John Hartley Ward Arigo (born December 10, 1978), in Charleston, South Carolina, is a Filipino-American retired professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player having played for three teams in the
Philippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...
over a nine-year career.
He was drafted 5th overall by the Alaska Aces in January 2001 during his senior year of playing
NCAA Division II
NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...
basketball for the University of North Florida.
Prior to his stint with the UNF Ospreys in 2000, he played three collegiate years for the
University of Tampa
The University of Tampa (UT) is a private university in Tampa, Florida. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. UT offers more than 200 programs of study, including 22 master's degrees and a broad variety of majors, ...
Spartans
Sparta (Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referred t ...
from 1997–2000, where he earned "Player of the Year" honors in 1999.
His professional basketball career began with the Alaska Aces from 2001–2004, and in 2003 he won his only PBA championship. He was then traded to the
Coca-Cola Tigers
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...
and emerged as the team captain and leading scorer for almost five seasons from 2004 to February 2009. However, during his tenure with the Tigers, he had a couple of sidelined seasons due to injuries, management and coaching changes. Lastly, he was dealt to the
Barako Bull Energy Boosters (formerly Red Bull) during the start of the
2009 PBA Fiesta Conference which after contract disputes, finally ended in retirement in August 2009 after just one season with the struggling franchise.
During the span of his professional career he was a four-time PBA All-Star, selected for the PBA's "Mythical Team" in 2003 (First team all-league), and was chosen to represent the country's National Team "Pilipinas" in Taipei, Taiwan for 2006 FIBA competition. He was a career long Nike endorser and lead spokesperson for the brand through contracts with Nike Philippines, and upon retirement was invited to the Nike World Headquarters in
Beaverton, Oregon
Beaverton is a city in Washington County, in the U.S. state of Oregon with a small portion bordering Portland in the Tualatin Valley. The city is among the main cities that make up the Portland metropolitan area. Its population was 97,494 at the ...
for his official endorser's visit.
Upon return to his hometown, he completed his undergraduate degree at the University of North Florida, and graduated with honors in 2012. He is an active member of Phi Kappa Phi's National Honor Society.
He currently resides at his home in
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...
, and has returned to his alma mater, the University of North Florida, where he is a graduate assistant for Men's basketball, while staying involved in his community's High School basketball initiatives.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arigo, John
1978 births
Living people
Alaska Aces (PBA) draft picks
Alaska Aces (PBA) players
American men's basketball players
Barako Bull Energy Boosters players
Basketball players from South Carolina
Filipino men's basketball players
North Florida Ospreys men's basketball players
Philippine Basketball Association All-Stars
Powerade Tigers players
Shooting guards
Small forwards
Sportspeople from Charleston, South Carolina
Tampa Spartans men's basketball players
American sportspeople of Filipino descent
Citizens of the Philippines through descent