1891: Year that Dr. James Naismith invented basketball.

14: Number of years it took for basketball to reach the Philippines. The sport was introduced by American teachers in 1905, and was originally taught to Filipino schoolgirls.

8: Number of times that the RP basketball team has competed in the Olympics. These events were the World Olympics in Berlin (1936), London (1948), Helsinki (1952), Melbourne (1956), Rome (1960), Tokyo (1964), Mexico (1968) and Munich (1972).

13th: Rank of the RP basketball team during the 1972 Olympics held in Munich, Germany. It was the last year that a Philippine national basketball team qualified for the Olympics. The team included Freddie Webb, William Adornado, Rosalio Martirez, Jaime Mariano, Manuel Paner, Edgardo Ocampo, Narciso Bernardo, Ricardo Cleofas, Danilo Florencio, Rogelio Melencio, Adriano Papa Jr. and Marte Samson.

4: Number of times that the RP basketball team consecutively won the Asian Games. RP first won in 1951 then defended the title in 1954, 1958, and 1962.

1975: Year that the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), the first professional league in Asia, was founded. Ten teams were part of the league.

100+: Number of times that the Crispa Redmanizers and the Toyota Super Corollas, said to be PBA’s greatest rivals, clashed since 1975. The Redmanizers left the league in 1983 while the Super Corollas bowed out the following year.

3: Number of universities that started, in 1932, what was to become the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP). The schools, known then as the “Big 3,” were the University of the Philippines, University of Sto. Tomas, and National University. The inaugural games on August 14 included basketball, swimming, baseball, track and field, volleyball, tennis and soccer.

7: Jersey number of Robert “Jawo” Jaworski, also known as the “Big J” and the “Living Legend.” He won 4 PBA titles as player-coach (1986, 1988, 1991 and 1997) and was named Most Valuable Player while playing for Toyota in 1978.

1999: Year that the “Big Difference,” Caloy Loyzaga was voted No. 1 by his peers in the National Basketball Hall of Fame. Considered one of the greatest Filipino players in Philippine basketball history, Loyzaga was a member of the RP team that won a bronze medal in the Second World Basketball Championship in Rio de Janeiro in 1954.

P8.7M: Total package to be received by Gabe Norwood in a span of over three years with PBA team Rain or Shine. Norwood was the 2008 top overall pick.

1,000+: Total number of goals scored by Michael Jordan in his entire career. Said to be the greatest basketball player of all time, he is a six-time NBA champion, five-time NBA MVP, and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. Jordan has also been listed as one of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

42: Height in inches of Anthony “Spud” Webb’s legendary vertical jump. Standing 5’7”, Webb was the smallest player to ever win the NBA Slam Dunk competition (1986).

7.7: Height in feet of Gheorghe Muresan, one of the tallest players ever to play in the NBA.

8: Number of founding countries of the International Basketball Federation (French: Fédération Internationale de Basketball), more commonly known by the French acronym FIBA. Founded in Geneva in 1932, the federation’s initial members were Argentina, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, and Switzerland.

Compiled by Schatzi Quodala, INQUIRER Research

Sources: “Dribblers (Basketball Players of the Philippines)”, pba.ph, pba-online.net, alaskaaces.com.ph, air21express.com.ph, nba.com, spudwebb.net, Inquirer Archives, FIBA.com