Ricci Paolo Uy Rivero (born May 25, 1998) is a Filipino basketball player. Rivero played for the
De La Salle Green Archers
The De La Salle Green Archers (also known simply as the Green Archers) are the men's varsity teams representing De La Salle University in the Philippines. The women's varsity teams are generally referred to as the De La Salle Lady Archers. The s ...
in his first two years in collegiate basketball. 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.
In April 2018, Rivero announced that he has left the
De La Salle Green Archers
The De La Salle Green Archers (also known simply as the Green Archers) are the men's varsity teams representing De La Salle University in the Philippines. The women's varsity teams are generally referred to as the De La Salle Lady Archers. The s ...
to focus on
Gilas Pilipinas
The Philippines men's national basketball team ( fil, Pambansang koponan ng basketbol ng Pilipinas), commonly known as Gilas Pilipinas, is the basketball team representing the Philippines. The team is managed by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipi ...
. In May 2018, it was revealed that Rivero has transferred to be part of the
University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons. Rivero suited up in UP starting season
82 of the UAAP.
He is also an actor who first featured in the
MMFF film ''Otlum''.
Early life and high school career
Born and raised in
Ilagan
Ilagan, officially the City of Ilagan ( ibg, Siudad nat Ilagan; ilo, Siudad ti Ilagan; fil, Lungsod ng Ilagan), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Isabela, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a popula ...
, Isabela Province, Rivero moved to Manila to complete his secondary education at
La Salle Green Hills
La Salle Green Hills ("LSGH") is a private Catholic school run by the Philippine District of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in Ortigas Avenue, Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. It was established in 1959 by the D ...
in Mandaluyong. In 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. In 2016, Rivero joined the
De La Salle Green Archers
The De La Salle Green Archers (also known simply as the Green Archers) are the men's varsity teams representing De La Salle University in the Philippines. The women's varsity teams are generally referred to as the De La Salle Lady Archers. The s ...
.
College career
De La Salle Green Archers
In his rookie season, the Archers won the championship.
In his sophomore season, Rivero averaged 14.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.7 steals.
He led the Archers to the Finals, and earned Mythical Team Honors. He also won the Most Improved Player award.
However, in January 2018, he was cut from the squad along with older brother Prince and reserve Brent Paraiso.
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
The UP Fighting Maroons are the collegiate varsity teams of the University of the Philippines, primarily off University of the Philippines Diliman, Diliman, which play in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), the premiere ...
.
He redshirted
Season 81 due to UAAP's eligibility rules.
In Season 82, the Maroons made it to the semifinals where they lost to the
UST Growling Tigers
The UST Growling Tigers are the college athletic teams representing the University of Santo Tomas in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines. They hold the most UAAP Overall Championships with 44 Seniors' Overall Championships ( ...
.
He played for UP in
Season 84, despite getting offers to play overseas in Japan. They won the championship that season.
Professional career
On June 24, 2022, Rivero signed with the
Taoyuan Pilots
Taoyuan Pauian Pilots ( Chinese: 桃園璞園領航猿) is a professional basketball team based in Taoyuan, Taiwan. They have been part of P. League+ since the 2020–21 season.
In 2020, following the establishment of P. League+, Super Baske ...
of the
P. League+. However, he was released before the season started.
On February 15, 2023, Rivero signed a short-term deal with the
Blackwater Bossing Red President of the
PBA 3x3
PBA 3x3 refers to the men's 3x3 basketball league of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
History
The proposal to form PBA 3x3, a men's 3x3 basketball league, was a result of a joint partnership between the Philippine Basketball Assoc ...
.
National team career
Rivero first played for the
Philippine national team in 2013, when the U16 team swept the
SEABA Championships. He was considered for the "23 for 23" pool, a pool of Gilas Cadets for the
2023 FIBA World Cup.
However, La Salle requested coach
Chot Reyes
Vincent "Chot" P. Reyes (born August 1, 1963) is a Filipino basketball head coach for the TNT Tropang Giga for the Philippine Basketball Association. He is also the head coach of the Philippine national basketball team, where he led the team to a ...
to not include him in the lineup.
He also practiced with the senior team during the
2019 FIBA World Cup
The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 18th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men's national basketball teams. The tournament was hosted in China and was rescheduled from 2018 to 2019, becoming the first since 1967 that did no ...
qualifiers.
Rivero played in the
2015 U18 3x3 World Championship and in the
2018 U23 3x3 World Cup. He also joined the Philippines team for the 2019 3x3 Asia Cup, but hurt his ankle in their opener against Thailand.
Off the court
Film and TV
In 2016, he participated in the finale of Nike Rise Philippines, a reality documentary basketball development program aired on TV5.
He went up against Nike's final team along with other UAAP, NCAA and
Perlas Pilipinas players.
In 2018, he starred in his first film, ''Otlum.
''
In 2020, Rivero became a permanent host of
Brightlight Productions
Brightlight Productions is a Philippine television production company founded and owned by Albee Benitez who previously served as Negros Occidental's 3rd district representative from 2010 to 2019 and the current Mayor of Bacolod.
Airing more ...
'
Sunday Noontime Live!
''Sunday Noontime Live!'' is a Philippine musical variety show broadcast by TV5 which premiered on October 18, 2020. ''Sunday Noontime Live!'' was presented by a lineup of ABS-CBN, Star Magic and Cornerstone Entertainment talents led by Piolo ...
, which is aired on
TV5 via a blocktime agreement. When that show closed, he announced that he would take a break from acting to focus on his studies and basketball.
Endorsements
Rivero is a very popular athlete, as he was named the "Most Tweeted and Most Talked-About Filipino Athlete" by
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
Philippines. He is an endorser for numerous companies such as
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...
,
Globe
A globe is a spherical model of Earth, of some other celestial body, or of the celestial sphere. Globes serve purposes similar to maps, but unlike maps, they do not distort the surface that they portray except to scale it down. A model globe ...
,
Gatorade
Gatorade is an American brand of sports-themed beverage and food products, built around its signature line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo and is distributed in over 80 countries. The beverage was first develop ...
,
Nike
Nike often refers to:
* Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory
* Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment
Nike may also refer to:
People
* Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...
, and many more.
In 2021, he appeared in a Pepsi ad that was shown in
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...
, N.Y.C.
Filmography
Television
Film
Personal life
As of April 9, 2022, Rivero is officially in a relationship with actress
Andrea Brillantes
Anndrew Blythe Daguio Gorostiza (born March 12, 2003), known professionally as Andrea Brillantes (), is a Filipinos, Filipino actress. She is best known for her roles as the titular character in ''Annaliza'' (2013) and as Marga Bartolome in '' ...
.
Before the start of
UAAP Season 84
UAAP Season 84 was the 2021–22 athletic year of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP). The Season 84 theme was "Fully Alive, Champions for Life" and the season's host was the De La Salle University. With the limitations ...
, he pledged ₱250 to the UP Ikot Drivers Association who had been hit hard by the pandemic, for every point he scored. He was able to raise ₱154,200, and other supporters rounded out the donations to a total of ₱200,000.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rivero, Ricci
1998 births
Living people
Basketball players from Isabela (province)
De La Salle Green Archers basketball players
Filipino male film actors
Filipino male television actors
Filipino men's 3x3 basketball players
Filipino men's basketball players
PBA 3x3 players
Small forwards
Shooting guards
UP Fighting Maroons basketball players