CALVIN Abueva’s stint with Magnolia came to an end on Tuesday after four years when he was traded to NorthPort, along with Jerrick Balanza and Magnolia’s 51st Season second round draft pick, for William Navarro.
At Magnolia, Abueva had some of his best conferences of his career. As always, however, Abueva also had his share of controversies.
Here is a look at the highs and lows of Abueva’s stay at Magnolia.
Dirty finger caught on TV
On April 3, 2024, Calvin Abueva was suspended one game and fined P20,000 for flashing a dirty finger at a fan during a game between Magnolia and Barangay Ginebra. Abueva claimed a fan seated in the front row said something offensive to him during the game. The PBA though didn’t buy his reasoning, and sanctioned the enigmatic forward.
Spat with Mo Tautuaa
Calvin Abueva, Mo Tautuaa, and their respective wives got into a heated argument after Game Two of the 2023-24 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals at the Mall of Asia Arena. Abueva was spotted challenging Tautuaa to a fight at the hallway after their wives got into an argument. The two players escaped sanctions and were instead given a warning by the league.
Second BPC of his career
After a long wait, Calvin Abueva bagged his second Best Player of the Conference award of his career during the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup, beating Mikey Williams of TNT, teammate Ian Sangalang, Robert Bolick of NorthPort, and June Mar Fajardo of San Miguel. Abueva was in a zone during the conference, tallying eight double-doubles during the elimination round, quarterfinals, and semifinals during that tournament.
Gilas call-up for Asian Games
It was with Magnolia that Calvin Abueva got another chance to play for Gilas Pilipinas as he was initially selected to be part of the pool for the 19th Asian Games. During practices, Abueva, whose notable stint with Gilas was in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship and in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asia qualifiers, sustained a dislocated thumb but his desire to play for the national squad didn’t stop him from continuing to work hard during the preparation. Unfortunately for Abueva, he was later scratched from the roster after it was learned that his name was not part of the original list of athletes submitted to the organizing committee.
Gallent mocked
Prior to the hallway argument, Calvin Abueva already got into trouble in Game Two of the 2023-24 PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals when he mocked the eyesight disability of then-San Miguel coach Jorge Gallent. Abueva was later fined P100,000 for the incident.
‘Japan, Japan’
Frustration got the better of 'The Beast' during a June 2022 game between Magnolia and Barangay Ginebra when Abueva was ejected for an alteration with Nards Pinto. On his way out of the Mall of Asia Arena, Abueva was heard uttering the words ‘Japan, Japan’ and ‘Bye PBA.’ The PBA fined Abueva P10,000 and suspending him for one game for ‘unsportsmanlike behavior.’
New contract at Magnolia
Despite his past controversies, Magnolia showed the value of Calvin Abueva to the team by signing him to a three-year contract extension in 2023. It occurred while he was still not playing for the Hotshots at that time as he recovers from surgery to remove his hemorrhoids
Mythical Team award
Following the trade that brought him from Phoenix to Magnolia, Calvin Abueva enjoyed some of his best seasons of his career. He was in contention for an MVP award during the 2021 season, his first season with Magnolia, and eventually became part of the Mythical First Team. Abueva also made it to the Mythical Second Team in 2023.
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