Rene "Bong" Hawkins Jr. (born November 6, 1967 in Manila) is a retired Filipino professional basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association. He is former starting forward for the Alaska Aces and he also played for Tivoli, Sta. Lucia, Tanduay and Coca-Cola.
PBA career
Tivoli
He was drafted in 1991 by Presto Tivoli. He would only play there for 2 years but he was able to show the talent that he had.
Sta. Lucia Realtors
In 1993, he was acquired by the Sta. Lucia Realtors where he helped teammate Jun Limpot capture several third-place trophies.
Alaska Milkmen
In what would be the turning point of his career, he was traded to the Alaska Milkmen in 1994. He became an integral part of Alaska's success in the 1990s alongside Jojo Lastimosa, Johnny Abarrientos and import Sean Chambers. He became the Most Improved Player of the 1994 Season. In 1996, he was a part of the Grand Slam Team led by then-MVP Abarrientos. He was named to the Mythical Five and Mythical Second Team several times. He would play for the Milkmen until 2000.
Tanduay Rhum Masters
In 2001, he was signed by the Tanduay Rhum Masters where he played for just one season.
FedEx Express Controversy
When Tanduay disbanded in 2001, he was among its players absorbed by its buyers, the FedEx Express. However, he and the management had a feud. He wanted to have the same terms of salary that he had with the Masters while the Express based their contract on written ones. As a result, he was released and left unsigned in 2002.
Coca-Cola Tigers
In 2003, he was signed by the Coca-Cola Tigers where he was re-united with former teammates Jeffrey Cariaso, Johnny Abarrientos and Poch Juinio. He would go to win another championship with the then-San Miguel owned franchise and suited up for them until the early beginning of the 2004-05 PBA Philippine Cup.
Return to Alaska
During the Philippine Cup of 2004-05, he was traded back to the Alaska Aces alongside Cariaso and Reynel Hugnatan for John Arigo and Ali Peek. He saw limited minutes and his play had slowed down. He last played during the 3rd-Place game of the 2006 PBA Philippine Cup against San Miguel.
Retirement and Post-Basketball Career
After the 2005-06 PBA season, he retired and worked for Tim Cone as one of his assistant coaches. During the 25th Anniversary of Alaska last September 27, 2010, his number 16 was retired along with Johnny's number 14. He is currently on the coaching staff for the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons Men's Basketball Team.
External links
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- Head coach: Bajar
- Assistant coaches: Gregorio
- Juinio
- Gingerich
- Ward
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| Ateneo Blue Eagles |
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| Alaska Aces |
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| | | | The franchise | |
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| | Administration | |
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| | Coaches | |
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| | Championships (14) | |
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| | Runner-up finishes (15) | |
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| | Retired jerseys | |
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| | Seasons (30) | |
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| | Culture and lore | |
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