MANILA, 24 January 2003 — Two of the best cagers to play in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) are closing the final chapters of their glorious careers on the hardcourt.
Jojo Lastimosa and Dindo Pumaren have decided to retire for good.
Lastimosa has accepted that there is no way he could defy Father Time, so he is finally calling it quits — but not with a heavy heart.
Pumaren, on the other hand, says he has nothing more to prove, and “I’ll quit while I’m ahead.”
Lastimosa, who is turning 39 in March, is ending his playing years with Alaska, the team he helped transformed to becoming the 90s winningest and one of the most successful ballclubs in the league’s 29-year-old history.
He said that retirement was imminent, having accomplished many things in his fabled 15-season career. As a matter of fact, his stint with the Aces last year was already his farewell season as a PBA player.
For the coming 29th PBA season, Lastimosa said the Aces’ multititled coach Tim Cone is still working out his inclusion in the Aces coaching staff.
“He (Cone) is still ironing out some kinks for me to be part of the coaching staff. So for now, I’ll just have to relax and enjoy my time with my family,” said Lastimosa, whose team lost to Coca-Cola in last year’s season-ending All-Filipino Cup finals, 3-1.
Yet, hanging up his history-coated jersey does not mean he is giving up his position as one of the top officials of the Professional Players Basketball Association.
With more time in his hands, Lastimosa would become more active in the players’ association, in which he and Purefoods team captain Alvin Patrimonio are considered leaders.
“I’ll concentrate on helping the union and the local players. Specially now, since there are lots of players who are affected by the board’s move to lower the monthly salary from 500,000 pesos to 350,000 pesos,” said the former Alaska leader, who made it to the Mythical First Team three times in his PBA career. “Hopefully, we could set an appointment with Commissioner Noli Eala soon.”
His rise to prominence started in the then Philippine Amateur Basketball League (now Philippine Basketball League) while playing for Mama’s Love.
The 6-foot-1 Cebuano cager broke into Asia’s first play-for-pay league in the 1988 season.
Instantly, he took the league by storm on the way to winning the Rookie of the Year award donning the Purefoods uniform.
Three years later, after helping the Purefoods franchise to one PBA title and four runner-up finishes, he joined Alaska, signaling the start of his rise to even greater heights.
Under the guidance of Cone, Lastimosa matured to becoming a seasoned leader as he helped the Uytengsu franchise to nine PBA titles, including a rare grand slam feat in the 1996 season.
Lastimosa teamed up with Johnny Abarrientos, Bong Hawkins and Edward Juinio in forming one of the most formidable lineups seen in years. Unfortunately, at the end of the 2000 season, the year Alaska captured the All-Filipino trophy after beating Purefoods in the finals, Lastimosa and his band of grizzled veterans parted ways as the Aces began their rebuilding program.
Lastimosa joined Abarrientos and Juinio at Pop Cola, while Hawkins was traded to Tanduay entering the 2001 season.
Lastimosa took things in stride, knowing that such move is part of the harsh realities of a professional player.
Under the Alaska ballclub, he enjoyed his best year in the 1992 season, where he set a team-best 22.6 points in 46 contests.
Interestingly, Lastimosa was also a part of the 1998 Philippine Centennial Team that won the bronze medal in the Bangkok Asian Games. The second oldest player in the league last season — next to Lastimosa, Pumaren is also retiring — on his own terms, that is — after a stellar 14-year career in the league that made him one of the premier guards.
The cat-quick, buzz-haired playmaker said he has relayed the decision to his immediate family, which includes FedEx coach Derick Pumaren and father Pilo.
“At my age, I feel that I have nothing more to prove. Actually, I’m already thinking about retirement when Tanduay was disbanded. But I only came to this decision after consulting with my wife. But this has nothing to do with my age since I’ve always felt that I’m still in great health and shape,” he said.
Although many would assume that at age 38, it seems a ripe and right time for a PBA cager to retire — but not for Pumaren, who last season still led the league in assists and finished second behind Olsen Racela in the assist-turnover ratio — just as he had routinely done in a career that started with Purefoods in 1989.
Rather than wait to see if FedEx would sign him to a contract extension for the 2003 season, Pumaren decided to call it a day.
Coach Pumaren welcomed his brother’s graceful exit.
“Up to his retirement, he is still considered to be one of the best assist men in the league. I don’t think detractors could bring him down because he made it on top because of his game,” he said.
Actually, Pumaren said he had thought of retiring early last season, when the sale of the Tanduay franchise to FedEx left brother Derrick’s fate as coach in the balance. But after consulting with his wife, he decided to play out his contract with the Express.
It was a decision he didn’t regret.
Not wanting to be forced into retirement, the younger Pumaren quipped: “Actually, I’m 100 percent healthy and I think I can still play competitive basketball. Of course, I don’t want to leave the league as a nobody. I’d rather quit while I’m still on top.”
Called “The Bullet, Pumaren’s cage career started in San Beda in the early 1980s.
In San Beda High School, among his teammates were Ronnie Magsanoc, Benjie Paras, Gerry Esplana, Eric Altamirano and Macky de Joya.
He played for La Salle in 1985-1988 and his teammates in the Green Archers squad were Shell coach Perry Ronquillo, John-O coach Dong Vergeire, Teddy Monasterio, Dickie Bachmann, Joey Santamaria and Jun Limpot.
He also played for the Philippine team that earned the bronze medal in the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul which was among other international competitions where he played for the country. He joined the PBA in 1989 in what was considered to be the bumper crop of amateurs to come into the league. He played for Purefoods from 1989-2001 joining forces with Alvin Patrimonio and Jerry Codinera.
They won four championships together — one with the legendary Baby Dalupan and the firsts for Chot Reyes, Eric Altamirano and Ely Capacio.
