines *Member, 1973 Asian Basketball Confederation, Manila. (ABC-NOW FIBA ASIA) *Member, 1974 Mundo Basket, San Juan, Puerto Rico(World Basketball Championship) *Member, 1974 Asian Games, Tehran, Iran *Member, 1990 Asian Games, Beijing, China *1994 Asian Games Assistant Coach *Metropolitan Basketball Association Commissioner 1998-1999

PBA career statistics

, - , align="left" , 1975 , align="left" ,

, 56 , , 31.43 , , .428 , , .000 , , .787 , , 8.64 , , 3.77 , , 1.13 , , 2.38 , , 13.16 , - , align="left" , 1976 , align="left" , Toyota , 58 , , 30.93 , , .469 , , .000 , , .625 , , 8.45 , , 3.41 , , 1.57 , , 2.26 , , 16.17 , - , align="left" , 1977 , align="left" , Toyota , 53 , , 32.83 , , .480 , , .000 , , .652 , , 6.91 , , 3.17 , , 1.43 , , 2.47 , , 18.23 , - , align="left" , 1978 , align="left" , Toyota , 54 , , 36.0 , , .502 , , .000 , , .792 , , 9.7 , , 4.28 , , 1.87 , , 2.46 , , 20.65 , - , align="left" , 1979 , align="left" , Toyota , 53 , , 33.0 , , .494 , , .000 , , .783 , , 9.36 , , 4.04 , , 1.38 , , 2.51 , , 18.85 , - , align="left" , 1980 , align="left" , Toyota , 53 , , 32.55 , , .487 , , .375 , , .728 , , 8.83 , , 3.70 , , 1.45 , , 1.79 , , 15.85 , - , align="left" , 1981 , align="left" , Toyota , 43 , , 33.7 , , .488 , , .000 , , .803 , , 8.05 , , 4.14 , , 1.26 , , 1.74 , , 19.65 , - , align="left" , 1982 , align="left" , Toyota , 67 , , 36.97 , , .486 , , .177 , , .739 , , 8.01 , , 5.16 , , 1.27 , , 1.61 , , 20.31 , - , align="left" , 1983 , align="left" , Toyota , 38 , , 37.32 , , .524 , , .077 , , .791 , , 10.95 , , 5.71 , , 1.29 , , 1.89 , , 24.16 , - , align="left" , 1984 , align="left" , Beer Hausen , 64 , , 40.8 , , .525 , , .000 , , .808 , , 11.17 , , 9.92 , , 1.53 , , 2.09 , , 27.80 , - , align="left" , 1985 , align="left" , Manila Beer , 30 , , 38.67 , , .469 , , .000 , , .706 , , 8.97 , , 6.50 , , 1.17 , , 1.13 , , 19.07 , - , align="left" , 1985 , align="left" , Tanduay , 7 , , 42.14 , , .583, , .000 , , .778 , , 8.14 , , 6.57 , , 1.57 , , 1.57 , , 22.14 , - , align="left" , 1985 , align="left" , Manila Beer / Tanduay (Combined) , 37 , , 39.32 , , .490 , , .000 , , .720 , , 8.81 , , 6.51 , , 1.24 , , 1.22 , , 19.65 , - , align="left" , 1986 , align="left" , Tanduay , 62 , , 39.19 , , .451 , , .000 , , .707 , , 9.92 , , 5.77 , , 1.27 , , 2.35 , , 18.32 , - , align="left" , 1987 , align="left" , Tanduay , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , align="left" , 1988 , align="left" , Purefoods , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , align="left" , 1988 , align="left" , San Miguel Beer , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , align="left" , 1988 , align="left" , Purefoods / San Miguel (Combined) , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , align="left" , 1989 , align="left" , San Miguel Beer , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , align="left" , 1990 , align="left" , San Miguel Beer , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , align="left" , 1991 , align="left" , San Miguel Beer , 64 , , 37.33 , , , , , , , , , , , , 1.16 , , , , , - , align="left" , 1992 , align="left" , San Miguel Beer , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , align="left" , 1993 , align="left" , San Miguel Beer , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , align="left" , 1994 , align="left" , San Miguel Beer , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , , 1074 , , 33.73 , , , , , , .768 , , 8.06 , , 4.86 , , 1.21 , , 1.73 , , 17.69

Coaching career

PBA

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernandez, Ramon 1953 births Living people Asian Games medalists in basketball Asian Games silver medalists for the Philippines Basketball players at the 1974 Asian Games Basketball players at the 1990 Asian Games Basketball players from Southern Leyte Centers (basketball) Filipino men's basketball coaches Magnolia Hotshots players Manila Beer Brewmasters players Medalists at the 1990 Asian Games Metropolitan Basketball Association executives Nationalist People's Coalition politicians People from Cebu People from Southern Leyte Filipino people of Spanish descent Philippine Basketball Association All-Stars Magnolia Hotshots coaches Philippine Basketball Association players with retired numbers Philippines men's national basketball team players Filipino men's basketball players 1974 FIBA World Championship players San Miguel Beermen players Tanduay Rhum Masters players Toyota Super Corollas players USC Warriors basketball players