DID you know that during late 70’s and early 80's, a PBA player can consider himself among the highest-paid in the league if he earned P8,000 a month?
Toyota legend Abe King revealed that from 1979 to 1984, he was one of the highest-paid players in the infancy years of Asia's first professional basketball league ‘on paper’ with a basic salary that comes up to P96,000 a year.
During that time, King said most of his fellow players even worked either part-time or full-time in their team’s mother companies just to earn extra income, either by selling cars for Toyota or working a gig as a salesman at San Miguel.
“Nung araw, uso ang gabi ang ensayo, mga 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Kasi marami noon ang may mga item sa kanilang teams," said King in a chat with SPIN.ph from his home in Washington State.
READ On this day 41 years ago, Abe King scored 60 points in a PBA game
"Ginagawa 'yan noon ng Toyota at ng San Miguel, may iba silang player, nagta-trabaho sa company as salesmen, area manager. Just so na magkaroon ng extra income."
Considering this, King stressed how lucky current PBA players are being able to focus on their careers and earning an obscene amount of money.
“Sino mag-aakala nung time namin na papalo nang ganyan kalaki ang swelduhan? P420,000 ngayon a month inaayawan pa ng iba. Ang suswerte nila,” said the 66-year old, who played for Toyota, Gold Eagle, Great Taste and Purefoods in an 18-year career.
King said he did try putting up different businesses while playing in the PBA, most of which unfortunately didn’t prosper, either because he had little time to oversee or had little or no knowledge of the operations.
So here's his piece of advice for today's players who wish to go down the same path.
“Dapat matuto sila mag-ipon at mag-ingat sa pera,” he said. “Kasi nung panahon ko, may parlor ako, canteen at saka deep sea fishing vessel," he said. "Kaso di ko natutukan, nalugi. May mga tauhan ako ang umabuso. Yung mga huli kong isda, binebenta sa gitna pa lang ng dagat. Kaya naibenta ko yung barko, imbes na dumami."
“Pag may business ka, bantayan mo. 'Pag di mo kayang tutukan, wag ka muna mag-negosyo. Matuto ka sa experience ko,” he added.
Abe King starts afresh
After a stellar PBA career, King bared he migrated to the US for the future of his family. There, he started afresh taking on jobs which were nowhere as glamorous as his PBA career was.
“Para mabuhay ko pamilya ko at mapag-aral ko mga anak ko, lahat halos pinagdaanan ko. Sanay naman kasi ako sa hirap, kaya hindi ako gaano nahirapan. Pero ang dami kong naging trabaho dito na hindi mo maiisip kayang gawin ng isang dating PBA player na katulad ko,” said the 13-time PBA champion.
From being a stadout at San Beda to a bankable star in the PBA, where he once scored 60 points in one game, King worked as a cashier at a 7-Eleven store in La Habra, California doing the graveyard shift for two-and-a-half years, and as a kitchen staff in an Alaska harbor where he packed frozen products, took care of inventory and cooked.
The PBA legend bared he also worked as a mixer/scaler in a Herbalife vitamins factory and as a farmer in a Ohana coffee plantation, where he eventually became plant manager.
“Sinasabi ko sa 'yo, pag gipit ka at walang linaw ang future mo, mapapasok mo ang mga bagay na naiisip mong di mo kaya. Yung dating PBA star ka, hinahangaan ka ng tao? Balewala yan 'pag nagutom ka na. Kaya nga sinasabi ko sa mga kabataan at players ngayon hangga’t makakapag-ipon, mag-ipon,” said King.
King was able to send his children to college - one is now a doctor, two are nurses, aother one is a corrections officer. They graduated either from the University of Washington or West Coast University in California. One of her daughters earned a degree in medical anthropology at Public Health at University of Washington.
The former PBA star said what he earned was hardly enough to cover all the expenses, but it helped that most of his children were able to secure scholarships. Another son, Igee, played for Emilio Aguinaldo College and graduated with an IT degree. He did not pursue basketball as a career, however, as he was offered a good pay at the Nordstorm corporate office in the US.
“Lahat 'yan napagtapos ko na after PBA career ko. Pero thankful pa rin ako sa PBA kasi yung isa ko nakakuha ng four-year PBA scholarship,” he said, referring to the league's scholarship program for children of former players.
King concerns
The former member of the 'Toyota Deadly Five' with Robert Jaworski, Mon Fernandez, Francis Arnaiz and the late Arnie Tuadles now lives a comfortable life in the US. But he can't help but be worried for some PBA players who are hooked on gambling.
“Ang dami kong nalalaman sa mga players ngayon na nagsusugal, nagca-casino. Mali yun. Wala silang panalo dun. Malapit sa ganyang tukso ang mga players, kasi nga nasa mataas na estado sila, tinitingala ng tao. Kaso pag kumagat ka sa ganyan, andun na ang simula ng delubyo mo,” said King, who admitted once being a gambler himself.
“Lahat ng 'yan tinigil ko 'yan. Nagsisi ako. Malapit ka kasi sa wrong company, mae-engganyo ka hanggang sa ikaw na mismo nagsusugal,” he said.
At the same time, King revealed the importance of having a Players Union and Players' Trust Fund not only in the PBA but in other commercial leagues.
“Importante yan, kasi hindi lahat ng players nagiging successful after their careers," he said. "May iba dyan, hindi pinapalad. At the end of their basketball lives, walang-wala. Dapat natutulungan ang mga 'yun, kasi one day in their lives they represented the PBA.”
As for the reported exorbitant contracts some players are currently demanding that is said to reach millions in pesos per month, King has this to say.
“May mga nadidinig ako P2.4 million daw per month ang hinihingi. Kalokohan na 'yan," King said. "Kawawa sa ganyan yung mga maliliit na players na kakampi nila. Kasi ang team budgeted na ang pera nyan per year. So kung hihingi ka ng malaki, saan kukunin yung extra? E di sa mga kakampi mo tatapyas ng kita."
“Yan ang economics of basketball. Bawat team, may naka-allot lang na budget yan. Pag may sumobra dun, tatapyas sila sa pondo ng iba,” added the player who retired in 1994 with the Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs.
“Mahihirapan ka rin kumuha ng magagaling ng kakampi. Take the case of Tom Brady, nag-agree siya sa pay cut para makakuha ng magagaling na kakampi. Ganun ang team sport. Hindi ka naman superman para sa iyo lahat ang bayad,” he said.
King also stressed that players should realize very early that basketball is not forever.
“Nung nag-retire ako, alam n'yo ba, na-depress ako kasi gusto ko pa lumaro. Kaso that time, mas nanaig sa sarili ko yung katotohanan na ayaw kong maglaro tapos ibo-boo lang ako ng tao at sasabihan na, 'Umalis ka na, matanda ka na,'” he said, revealing he had opportunities to play in the MBA when he retired.
"Pero hindi na ko lumaro, kasi gagawin ka na lang asintahan ng mga mas bata,” he said. “Self respect na lang.”
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