FORTHSKY Padrigao made a good account of himself for the Zamboanga Valientes in the 35th Dubai International Basketball Championship in a performance that was the next step of his journey playing professionally.
Padrigao bared his plan to officially turn pro, although he’s not discounting the possibility of playing overseas if the opportunity presents itself.
“Short term ko itong sa Valientes. After this, kung anuman ang lumapit sa akin,” he shared with SPIN.ph.
“Sa ngayon, nagfo-focus ako sa preparation sa pro leagues. Yung sa katawan ko, sa skills, marami pa akong kailangang trabahuhin para ma-require ko yung standards na gusto ng isang pro team.”
The 6-foot point guard from Zamboanga showed glimpses of what he can do in the next level after emerging as one of the reliable players for the Valientes in their second stint in the annual Dubai cagefest.
The club team owned by Zamboanga City councilor Junnie Navarro fell short of advancing to the semifinals after finishing the group stage with a 1-3 record in Bracket B.
READ: Valientes go out on a high by taking down reigning champ Beirut
Its lone win came against Sports Club-Beirut, 83-72, in its final outing.
But a close loss to Syria and Al Ahly Tripoli, 110-103, and an overtime setback against Al Karamah of Syria, 92-90, hurt Zamboanga’s chances of making it to the next round.
Still, in both losses, the 23-year-old Padrigao emerged as the top scorer for the Valientes.
Pro-ready Padrigao
His second international stint with the Valientes, according to the most recent University of Santo Tomas lead guard, also gave him an opportunity to evaluate his readiness of playing pro ball.
“Pwede akong mag-explore ng kahit anong options ko this year,” he said, while also noting the PBA won’t be having a draft until January 2027.
“Kaya good thing na rin siguro na wala munang PBA Draft this year,” he added.
He also stressed he’ll consider among his options playing in the Japan B.League or the Korean Basketball League - if those present themselves.
As he put it, “Kung meron mang dumating, ite-take natin yun.”
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