OLYMPIC bronzè medalist Eumir Marcial and WBO Intercontinental bantamweight champion Jonas Sultan stand as inspirations to the Zamboanga Valientes MLV team in the maiden PBA 3x3 league.
Both Marcial and Sultan hail from Zamboanga and cross-trained with the Valientes before their successful stints in Tokyo and New York City, respectively.
Tausug Hero
The Valientes will be fielding homegrown talents led by Das Esa. Dubbed the "Tausug Hero," Esa was a varsity player in one of the top universities in Zamboanga who became widely known for his heroics in the city's Ramadan Cup.
Esa's career flourished when he played for the Zamboanga Valientes in the MPBL in 2018. Now he has found inspiration in Sultan's return to the elite level and Marcial's strong Olympic showing in his bid to lift the Valientes in the PBA 3x3.
Apart from fellow Zamboanguenos Gino Jumaoas and Kyle Neypes, helping Esa achieve his dream are Mac Cardona, JR Cawaling and Rey de Mesa.
Another Zamboanga Valientes MLV team ruled the Champions League basketball Australia 3x3 last January and Esa & Co. will try to extend that winning tradition to the county. The team is owned by Michael Venezuela, Ramoncito Agustin Talisayon, and supported by the Navarro Family.
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