Mac is the youngest of 5 children. His father died when he was just 13 years old. Believe it or not, our Captain Hook used to be a tak-tak boy. Yes, he used to sell cigarettes and newspapers in front of a church in Mandaluyong. Throughout Mac's childhood, he was passed around from relative to relative, and school to school. Basketball could be a metaphor for his life.

His mother worked as a domestic helper in Greece for several years, but she could not take how badly she was being treated. She then went on to live in San Francisco after a group of Pinoy seamen helped her escape. In the States, she met and married another Filipino named Armando Gamboa (Mac and I once thought we could be "related"). Mac was then petitioned by his mother to follow her to America, and that's when he attended the now infamous Carson High, where, coincidentally, the Cool Cat Mike Cortez also studied. To make ends meet, he worked at a nearby fastfood joint after school. He also honed his basketball skills by playing with black Americans and in some Fil-Am leagues.

After about 2 years in Carson, he came back to the Philippines. He obtained his highschool diploma from DECS, and then tried his luck with the NU Bulldogs. Amazingly, the future Rookie of the Year was not accepted. But finally, Lady Luck started to smile at him. He was a walk-in for La Salle, and Coach Franz Pumaren immediately took notice of his talent.

Mac Cardona is definitely not your normal basketball player. For one, he is the only player I know who has practically made a permanent living off of ONE shot, and I am of course talking about his patented teardrop. Also, his long gangly arms are the stuff defensive basketball nightmares are made of. He does not have the graceful, picture-perfect jumpshot Joseph Yeo has, neither does he have Cortez' ankle-breaking crossover. But somehow, Mac is respected in all the basketball circuits in the country. Coaches often assign their best stoppers to defend him. His teardrop is still considered highly unblockable. And he is undoubtedly one of the best amateur players in the land.

When news broke out after Game 3 of the La Salle-Ateneo finals in Season 65 that Mac was being accused of selling the game, I knew it was pure BS. Look into his eyes when he plays. Look at the change in his expression when someone from the opposing team makes a shot. Look at his body language when a teammate sinks a basket. In his eyes you will find a look so intense, so focused, so utterly and sincerely determined, that you just know that he always plays to win.

Destiny was smiling at both La Salle and Macmac when he walked into the 9th floor of the sports complex. I bet she knew that that moment was one of the best things that could happen to both parties. In my mental list of favorite basketball players of all time, Mac is right up there with Jason Kidd, Michael Jordan, Kevin Garnett, and my best friends Mark Kong and Janon Bunyi. When he gave me his own La Salle jersey off his back, several people offered to pay obscene amounts of money for it, but I of course refused.