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Legendary Basketball Rivals Toyota and Crispa Reunite

Legendary Basketball Rivals Toyota and Crispa Reunite. Photo by Jeffrey Hernaez, ABS-CBN News 

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Jeffrey Hernaez

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-fil" style="width:900px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1713581136588from jeff.jpg" style="width:900px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-fil"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><em>Photo by Jeffrey Hernaez, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA -- During the &#x27;70s and &#x27;80s, every match-up between Toyota and Crispa had the nation picking sides, as the people chose their favorite among the two legendary basketball teams.</p><p>In a rare occurrence, players from both squads reunited not as basketball rivals but as friends in a grand reunion.</p><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:560px;height:316px;display:block;flex-grow:1" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1781275265035087896&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fnews-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Anews-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2024-04-20T03%3A38%3A54.370090%3A0d901b1e-f628-4e7b-8a36-f25fb9419d31%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=4ef9bbedd373df9668d30e5006a449edd44fe470&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" data-tweet-id="1781275265035087896"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><p>Among those who attended the event were Gil Cortez, Ed Cordero, Ompong Segura, Oscar Rocha, Rollie Marcelo, and Coach Dante Silverio. Also present were Padim Israel, Atoy Co, Tito Varela, and Freddie Hubalde.</p><p>Cortez expressed joy at the reunion and said they were happy to reconnect and reminisce about their shared experiences on and off the basketball court.</p><p>&quot;Masaya kasi dati hindi kami puwede magkita sa isang lugar, sa disco kapag nandun ang Crispa, hindi tutuloy ang Toyota, ngayon naman magkakaibigan kami at magkakapatid, tinapos na namin ang rivalry. Para makita ng mga kabataan na kahit na naglaro kayo ng tirahan, pisikal dati, matatapos din yun. Kapag tumatanda na lalo na, magiging kaibigan na,” he said.</p><p>(We&#x27;re happy because before, we couldn&#x27;t meet in one place; at a disco when Crispa was there, Toyota wouldn&#x27;t go, but now we&#x27;re friends and brothers, we&#x27;ve ended the rivalry. So that the youth can see that even if you played rough, physical games before, it will eventually end. Especially as you grow older, you&#x27;ll become friends.)</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/04/28/23/look-crispa-toyota-players-hold-reunion-night"><strong>LOOK: Crispa, Toyota players hold reunion night</strong></a></div><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/11/21/this-day-in-pba-history-crispa-beats-toyota-all-filipino-title-1976"><strong>READ: This Day in PBA History: Crispa beats rival Toyota to capture 1st All-Filipino crown</strong></a></div><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/02/19/23/good-times-old-antics-in-toyota-tamaraws-reunion"><strong>READ: Good times, old antics and habits in Toyota Tamaraws reunion</strong></a></div><p>“Noon kapag Crispa (vs) Toyota, kapag hindi ka (nagkaroon ng) black eye, wala kang dugo sa ilong, sa bibig, pasa, hindi ka naglaro, ganoon ang laro noon, very passionate ang mga players noon. I have nothing against the players now, pero ang puso nandoon talaga,&quot; Cortez added, reminiscing about the intensity of their matches.</p><p>(&quot;Back then, during Crispa versus Toyota games, if you didn&#x27;t get a black eye, if your nose or mouth didn&#x27;t bleed, if you didn&#x27;t get bruises, you didn&#x27;t play. That&#x27;s how the game was back then, very passionate players. I have nothing against the players now, but the heart was truly there.”)</p><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:560px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:560px;height:316px;display:block;flex-grow:1" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1781291223875240347&amp;lang=en&amp;maxWidth=560px&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fnews-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Anews-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2024-04-20T03%3A38%3A54.370090%3A0d901b1e-f628-4e7b-8a36-f25fb9419d31%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=a24d7c23f7adbf5e2299023ab32668b246e16205&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" data-tweet-id="1781291223875240347"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><p>Tito Varela also recalled the intensity of competition between the two legendary basketball teams.</p><p>“Hindi ko akalain na mangyayari ito, matagal na naming pangarap ito na magkasama-sama at ngayon na nangyari, talagang masaya ako dahil kung titingnan natin, bibigyan natin ng comparison ang PBA noon at PBA ngayon, napakalaki ng pagkakaiba. Kaya maganda itong nangyari na kahit noong araw ay humahampas na mga mukha namin sa flooring, ngayon ito magkakasama kami dahi lang sa basketball,” he said.</p><p>(I never imagined this would happen; it has been our dream for a long time to be together, and now that it&#x27;s happening, I&#x27;m truly happy. If we compare the PBA then and the PBA now, there&#x27;s a huge difference. So, it&#x27;s great that even though back in the day, our faces were hitting the floor, now we&#x27;re together because of basketball.)</p><p>Co proudly recalled the immense support they received from basketball fans during their time, highlighting the intensity of the Crispa-Toyota rivalry both on and off the court.</p><p>“Ang basketball naman ay talagang magkalaban lang sa hard court, pero during that time, the rivalry of Crispa and Toyota, kahit na sa labas hindi kami nagbabatian, ganoong katindi ang rivalry. Kapag nakikita ng tao iyon, naisip nila na ganito talaga ang laban nila, kaya naging popular ang Crispa-Toyota.”</p><p>(Basketball is really just about competing on the hard court, but during that time, the rivalry between Crispa and Toyota was so intense that even outside the court, we didn&#x27;t exchange greetings. That&#x27;s how intense the rivalry was. When people saw that, they thought that&#x27;s how their match went, which is why the Crispa-Toyota rivalry became so popular.)</p><p>Robert Jaworski was not able to attend, and his son, former PBA player and current Pasig City Vice Mayor Dudut Jaworski, represented him, conveying his warm regards and gratitude to those who prayed for him, expressing his hope for his father&#x27;s recovery and his longing for his former teammates.</p><p>“Ipinapadala niya ang kanyang pangangamusta. Matagal nang panahon na hindi sila nagkakasama-sama, sabi nga ng aking ama to send his warmest regards at salamat sa mga nagdadasal sa kanya at sana bumalik na ang kanyang lakas at the same time nami-miss na niya daw yung mga dating kasamahan,” he said.</p><p>(He sends his regards. It&#x27;s been a long time since they haven&#x27;t been together. As my father says, he sends his warmest regards and thanks to those who pray for him. He hopes his strength returns, and at the same time, he misses his former teammates.)</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QayxuYfKvKg??si=OV4jALK6bXoOne7P&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Players from Toyota and Crispa reunited not as basketball rivals but as friends in a grand reunion.</p>

Players from Toyota and Crispa reunited not as basketball rivals but as friends in a grand reunion.

Legendary basketball rivals Toyota and Crispa reunite in an event

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Legendary basketball rivals Toyota and Crispa reunite in an event

Jeffrey Hernaez,

ABS-CBN News

Published Apr 20, 2024 05:00 PM PHT

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