It was rare to see Filipino players standing above six feet in the 1960s and 1970s. When the PBA came to existence in 1975, Manuel "Manny" Paner stood head and shoulders above the rest.
Paner was one of the few big men who used his strong upper body, high basketball IQ and good timing to excel in what has long been considered a big man's game.
International experience
Paner first showcased his talent as a member of the Philippine men's basketball team, which regained the ABC men's championships (FIBA Asia today) in 1973 in Manila.
The Filipinos were determined to win the championship, which they last won in 1967 in Seoul, South Korea via a clean nine-game sweep. The Philippines fell short in the 1969 and 1971 editions, settling for just third and second-place finishes, respectively.
Mentored by Valentin "Tito" Eduque, the 1973 Philippine team swept its 10-game assignment, including a 90-78 win over the dreaded South Korean side in the final game to regain the ABC men's title at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum. Paner scattered 24 points and hauled down 12 rebounds in that all-important match against the Koreans.
He felt the South Korean coach's defensive game plan backfired when top gunner Shin Dong Pa was assigned to defend him.
"Sinuwerte naman ako nun," Paner said on An Eternity of Basketball on Saturday. "Alam mo ang mali ng coach ng Korea, ang nag-depensa sa akin si Shin Dong Pa kasi mga forwards na magagaling ang kamay, ayaw nila mapagod yun. So ako, drive ng drive. Pasko ako nun kasi ayaw dumepensa (ni Shin) e, kinain ko siya dun."
Paner, though, stressed that teamwork made the ABC title conquest possible, especially after Robert "Sonny" Jaworski and Rogelio "Tembong" Melencio took turns defending Shin.
The Philippines' Asian championship earned the country a ticket in the 1974 FIBA World Championships in San Juan, Puerto Rico where Paner had an impressive showing. He averaged over 12 points per contest. He scored 16 points in the Philippines' 101-100 nipping of Australia, before dropping 19 points in the national team's 87-86 triumph over Central African Republic.
Two years earlier, Paner posted averages of 7.9 points and 4.5 rebounds despite battling against big and tall foreign players in the 1972 Munich Olympics in Germany.
The Philippines dropped five of its first six contests in the preliminary round, beating just Senegal, 68-62. The Filipinos won by default against Egypt in the classification round, and came out with an 82-73 win over the Japanese in their last Olympic Games assignment to wind up 13th out of 16 countries overall.
However, Paner felt the highlight of their Olympic trip was its match against Italy.
"Ang Japan tinalo namin pero itong maganda eh yung Italy kasi muntik namin matalo yun," recalled Paner. "Hanggang last three minutes, lamang kami ng five points kaya lang naubos kaming mga malalaki kasi ang Italy may 6-9 at 6-5 na centers na magaling din gumalaw pero nade-depensahan din namin yun hanggang sa makahabol na sila."
Undersized big
Paner never saw his 6-foot-2 frame a disadvantage during his heydays.
As one of several pioneer PBA players during the pro league's maiden season, the pride of Cebu averaged 21.5 points and over seven rebounds for Royal Tru-Orange, leading his team to semifinal finishes in all three conferences in 1975.
Paner, a standout of the University of Visayas, credited his extensive experience playing for the San Miguel Braves in the MICAA as one of the reasons why he was able to battle toe-to-toe with the bigger imports.
"Dun lumakas katawan ko sa MICAA. Eh sa PBA naman nun more on one-on-one, bawal naman ang sona, so yan ang forte ko, katawan sa katawan," Paner said.
His consistent plays on both ends of the floor eventually earned him a spot in the first-ever PBA Mythical First team in 1975, joining Crispa stars William "Bogs" Adornado and Fortunato "Atoy" Co, along with Royal teammate Ernesto Estrada.
Paner said he didn't have problems with Toyota slotman Ramon Fernandez, who was one of the few tall locals. He did have glowing words for Fernandez, who went on to enjoy a long 20-season ride in the PBA before retiring at the end of the 1994 season.
"Magaling si Ramon dumepensa, pero sa mga ganyan, kinakatawan ko siya sa ilalim kasi (if not) supalpal ka kasi malaki si Ramon eh, 6-4 siya," Paner said.
Because of his hard work and strong play, the CFC/Presto, a doormat squad back then, eventually showed interest in Paner. The opportune time came when Paner's contract expired in 1977.
"Kinausap ko si Atty. (Chino) Marquinez nun, siya kasi ang team manager ng CFC/Presto nun. So nasa (free agent) pool ako nun eh, ang sabi ko (kay Marquinez), 'Kukunin niyo ba ako?' And ang sabi niya kung magkano ba presyo ko? Sabi ko, P8,000," Paner recalled.
During the early years, the two teams that finished at the bottom of the standings were given an opportunity to upgrade their rosters in the offseason by selecting from the talent-rich free agent pool. Since the high-paid players at the time fetched at around P5,000, Paner said he no longer expected CFC/Presto to sign him up.
7-Up showed interest to get Paner's services, though, the team eventually made a deal with powerhouse Crispa.
"Ang usapan, sa 7-Up maglaro ako ng two years tapos ibibigay ako sa Crispa," shared Paner.
The undersized former Royal big man, though, got shocked when CFC/Presto told him it was going to sign him and agree to his monthly P8,000 asking price. The deal made Paner the PBA's first highest-paid player in history.
"Kinuha ako ng Presto, kinagat ang P8,000 (a month asking price) ko. So di natuloy ang plano ng 7-Up at Crispa," shared Paner, who inked a four-year deal. "Na-stuck ako sa Presto na talagang mahinang team. Kulelat ito, ako lang mag-isa (gumagawa) dun."
Back with San Miguel
After Paner's stint with the CFC franchise, the former UV Lancer star played briefly for Construction Development Corporation of the Philippines (CDCP) in the 1981 season. But the the team didn't last long in the pro league, which paved the way for Paner's return to San Miguel.
At San Miguel, Paner finally tasted his first PBA championship when the Beermen beat the Crispa Redmanizers in the Invitational Conference finals. Coached by Tommy Manotoc, the Beermen won 9 of their first 10 games in the tournament.
Black stood at the forefront of San Miguel's title run in the Invitationals after averaging over 40 points. Paner held Black, who was named Best Import in the 1982 Reinforced Conference, n high regard.
"Si Black, malakas talaga tumalon iyan at ang galing sa ilalim," he said.
Paner felt he could have contributed more, despite already being in his mid-30s during his last two PBA seasons. But things just didn't work out in 1985 and 1986 where he spent more time on the bench.
"Nung mga panahon na yun, yung mga new coaches hindi nila alam ang laro ko," shared Paner. "So sa mga baguhan na coaches, kaunting time na lang pinalaro sa akin."
At the end of the 1986 season, Paner decided to finally hang up his sneakers.
In his 12 years in the PBA, Paner posted solid average numbers of 12.4 points and 7.0 rebounds. He went on to become one of the league's 25 Greatest Players, and earned a spot in the top 25 rebounders in pro league history, while also becoming a member of the elite 5,000-point and 1,000-offensive rebound clubs.