THE original Iron Man of the Philippine Basketball Association makes a special homecoming right on the league’s 50th anniversary celebration.

Jaime ‘Jimmy’ Noblezada serves as one of the special guests in the golden festivities of Asia’s pioneering play-for-pay league on Wednesday topbilled by the retro game between San Miguel and Meralco at the historic Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

Now 74, the pride of University of San Agustin in Iloilo played in the first ever PBA game in history on April 9, 1975 as part of the Concepcion Carrier team which battled Mariwasa Noritake.

Long-before modern-day Iron Men Alvin Patrimonio and LA Tenorio became the norm for their playing longevity, Noblezada was the first to earn the moniker not for the most number of consecutive games played but for his tough plays, relentless rebounding, daunting defense, and intimidating presence on the court.

But the guy can score too. He is the first local player to score at least 20 points as per PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III when he finished with 24 points in a losing effort for Concepcion, 101-98.

PHOTO: PBA Annual

Incidentally, his Concepcion teammate Gregorio ‘Joy’ Dionisio was the first ever player to score a basket in PBA history.

It wasn’t until he transferred to U-Tex in 1977 that Noblezada would win his first league championship during the 1978 Open Conference when the Wranglers swept the Crispa Redmanizers, 3-0, in the finals.

He was also a member of the same U-Tex side which won the famous ‘The Last 16 Seconds’ championship which saw the Wranglers overhauled a four-point deficit against Toyota with 16 seconds to play in the do-or-die match, eventually sending the game into overtime, which U-Tex won, 99-98, for the 1980 Open Conference championship.

The 6-foot-2 forward from Miagao, Iloilo retired in 1981 after playing seven seasons in the league, suiting up for 275 games and averaging 10.5 points per outing.

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