MANILA, Philippines - Olsen Racela made only a single free throw in his farewell performance Friday, but would be remembered as one of the greatest guards the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) has produced.

Just No. 12 in the rookie draft in 1993, Racela rose to become a five-time All-Star, an owner of nine championship rings and a pillar of the league’s most successful franchise.

It would have been a storybook ending for the 40-year old San Miguel Beer point guard, but Jimmy Alapag and the rest of the Talk n’ Text Tropang Texters had other plans.

Still, Racela walked out of the Araneta Coliseum with his head up high, taking with him 18 memorable seasons in the PBA.

His biggest fan, ironically, is Alapag himself.

Right after receiving his award as Rain or Shine Most Valuable Player of the Finals he shared with teammate Jason Castro, Alapag paid tribute to Racela.

“He is one of the guys I look up to and it’s a privilege to have played against him,” he said.

Racela’s retirement had been announced prior to the Finals series and had wished to finish his career with another crown.

In Game 4 of the series, Racela grabbed the loose ball in the last seconds to secure a series-tying win for the Beermen.

During SMB’s semifinal series with Barangay Ginebra, Racela sank two buzzer-beating shots in separate matches that swung the tide of battle for the Beermen.

As the newly-appointed coach of the Philippines Under-16 team gearing up for the FIBA-Asia championship late this year, Racela assumes another challenge apart from being a member of the coaching staff of San Miguel.

In a tribute given to him before the start of Game 3, SMB team manager Hector Calma and coach Ato Agustin presented him a laminated set of his No. 17 jersey.

Speaking to the crowd, Racela said: “Salamat po sa 18 taon na pag-suporta ninyo sa akin. It was all worth it.”

Racela reached two PBA milestones last year, becoming only the fifth player in league history to suit up for 900 games and the sixth to see action at the age of 40 years old.

The former Ateneo Blue Eagles won two crowns as back-up to Dindo Pumaren during his Purefoods days.

Then Ron Jacobs tapped him as a starter for San Miguel, winning seven titles along the way.

Yugel Losorata, Manila Bulletin