Jojo Lastimosa - PBL Career

PBL Career

Jojo Lastimosa entered the Philippine Amateur Basketball League or PABL, as the league was then known, during the period 1985-1988 when Mauricio "Moying" Martelino was Commissioner, as part of the Mama's Love franchise.

Martelino paved the way for the entry of Mama's Love, a franchise of International Pharmaceuticals Inc., which steered the league to its peak as Cebuano supporters literally jampacked the oven-hot Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

When Jojo Lastimosa, a product of University of San Jose-Recoletos in Cebu, brought his act to Manila, his Visayan fans came in droves from all over the city to watch him electrify the crowd. Soon, his hardcourt exploits - and a pair of legs to die for - had the fans packing the historic Rizal Memorial Stadium to the rafters, shouting themselves hoarse as Mama's Love, Lastimosa's team, gave the Manilans a lesson in Visayan brand of basketball - bold, gutsy and fast. Game after game, Lastimosa did not disappoint his fans, and while his reticence kept him from winning an MVP award, he endeared himself to lovers of pure, unadulterated basketball.

It was considered the golden era as unknown Visayan cagers Lastimosa, Elmer Cabahug, Larry Villanil and Zaldy Realubit, became the new heroes of basketball fans from the south as they pit talents against the so-called best from the collegiate leagues. Later on, Lastimosa would play with another Visayan-based team, the Lhuillier Jewelers, where he teamed up with his good friend and national team hotshot Samboy Lim in winning a PABL title. There was the altercation between Jojo Martin and Jolas after Martin hacked Samboy for a hard foul. Jolas went for Martin's head and Martin ducked just at the right time to avoid most of Jolas's clenched fist. He still got nipped and had to go out for stitches.

His quiet leadership and intensity brought him glory as a member of various national teams, and later as a professional player in the PBA.