Gabe Norwood embraces a new role in the PBA Finals as game commentator

Gabe Norwood didn’t drift far from the PBA spotlight after calling time on a storied playing career. Instead, he simply changed his angle.

Only weeks after officially retiring, the former Gilas Pilipinas mainstay found himself back in the Finals—this time with a headset on, calling Games 4 and 6 of the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup Finals between San Miguel and TNT. For Norwood, it was both unfamiliar territory and a natural fit rolled into one.

“It was fun, it always helps to have a great game and to work the Finals is a special opportunity,” Norwood told One Sports after Game 6, which sealed the championship for San Miguel.
“A lot of people would like the opportunity. And I’m lucky enough I got called back for a second game,” he added.

The transition didn’t come out of nowhere. Long before he became known for his defense, versatility, and longevity on the court, Norwood was a journalism major at George Mason University. That academic background quietly resurfaced when he was invited to join the RPTV and Cignal broadcast panels.

This wasn’t his first brush with broadcasting either. A few years ago, Norwood also called a Ginebra game during the Commissioner’s Cup Finals against the Bay Area Dragons. Off the court, he has remained active in media, co-hosting the “Let It Fly” podcast alongside fellow former PBA players Jared Dillinger and Sol Mercado.

Still, calling a live Finals game, he admitted, is a different beast. 

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NOR-STOP LEGACY

17 seasons, countless memories. Co-athletes and fellow basketball stars honor Rain or Shine Elasto Painters’ Gabe Norwood as he officially retires from the PBA after 17 remarkable seasons.#PBA50 #PBA50LID pic.twitter.com/t7fAwd3GxP

— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) December 30, 2025

“I mean, like I said, the game moves so fast. On a pod, you can kind of sit down, relax, go back, edit and do things like that but you have to be kind of on par with things when the game is live,” Norwood said.

“And also understanding when you should just let the game play and not say anything. So, just really trying to understand those instances and how you can impact the viewers’ experience the most that you can,” he added.

For someone who spent years reading plays before they happened, the challenge now lies in timing—knowing when insight adds value and when silence lets the moment breathe. It’s a different rhythm, but one Norwood seems eager to master.

“Yeah (I enjoy it). I mean it’s something, it’s a new challenge, right? You still get to be around the game and share my insight and experiences in a different way,” he said.

“The game moves really fast so just trying to time up things and be a little bit better with that but it’s something I enjoy.”

As for whether this is the start of a full-time broadcasting chapter, Norwood is keeping things light—and honest.

“We’ll see if I keep getting called back. If the phone stops ringing, that means I wasn’t very good and it’s probably assign to someone else,” he said with a smile.

For now, though, the early returns suggest that Norwood’s feel for the game hasn’t faded—he’s just found a new way to share it.

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