Gabriel Daniel Viloria Norwood (born February 9, 1985) is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for the

Rain or Shine Elasto Painters The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association owned by Asian Coatings Philippines, Inc. It debuted in the league in the 2006–07 PBA season after acquiring the franchise right ...

of the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...

(PBA). He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

George Mason University George Mason University (George Mason, Mason, or GMU) is a public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia with an independent City of Fairfax, Virginia postal address in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. The university was orig ...

. He has been a member of the

Philippine national basketball team The Philippines men's national basketball team ( fil, Pambansang koponan ng basketbol ng Pilipinas), commonly known as Gilas Pilipinas, is the basketball team representing the Philippines. The team is managed by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipi ...

High school and college career

Norwood spent his life in many different parts of the United States while his father, Brian Norwood, now defensive coordinator at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a Normal school, teachers colle ...

, coached different collegiate football teams. In high school, he and his brother ( Jordan Norwood, a former football player at

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High ...

where his father coached until 2007) were part of the state championship team at State College Area High School in State College, Pennsylvania. Norwood was part of the

2005–06 George Mason Patriots men's basketball team The 2005–06 George Mason Patriots men's basketball team represented George Mason University in the 2005–2006 NCAA Basketball season. The team achieved several milestones, including a team-record 23 regular season wins, and earned an at-larg ...

as their sixth man. He played 35 games averaging 3.5 points per game, 2.1 rebounds per game, 2.0 assists per game, 1.0 steals per game, 42.5 FG%, 58.8FT% in 21.1 mins/game.

Professional career

Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (2008–present)

Norwood was the first overall pick in the 2008 PBA Draft by the

. During the 2009 PBA All-Star Week, Norwood won in the Slam Dunk Contest among locals. He failed to beat the 2006 NCAA Slam Dunk Champion and

Barangay Ginebra Kings A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...

import,

David Noel David Anthony Noel III (born February 27, 1984) is an American retired professional basketball player and current assistant coach of the Capital City Go-Go of the NBA G League. A graduate of the University of North Carolina, Noel was drafted by ...

, who won the same contest but among the imports. He won the 2008–09

PBA Rookie of the Year Award The Philippine Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) award given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. The award was first given in . The award is decided using criteria int ...

for his promising performance inside the court. He was also named into the Second Mythical Team. In the 2010 All-Star Game in

Puerto Princesa Puerto Princesa, officially the City of Puerto Princesa ( Cuyonon: ''Siyudad i'ang Puerto Princesa''; fil, Lungsod ng Puerto Princesa), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Mimaropa region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 censu ...

, Norwood won the Handy Fix All-Star Game MVP for his highlight dunks and moves and also because of his baskets in the critical moments of the game. He had 17 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and a block. He led the North All-Stars to a 133–130 win over the South All-Stars. He finished that season as a member of the All-Defensive Team, and became

Defensive Player of the Year Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY or DPOTY) is the name of an award given in sports for outstanding defensive play by a single player over the course of a season. Many sports leagues award this type of award. League awards for Defensive Player o ...

. In 2011, he agreed to an P8.4 million two-year contract-extension deal. The following year, he won his first championship during the Governors' Cup. In Game 3 of the 2012-13 Philippine Cup quarterfinals, Norwood stepped up with 21 points and 6 assists to eliminate Ginebra and move on to the semis. They made it all the way to the Finals, where they lost to the

Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters The TNT Tropang Giga is a professional basketball team currently owned by Smart Communications, a subsidiary of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) since 1990. The fra ...

. The next conference, which was the Commissioner's Cup, Rain or Shine went on a 5-game winning streak, but it was snapped by Talk 'N Text, which was their sixth straight loss to that team. They lost to Ginebra in the quarterfinals that conference. In the quarterfinals against the

Globalport Batang Pier The NorthPort Batang Pier is a Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) team that first played in the 2012–13 PBA season. The team took over the franchise of the Powerade Tigers in 2012 after it was sold to Sultan 900 Capital, Inc. Besides No ...

in the Governors' Cup, he hit a corner three with 17.8 seconds left that eventually sent Rain or Shine to the semifinals. In the semis, Rain or Shine lost to the Petron Blaze Boosters. He finished his season a member of the All-Defensive Team. In their matchup against the

Barako Bull Energy The Barako Bull Energy were a Philippine Basketball Association team that began in 2002 as the FedEx Express. From its first season until 2005, the team was dubbed as the FedEx Express before changing to Air21 Express. From the 2009 PBA Fiest ...

in the 2013-14 Philippine Cup, Norwood stole a pass for

Mick Pennisi Michael Alfio Pennisi (born March 13, 1975) is an Australian-Filipino former professional basketball player. He last played for the GlobalPort Batang Pier of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He was automatically hired by Red Bull in 2 ...

