Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
Game 2 of the 2017 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals between Ginebra and Meralco drew a mammoth crowd at Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday.
But lost in the shuffle of the 16,159-strong fans who made their way to the Big Dome was the presence of Philippine basketball greats Robert Jaworski and Francis Arnaiz.
The legendary backcourt tandem was side-by-side again among the screaming crowd when their old teams clash for the title in the season-ending conference.
As always, Jaworski’s presence drew a lot of attention as fans came in troves to get a photo of the former senator.
But it didn’t take long before the public acknowledged Arnaiz, who was smiling as he soaked in the atmosphere from the rambunctious Araneta crowd, that even celebrities in attendance like newscaster Arnold Clavio couldn’t help but ask for mementos.
With Jaworski and Arnaiz terrorizing the backcourt back in their day, they led their old Meralco team, then-known as the Reddy Kilowatts, to the 1971 Open Championship in the defunct MICAA.
They then took their partnership in the PBA, as they helped Toyota win nine titles before switching sides to Ginebra, where they won the franchise’s first taste of gold in the 1986 Open Conference.
The Gin Kings ended up taking Game 2, 86-76, to grab a 2-0 lead in the 2017 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals.