Top 100 Cebuano Personality:Donaldo 'Dondon' Hontiveros

CEBU, Philippines — Before he entered the world of politics, Cebuano shotshot Donaldo "Dondon" Hontiveros has left an indelible mark as a basketball player par excellence.

One of the brightest cagers that came out of the University of Cebu (UC), he thrives in adversity that is a trademark of a sporting great.

In his first foray in the commercial ranks, Hontiveros suffered an injury in his very first game with the Cebu Gems in the now defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA). But he came back strong and made an impact for winning the All-Star MVP and the Discovery of the Year award, the league's version of the Rookie of the Year.

Hontiveros' dream to become a PBA player was fulfilled in 2000 when he was acquired by the Tanduay Rhum Masters through a contract buyout with the Games management.

Two years later, he was shipped by the Rhum Masters to his favorite team, the San Miguel Beermen, via trade. He readily became a vital cog in the Beermen's offensive arsenal and eventually won two championships with San Miguelin 2004-2005 Fiesta Conference and the 2009 Fiesta Conference.

Overall, the 2005 PBA Sportsmanship awardee bagged three PBA titles, the other one was with the Alaska Aces during the 2013 PBA Commissioner's Cup. Two years later, he moved past fellow Cebuano sharpshooter Al Solis for the No.4 spot in the all-time list of players with the most three-point field goals at 1,002.

On the international stage, Hontiveros played for the Phl team in 2002, 2007 and 2011. He also helped Gilas Pilipinas beat Japan in the semifinals of the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship in Changsa, China. They eventually settled for silver medal after bowing to powerhouse China.

In his storied pro career that spanned for two decades, Hontiveros averaged 9.8 points, 3.,4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game in a total of 744 games played.

After retiring from pro hoops, Hontiveros faces a completely different ballgame outside the playing court as a member of the Cebu City Council. EBV