and made two free throws to seal the win for Rain or Shine. They made it to the

Finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

that year, along with the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers. In Game 1, he made an alley-oop pass to Paul Lee with 0.9 seconds remaining that gave Rain or Shine the lead. Lee then sealed the win with a technical free throw when San Mig sued for time without any timeouts left. San Mig eventually won the series in the next five games. They rematched again in the Governors' Cup Finals. But it was the same result, as San Mig won the series, capturing the first Grand Slam since the Alaska Aces did it in 1996. Once again Rain Or Shine made another finals stint in the 2015 Commissioner's Cup going up against Talk 'N Text but they failed to secure the championship on their belt after a competitive second overtime in Game 7. TNT was led by Jayson Castro who was named the Best Player of the Conference and

Ranidel de Ocampo Ranidel Rozal de Ocampo (born December 8, 1981) is a Filipino former professional basketball player and assistant coach for the TNT Tropang Giga of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He is the younger brother of Yancy de Ocampo where b ...

who was named the Finals MVP. Norwood won his second title during the 2016 Commissioner's Cup. On October 14, 2016, he was recognized during the PBA Leo Awards Night as he was named to the All-Defensive Team. He also re-signed with the team for two more years. Norwood missed some time the next season due to a viral infection. Unfortunately, they were not able to defend their Commissioner's Cup title. In his first game of the Governors' Cup after playing for the national team in the

2017 FIBA Asia Cup The 2017 FIBA Asia Cup (formerly known as the FIBA Asia Championship) was the 29th continental basketball championship in Asia. The tournament was organised by FIBA Asia. It took place from 8 to 20 August 2017, a week earlier from the initial sch ...

, he had 15 points and 11 rebounds while playing 37 minutes in a win against the

Star Hotshots The Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots, or simply known as the Magnolia Hotshots, are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team is owned by San Miguel Pure Foods Company, Inc., San Miguel Food and Bever ...

. Several weeks later, he scored 17 points in a win against the Phoenix Fuel Masters. Rain or Shine was eliminated in the quarterfinals by the

San Miguel Beermen The San Miguel Beermen are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). It is one of three PBA clubs owned by the San Miguel Corporation group of companies along with the Magnolia Hotshots and Barangay Ginebra ...

. He was given the Sportsmanship Award and was on the All-Defensive Team. In 2018, Norwood was once again on the All-Defensive Team, which was his sixth straight inclusion. In 2021, Norwood made three of his four three-point attempts as he finished with 15 points that helped Rain or Shine beat the

Terrafirma Dyip The Terrafirma Dyip is a professional basketball team playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The team is owned by Terrafirma Realty Development Corporation and originally played under its affiliate company Columbian Autocar Cor ...

. Norwood and his team didn't have a very successful season, as Rain or Shine was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Philippine Cup by Magnolia, and didn't make the playoffs of the Governors' Cup.

National team career

Norwood was a member of the national basketball team of the Philippines that represented the country in the 2007 William Jones Cup, and in the

FIBA Asia Championship 2007 The 2007 FIBA Asia Championship for Men was the qualifying tournament for FIBA Asia at the men's basketball tournament at the 2008 Summer Olympics at Beijing. The tournament was held in Tokushima, Japan from July 28 to August 5, 2007. Participa ...

. In 2008, Norwood was again named to the Philippine Training Pool headed by Coach

Yeng Guiao Joseller "Yeng" Medina Guiao (born March 19, 1959) is a Filipino professional basketball head coach, politician, commentator and sports commissioner. He is currently the head coach of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters of the Philippine Basketba ...

for future international competitions. He saw action and his team finished 8th overall in the

2009 FIBA Asia Championship The 2009 FIBA Asia Championship for Men was the biennial Asian continental championship and also served as the FIBA Asia qualifying tournament for the 2010 FIBA World Championship. The tournament was held from August 6 to 16, 2009 in Tianjin, Chin ...

held in

Tianjin, China Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popula ...

on August 6–16, 2009. Norwood once again joined the national team in 2013, this time under the second incarnation of the Smart-Gilas program. His athleticism and versatility on both sides of the floor was a great asset in the team's run to a silver medal finish in the FIBA Asia Men's Championship, hosted in the Philippines. Norwood rejoined the national team for the

2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup The 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 17th edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the tournament previously known as the FIBA World Championship. Hosted by Spain, it was the last tournament to be held on the then-current four-year cycle. ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. He went viral during the tournament for his dunk over Argentinian NBA player

Luis Scola Luis Alberto Scola Balvoa (born April 30, 1980) is an Argentine former professional basketball player and current executive who currently serves as the chief executive officer for the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) team Pallacanestro Varese. ...

