Michael Hackett’s monster game
Michael Hackett was one hell of a player. He was drafted by the LA Lakers in 1982 but ended up playing overseas instead. Hackett found his way into the Ginebra roster in the mid-80s where he, in a matchup against Great Taste, totalled then league records of 103 points and 45 rebounds. It was no fluke as shown by his conference averages of 50 markers per game to go along with 20 rebounds. His record of most points in a single PBA game would be broken 7 years after by Tony “Hurricane” Harris who scored 105 points (ironically against Ginebra). His rebounding record stands to this day.
The moment Never Say Die was born
Never Say Die has been the battlecry of Barangay Ginebra for a very long time and you can trace its origins to a Ginebra - Northern Cement face-off back in 1985. In the middle of the game, Sonny Jaworski went up for a rebound only to receive an inadvertent elbow from Northern Cement import, Jeff Moore. Jaworski had to go to the nearest hospital to get his lips stitched and promptly returned to the arena after. Jawo came back onto the court with Ginebra down 15 points with seven minutes to go in regulation and inspired one of the most memorable comebacks in PBA history, winning by three points, 99-96.
Rudy Distrito’s version of The Shot
Rudy Distrito is more known for his physical play (hence the Destroyer moniker) than anything else. His antics on the court, and the reputation that came with it, would eventually lead to him leaving the PBA for good. But many Ginebra (and Shell) fans also remember Distrito for his own version of “The Shot.” After clawing back to even the series from a 1-3 deficit against Shell in the 1991 PBA First Conference, Ginebra had one final chance to complete the improbable comeback to steal the crown. With 5 seconds left, Rudy Distrito evaded his primary defender with the help of a screen, received a well-placed inbound pass, and made a highly contested jumper over a towering Benjie Paras to clinch the win, 104-102.
Bal David’s buzzer beater
The Flash owns at least a pair of iconic buzzer beaters in his 10-year stint with Ginebra. One was his long range heave against San Miguel and the other was this gem which occurred during the 1999 All Filipino Cup quarterfinals.The #1 ranked Mobiline squad already lost its twice-to-beat advantage after dropping their first game against the #8 seeded Ginebra team by 10 points. The do-or-die second game was much closer with Bal David needing to pull off another one of his patented last second miracles to triumph by a single point, 82-81. If memes were already a big thing then, crying Asi Taulava would have been an instant hit.
Justin Brownlee ends an 8-year drought
It took eight years for Ginebra to taste another title after winning the Fiesta Cup in 2008. And it took a certain Mr. Justin Brownlee to bring the Gin Kings back to the top. With 5.5 seconds left in Game 6 of the 2016 Governors’ Cup, Brownlee received the ball and hit a cold-blooded dagger trey in the face of Meralco import Allen Durham to seal the series with a 91-88 victory.