As called by fans, Robert Jaworski, or ‘Jawo’, is a former professional basketball player in the Philippines and considered one of the greatest. He played the game for 23 seasons and served as a player, a coach, and a playing coach best known for his rough yet charismatic style on and off the court. In 2005, Jaworski was inducted into the Hall of Fame and was awarded as one of the league’s 40 Greatest Players.
General personal information
Born in Baguio, Benguet, Robert Jaworski’s birthday is March 8. As of this writing, Robert Jaworski’s age is 76, and he is quietly enjoying his retirement with his family. Although his father is American of Polish descent, Robert Jaworski’s nationality is Filipino. He started his basketball career as part of the University of the East Red Warriors. When he became a professional basketball player, his first team was Toyota, and he was a member of the franchise until 1984. Then, starting the 1984 season, Robert Jaworski transferred to Ginebra San Miguel where he served the rest of his professional Philippine basketball career.
In addition to being a player and national team coach, Jaworski was a public servant, too. He first ran for a Senate seat during the 1998 national elections and placed ninth overall. However, due to the demands of the Senate job, Jaworski left the coaching chores to the coaching team. Instead, as a senator, he focused on laws and policies relating to sports and the environment. Before retiring from Philippine politics, Jaworski authored or co-authored more than 300 bills.
Amateur career of Robert Jaworski
The story of Jaworski as the game’s ‘the living legend’ started in Manila, where he spent his growing up years and learned about basketball. In 1964, Jaworski joined the University of the East Red Warriors, one of the participating teams in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines or UAAP. As a Red Warrior, Jaworski delivered outstanding performances and helped the team clinch the 1965 and 1966 UAAP seasons.
In 1966, he joined the amateur basketball team sent to represent the Philippines in the 1966 Asian Games in Bangkok. Again, Jaworski was picked to be part of the amateur national team for the Asian Basketball Championship, which is now the FIBA Asia Cup in South Korea. Again, Robert Jaworski showed his leadership and brilliance on the basketball floor as he led the team to gold against the South Korean team.
In 1967, he joined the YCO Painters under Carlos Loyzaga and transferred to the Meralco Reddy Kilowatts. Jaworski became part of Meralco in 1970 and earned his first MVP around during this time. But in 1971, he and Alberto Reynoso were banned for life for assaulting basketball officials. But this event did not stop the Robert Jaworski basketball brand, and he soon joined the newly formed Philippine Basketball Association.
Professional career
Robert Jaworski started his professional basketball career with Toyota in 1973. He was arguably the team’s most important player and an essential part of its nine PBA championships. As part of the Toyota franchise, Jaworski earned the Most Valuable Player award in 1978, and many say that this is the best MVP performance ever for a professional player. Jaworski averaged 20 points, 12 assists, and almost nine rebounds per game during his MVP season. During this time, Jaworski dominated the league with only Ramon Fernandez as his closest competitor in terms of brilliance in play.
When the Toyota team disbanded, Jaworski transferred to Ginebra San Miguel, which soon became one of the most popular PBA teams. With the help of Arnaiz, Jaworski transformed Ginebra from a new kid on the block into a league powerhouse. His first championship came during the Open Conference of 1986. In 1988, Jaworski won his first and only PBA All Filipino Championship against Purefoods, led by Ramon Fernandez. During this time, Robert Jaworski has an ongoing feud with Ramon Fernandez. But this conflict on the floor was immediately addressed, and both players agreed to.
In 1991, he won the third title against the Formula Shell team. From the 1992 to 1995 seasons, his Ginebra team took the backseat due to budgetary problems. But in 1996, Jaworski’s team is back with the entry of Marlou Aquino and Bal David. Although the team failed to win the championship, Jaworski and Ginebra are back in contention.
In Ginebra, Jaworski served as a player and later as the team’s coach until his announcement to run as a senator for the 1998 national elections. Jaworski’s last game in the league was in March 1997. And on May 30, 2003, Jaworski made an appearance at the Araneta Coliseum to grace the reunion game of the Crispa and Toyota. In this crucial game, Toyota beat its old nemesis, Crispa, 65-62.
