The family of Filipino basketball legend Carlos “Caloy” Loyzaga was thankful that their father finally got the recognition he deserved in the world of international basketball.
Loyzaga, known as the “Big Difference,” was among the inductees of the FIBA Hall of Fame Class of 2023, which also included China’s NBA pioneer Yao Ming, Brazilian legend and FIBA 50 Greatest Players member Wlamir Marques, and three-time WNBA champion Penny Taylor.
During the induction on Wednesday night, Loyzaga’s son Chito talked about his father’s legacy.
“(He played) for love of country, for the flag,” said Chito, a former basketball player himself.
“Imagine, that was not too long after the war. The struggles, the difficulties they had to go through to represent the country, to play for the flag—that was no joke.”
During his heydays, Loyzaga was named a member of the All-Tournament Team in the 1954 FIBA World Championship, where the Philippines finished with a bronze medal.
He was the Philippines Asian Games champion four times and was a two-time Asian Basketball Confederation champion.
Loyzaga also won eight championships in the Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA) and won seven straight titles from 1954 to 1960 with the YCO Athletic Club Painters.
He passed away in 2016 at the age of 85.
Caloy Loyzaga’s family touched by FIBA’s gesture to honor basketball great
