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Ricci Paolo Uy Rivero (born May 25, 1998) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Phoenix Fuel Masters of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Rivero played for the De La Salle Green Archers in his first two years in collegiate basketball.[1][2] His breakout performance in the UAAP Season 80 men's basketball tournament earned him a spot in the Mythical Five and the Most Improved Player award.[3][4]
| No. 25 – Phoenix Fuel Masters | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard | ||||||||||||||
| League | PBA | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | May 25, 1998 Ilagan, Isabela, Philippines | ||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Filipino | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 146 lb (66 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | La Salle Green Hills (Mandaluyong) | ||||||||||||||
| College | De La Salle (2016–2018) UP (2019–2022) | ||||||||||||||
| PBA draft | 2023: 2nd round, 17th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters | |||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2023–present | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 2023–present | Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters / Phoenix Fuel Masters | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||
In April 2018, Rivero announced that he has left the De La Salle Green Archers to focus on Gilas Pilipinas.[5] In May 2018, it was revealed that Rivero has transferred to be part of the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons.[6] Rivero suited up in UP starting season 82 of the UAAP.[7]
He is also an actor who first featured in the MMFF film Otlum.[8][9]
Rivero was born and raised in Ilagan, Isabela to Ruzcko Rivero and Abigail Uy-Rivero.[10] He is of Chinese descent through his mother.[11]
He moved to Manila to complete his secondary education at La Salle Green Hills in Mandaluyong. In 2015, his final year of high school, he averaged 25.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.4 steals, and 1.9 blocks in the elimination round for the Greenies, but lost to the Arellano Braves in the first round of the playoffs.[12] In 2016, Rivero joined the De La Salle Green Archers.[13]
De La Salle Green Archers
In 2016, his rookie season, the Archers won the championship.[14]
In 2017, his sophomore season, Rivero averaged 14.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.7 steals.[15] He led the Archers to the Finals, and earned Mythical Team Honors. He also won the Most Improved Player award.[4] However, in January 2018, he was cut from the squad along with older brother Prince and reserve Brent Paraiso.[15] The school said his suspension from the team was due to his endorsement deals, which is in conflict with a team rule. Later, in April, he announced on Twitter that he would exit the team.
UP Fighting Maroons
In May 2018, Rivero announced on Twitter that he would be joining the UP Fighting Maroons.[16] He redshirted Season 81 (2018) due to UAAP's eligibility rules.[16]
In Season 82, the Maroons made it to the semifinals where they lost to the UST Growling Tigers.[17]
He played for UP in Season 84, despite getting offers to play overseas in Japan.[18][19] They won the championship that season.[20]
On June 24, 2022, Rivero signed with the Taoyuan Pilots of the P. League+.[21] However, he was released before the season started due to an ankle injury.[22][23]
On February 15, 2023, Rivero signed a short-term deal with the Blackwater Bossing Red President of the PBA 3x3.[24]
In September 2023, Rivero made a bid to enter the Philippine Basketball Association by applying for the PBA Season 48 draft,[23] where he was selected with the 17th overall pick by the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters. On October 2, he signed a two-year rookie contract with the team.[25]
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
As of the end of 2023–24 season[26]
Season-by-season averages
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–24 | Phoenix Super LPG / Phoenix | 28 | 14.4 | .395 | .200 | .655 | 1.8 | 1.1 | .5 | .3 | 7.6 |
| Career | 28 | 14.4 | .395 | .200 | .655 | 1.8 | 1.1 | .5 | .3 | 7.6 | |
Rivero first played for the Philippine national team in 2013, when the U16 team swept the SEABA Championships.[27] He was considered for the "23 for 23" pool, a pool of Gilas Cadets for the 2023 FIBA World Cup.[28] However, La Salle requested coach Chot Reyes to not include him in the lineup.[28] He also practiced with the senior team during the 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifiers.[29]
Rivero played in the 2015 U18 3x3 World Championship and in the 2018 U23 3x3 World Cup.[30] He also joined the Philippines team for the 2019 3x3 Asia Cup, but hurt his ankle in their opener against Thailand.[31]
Film and TV
In 2016, he participated in the finale of Nike Rise Philippines, a reality documentary basketball development program aired on TV5.[32][33] He went up against Nike's final team along with other UAAP, NCAA and Perlas Pilipinas players.[32]
In 2018, he starred in his first film, Otlum.[8][9]
In 2020, Rivero became a permanent host of Brightlight Productions' Sunday Noontime Live!, which is aired on TV5 via a blocktime agreement.[34][35] When that show closed, he announced that he would take a break from acting to focus on his studies and basketball.[36]
Endorsements
Rivero is a very popular athlete, as he was named the "Most Tweeted and Most Talked-About Filipino Athlete" by Twitter Philippines.[37] He is an endorser for numerous companies such as Honda,[38] Globe,[39] Gatorade,[40] Nike,[41] and many more.
In 2021, he appeared in a Pepsi ad that was shown in Times Square, N.Y.C.[42]
Television
Film
On April 9, 2022, Rivero confirmed that he was officially in a relationship with actress Andrea Brillantes.[47][48] Their relationship lasted a little over a year before he announced on Twitter that they had split.[49] On October 22, 2023, Rivero confirmed that he is in a relationship with beauty queen and politician Leren Bautista.[50]
Before the start of UAAP Season 84, he pledged ₱250 to the UP Ikot Drivers Association who had been hit hard by the pandemic, for every point he scored.[51] He was able to raise ₱154,200, and other supporters rounded out the donations to a total of ₱200,000.[52]
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