. In 2020, it was one of 32 dunks nominated by FIBA for its Dunk of the Decade. He was also included in the final 12 during the

2015 FIBA Asia Championship The 2015 FIBA Asia Championship was the 28th and last edition of the FIBA Asia Championship in men's basketball in Asia. It was organised by FIBA Asia. At the FIBA Asia Congress held in Doha, Qatar, the Central Board awarded the hosting rights t ...

wherein they took the second place after losing to China in the finals game. He also took part in the Olympics Qualifying Tournament, losing both games to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

in the preliminary round and failing to advance in the knockout-round. Norwood also played in

in Lebanon and was the team captain for the 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers and

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

Player profile

Norwood is known as an athletic wing who is a playmaker and great defender.

Chot Reyes Vincent "Chot" P. Reyes (born August 1, 1963) is a Filipino basketball head coach for the TNT Tropang Giga for the Philippine Basketball Association. He is also the head coach of the Philippine national basketball team, where he led the team to ...

, the national team coach, saw Norwood as "...an athletic player and a tall utility man. The 6’5”/6'6" guard we never had, who could guard the opponent’s best wingman, be a playmaker and fastbreak finisher”. He is also known for his energy and hustle. He is also known for being committed to the national team and for only staying with Rain or Shine for his whole professional career.

Personal life

Gabe is the brother of former

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

wide receiver Jordan Norwood. He has two other brothers: Levi and Zach, and one sister. His father is Brian Norwood, former co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach with the

Navy Midshipmen football The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) college football. The Naval Academy completed its final season as an FBS independent school (not in a conference) ...

. He is also the cousin of

Alohi Robins-Hardy Alohi Robins-Hardy (born November 30, 1995) is a professional Filipino American volleyball player. She is currently a member of the Philippines women's volleyball team. She debuted in the Philippines with the United Volleyball Club (originally ...

, a professional volleyball player who plays in the

PSL PSL may refer to: Sport *Pakistan Super League, a Twenty20 cricket league in Pakistan *Philippine Super Liga, professional volleyball league in the Philippines *Pilipinas Super League, a professional basketball league in the Philippines * Philipp ...

and member of the Philippines women's national volleyball team. Gabe and his wife Lei () were married in 2013. They have three sons: Cassius, Orion, and Idris. Norwood is also friends with multiple Fil-Am basketball players, including former teammate Sol Mercado, Chris Ross,

Joe Devance Joe Calvin Devance Jr. (born February 19, 1982) is a Filipino-American former professional basketball player who won 12 championships over the course of his career with the Alaska Aces, the Magnolia franchise, and the Barangay Ginebra San Migu ...

, and NBA player Jordan Clarkson. Norwood is often called 'Mr. President' because of his striking resemblance to former US president

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

and his leadership skills. In 2019, Norwood, with the help of a Japanese company, created his own manga, Cager Clash. He also has a restaurant, the Naxional South American Diner, and an online food delivery service. Norwood is also a columnist for the Philippine edition of NBA.com.

Career statistics

PBA

''As of the end of 2021 season''

Season-by-season averages

, - , align=left , , align=left , Rain or Shine , 44 , , 36.4 , , .394 , , .269 , , .583 , , 8.0 , , 3.5 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , 11.5 , - , align=left , , align=left , Rain or Shine , 51 , , 38.6 , , .422 , , .287 , , .727 , , 6.7 , , 3.8 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , 13.8 , - , align=left , , align=left , Rain or Shine , 40 , , 32.3 , , .371 , , .336 , , .669 , , 6.3 , , 3.8 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , 10.2 , - , align=left , , align=left , Rain or Shine , 53 , , 29.6 , , .396 , , .294 , , .644 , , 6.1 , , 3.3 , , .9 , , .5 , , 8.7 , - , align=left , , align=left , Rain or Shine , 56 , , 27.8 , , .357 , , .215 , , .635 , , 5.3 , , 2.8 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , 7.4 , - , align=left , , align=left , Rain or Shine , 58 , , 26.4 , , .387 , , .213 , , .643 , , 4.3 , , 2.5 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 7.8 , - , align=left , , align=left , Rain or Shine , 53 , , 26.6 , , .374 , , .323 , , .509 , , 4.0 , , 2.1 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 7.4 , - , align=left , , align=left , Rain or Shine , 54 , , 24.1 , , .394 , , .327 , , .727 , , 4.4 , , 1.8 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 7.2 , - , align=left , , align=left , Rain or Shine , 36 , , 28.5 , , .395 , , .273 , , .716 , , 5.6 , , 2.2 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , 8.0 , - , align=left , , align=left , Rain or Shine , 40 , , 30.5 , , .348 , , .253 , , .543 , , 6.3 , , 2.8 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , 8.2 , - , align=left , , align=left , Rain or Shine , 48 , , 29.2 , , .335 , , .267 , , .633 , , 4.9 , , 2.2 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , 6.6 , - , align=left , , align=left , Rain or Shine , 12 , , 31.1 , , .256 , , .119 , , .917 , , 5.8 , , 1.8 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , 4.8 , - , align=left , , align=left , Rain or Shine , 24 , , 29.8 , , .325 , , .213 , , .611 , , 4.9 , , 2.8 , , .9 , , .5 , , 4.3 , -class=sortbottom , align=center colspan=2 , Career , 569 , , 29.8 , , .377 , , .272 , , .648 , , 5.5 , , 2.7 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , 8.5

