From one legendary PBA point guard to another, the Sultan of Swipe says he is a big fan of the Flying A.
Retired PBA great Bernie Fabiosa, when asked to name his favorite PBA players outside of his four fabled Crispa teammates, said Johnny Abarrientos deserved to be on his list, along with former Redmanizer shooter William "Bogs" Adornado, ex-Toyota stars Ramon Fernandez, Danny Florencio and Francis Arnaiz.
Known as the "Sultan of Swipe", Fabiosa said ever since he came into the PBA as a greenhorn player in 1975, he already looked up to Adornado.
The sweet-shooting Adornado earned the distinction of becoming the PBA's first back-to-back MVP winner, capturing the prestigious individual award in the pro league's first two years of existence in 1975 and 1976.
"With Bogs, he was so good when he gets the ball, because you just give him a nice screen and he'll knock down the shot. When he jumps in the air with his shooting form, chalk that up as a basket," Fabiosa said after guesting on An Eternity of Basketball on Independence Day with Charlie Cuna, Noel Zarate and Sid Ventura.
As for Fernandez, the PBA's first four-time MVP winner, Fabiosa said he was the first big man he saw with excellent dribbling skills.
"When I was still in the province, Fernandez was already well-known. He was the type of player who knows how to dribble using his left or right hand," recalled the 65-year-old legend, who also admitted idolizing the high-scoring Florencio.
But as far as the point guards are concerned, he believes Abarrientos is a cut above the rest.
"Pinaka-idol ko talaga? Johnny Abarrientos. Ang galing niya talaga. He's really good. He's so good even though he's short. And he can float in the air when he drives to the basket," he added.
"As for Francis (Arnaiz), nobody can beat him to the gun when he drives because he's got a looping style of a layup," observed Fabiosa, with whom he engaged in numerous hardcourt battles during their Crispa-Toyota rivalry.
"SI Francis, mabait 'yan. 'Yan ang player ng Toyota na walang problema. 'Pag binunggo mo, okay lang, wala lang. He won't retaliate."
Fabiosa also said Arnaiz was perhaps the most difficult to guard back then. "Francis was tough to guard because he had great footwork," Fabiosa said, noting that his longtime rival also played football. Arnaiz's one weakness, according to the former Crispa guard, was his inability to dribble with his left hand. "I used to overload him on his right and force him to go left."
As far as his all-time best five players in the PBA are concerned, hands-down, he named Co, Philip Cezar, Abet Guidaben, Freddie Hubalde and himself. They are the only quintet in PBA history to win two grand slams.
Fabiosa played 17 seasons in the PBA, winning a total of 15 championships, 13 with Crispa. The defensive-minded Fabiosa concluded his illustrious PBA career with 6,597 points, 2,853 assists and 1,235 steals in 788 games
Fabiosa, named one of the 25 Greatest PBA players, ranks third all-time in steals in league history, just behind Abarrientos and Fernandez.