Abe King
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Philippines |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 192 lb (87 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | San Beda College |
| PBA draft | 1977 |
| Selected by the Toyota Super Corollas | |
| Playing career | 1977–1994 |
| Position | Forward/Center |
| Career history | |
| ? | Toyota, Gold Eagle, Great Taste, Purefoods |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Abe King, Jr. is a Filipino former basketball player who was part of the champion Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) ballclub Toyota Tamaraws. He was the starting power center of 1976 MICAA Champion Crown Motors before his mother team, the Toyota Tamaraws called upon his services at the start of the 1977 PBA season. Prior to that, King was King Bedan in 1976 and was responsible in powering the San Beda Red Lions to runner-up finish in that year.
King was an instant starter for the Tamaraws as resident power forward when Alberto "Big Boy" Reynoso retired at the end of the 1976 season. Reynoso's younger brother Cristino on the other hand was shipped to U/Tex in one of the early trades back in the PBA. Hence, King joined forces with Ramon Fernandez, Robert Jaworski, Francis Arnaiz and 1976 Rookie Of The Year Virgilio "Gil" Cortez in the starting unit of the Tamaraws (original starting forward Rodolfo "Ompong" Segura suffered a knee injury during the 1976 season that allowed Cortez to blossom that season). King became a major force to reckon with, and almost won ROY honors, barely losing to eventual winner and co-power forward Jimmy Taguines of Yco-Tanduay in a tight race. However, King proved that he had the sterner stuff and longevity as he stayed in the PBA for nearly 2 decades while Taguines retired unceremoniously sometime in the early 80's.
King's accomplishments though were somewhat diminished with the performance of his more accomplished teammates. The year after he joined the league, Jaworski ruled the roost by averaging close to triple double the entire season en route to the MVP award. In 1979, Fernandez narrowly lost out to Fortunato "Atoy" Co, Jr. in a tight MVP race that was decided by the media votes. Fernandez, though, proved that he was the best player of the season as he powered the Tamaraws to a runner up and championship finish in the succeeding two conferences. Co won the MVP title after the 1st Conference, one of the quirks of the PBA rules back then – and since Crispa won the title, the Fortune Cookie, despite ending up second to Fernandez in the stats race in the AFC, romped away with the honors.
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