National team

, - , align="left" ,

2007 FIBA Asia Championship The 2007 FIBA Asia Championship for Men was the qualifying tournament for FIBA Asia at the men's basketball tournament at the 2008 Summer Olympics at Beijing. The tournament was held in Tokushima, Japan from July 28 to August 5, 2007. Particip ...

, align="left" rowspan="8" , , 7 , , 23.0 , , .488 , , .250 , , .810 , , 4.7 , , 1.7 , , 1.1 , , 0.4 , , 8.3 , - , align="left" ,

, 9 , , 16.0 , , .400 , , .333 , , .524 , , 2.6 , , 1.2 , , 1.3 , , 0.2 , , 6.2 , - , align="left" , 2012 William Jones Cup , 8 , , 26.8 , , .397 , , .571 , , .722 , , 5.1 , , 2.8 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 9.9 , - , align="left" ,

2012 FIBA Asia Cup 2012 FIBA Asia Cup was the 4th FIBA Asia Cup, the basketball tournament of FIBA Asia was held at the Ota City General Gymnasium, in Ota, Tokyo, Japan from September 14–22, 2012. The winner of this year's FIBA Asia Cup automatically qualifies f ...

, 7 , , 25.2, , .458 , , .167 , , .400 , , 5.0 , , 0.9 , , 1.0 , , 0.3 , , 7.1 , - , align="left" ,

2013 FIBA Asia Championship The 2013 FIBA Asia Championship for Men was the intercontinental championship for basketball organized by FIBA Asia that served as the qualifying tournament for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. The tournament was held from August 1� ...

, 9 , , 27.0 , , .474 , , .375 , , .591 , , 4.0 , , 1.7 , , 0.8 , , 1.0 , , 6.1 , - , align="left" ,

2014 FIBA World Cup The 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 17th edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the tournament previously known as the FIBA World Championship. Hosted by Spain, it was the last tournament to be held on the then-current four-year cycle. ...

, 5 , , 31.8 , , .344 , , .133 , , .500 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.2 , , 5.2 , - , align="left" ,

, 9 , , 25.6 , , .324 , , .211 , , .500 , , 3.7 , , 1.3 , , 1.6 , , 0.8 , , 3.4 , - , align="left" ,

, 6 , , 26.8 , , .423 , , .333 , , .667 , , 4.7 , , 2.8 , , 1.5 , , 1.2 , , 5.0 , -

NCAA

, - , align="left" , 2003–04 , align="left" rowspan="4" ,

, 29 , , 1 , , 8.4 , , .306 , , .308 , , .500 , , .8 , , .7 , , .3 , , .1 , , 1.0 , - , align="left" , 2004–05 , 29 , , 24 , , 26.3 , , .438 , , .133 , , .672 , , 3.6 , , 2.5 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , 5.6 , - , align="left" , 2005–06 , 35 , , 3 , , 21.1 , , .425 , , .375 , , .588 , , 2.1 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , 3.5 , - , align="left" , 2006–07 , 33 , , 9 , , 18.7 , , .465 , , .382 , , .706 , , 2.3 , , 1.9 , , .8 , , .2 , , 3.9

References

External links

Profile of Norwood

Norwood on the Hard Court

ESPN Player Profile

Jones Cup Player Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norwood, Gabe 1985 births Living people American sportspeople of Filipino descent Basketball players at the 2014 Asian Games Basketball players from North Carolina Citizens of the Philippines through descent George Mason Patriots men's basketball players Philippine Basketball Association All-Stars Philippines men's national basketball team players Filipino men's basketball players Rain or Shine Elasto Painters players Shooting guards Small forwards Southeast Asian Games gold medalists for the Philippines Southeast Asian Games competitors for the Philippines Southeast Asian Games medalists in basketball Basketball players at the 2018 Asian Games 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup players American men's basketball players Competitors at the 2007 Southeast Asian Games Asian Games competitors for the Philippines 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup players Rain or Shine Elasto Painters draft picks