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Leomar S. Najorda (born February 16, 1982, in
Bangui, Ilocos Norte Bangui, officially the Municipality of Bangui (; ), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 15,019 people. The fir ...
) is a Filipino 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 (appro ...
player for the Abra Solid North Weavers of the
Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) is a men's regional professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 30 teams. Founded in 2017 by eight-division boxing world champion and then-Senator Manny Pacquiao, the MPBL is ...
(MPBL). He was drafted ninth overall by the
Red Bull Barako Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondary ...
in the 2005 PBA draft.


College career

Najorda helped the San Sebastian Stags win their first
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
title since 1997 in 2001. They became back-to-back champions the following year. In 2003, he was chosen as the NCAA's Most Valuable Player, but the Stags lost in the Finals to the
Letran Knights The Letran Knights and Lady Knights are the collegiate varsity teams representing Colegio de San Juan de Letran in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The high school varsity teams are called the ''Squires''. The college's varsity te ...
. In Season 80, Najorda scored 21 points as he led the Stags to their first win that season after an 0–2 start. He then scored 16 points in a win over the
Benilde Blazers The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Blazers and Lady Blazers are the National Collegiate Athletic Association (Philippines), NCAA senior varsity teams of De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde. The Blazers were formerly a member of the Nat ...
. In a crucial game against the Mapúa Cardinals, he scored 23 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, and also added two assists, three steals, and two blocks to his statline with only one turnover to lead the Stags to the top of the standings. However, they then fell to fourth and in a loss to the Knights, didn't make the semifinals as the Cardinals and the
San Beda Red Lions The San Beda Red Lions and Lionesses are the collegiate varsity teams of the San Beda University, best known for their basketball section.Malonso, J. ''"NCAA: A HISTORY''". NCAA(Phils) Homepage. Online. Internet. Accessed 23 May 200NCAA Philippi ...
had superior quotients over the Stags. In Season 81, Najorda fired 27 points with 20 in the second half to lead the Stags to a win over the Red Lions. In a game against the
Perpetual Help Altas The Perpetual Altas and Lady Altas, or the UPHSD Altas and Lady Altas, are the National Collegiate Athletic Association (Philippines) teams of the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA. They are also popularly known as the Perps. Since join ...
, he and his head coach
Turo Valenzona Arturo "Turo" F. Valenzona (born November 5, 1942), is a former Filipino basketball player and head coach. Valenzona played college ball for the Far Eastern University before eventually playing in the Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic ...
were thrown out of the game for a flagrant foul on an Altas player. The coach was ejected for committing his second technical foul. Both were suspended for one game. In his return, he scored 14 points in a win over the Blazers. He then scored 10 of his 19 points in the third quarter during a win over the JRU Heavy Bombers. He scored 11 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter as the Stags secured a Final Four berth with a win over the PCU Dolphins. In the Final Four, they lost once again to the Knights, falling short of the Finals once again. At some point in the season, he was also suspended for three games for not informing the NCAA's ManCom that he would be applying for the draft.


PBA career


Barako franchise

Najorda applied for the 2005 PBA Draft. He was picked ninth overall by the
Red Bull Barako Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondary ...
, but wasn't able to join the team already due to his commitments with the Stags. He was given a P3 million two-year deal by the team. One of his best games in his rookie season came in a win over the Sta. Lucia Realtors in which he had 12 points. That season, he took part in the Rookies vs Sophomore blitz game. His team won the 2005–06 Fiesta Conference championship by beating Barangay Ginebra in seven games. During the 2006 Philippine Cup, he had 21 points (which was his career-high at the time) in a win over Ginebra. He was also made a member of the 2006 PBA All-Rookie Team. Najorda took part in the 2007 Rookies vs Sophomore blitz game, this time as a sophomore during the 2007 All-Star Weekend. He made four three-pointers in a win over the Alaska Aces during the 2007 PBA Fiesta Conference. In a playoff loss to the
Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters The TNT Tropang 5G is a professional basketball team currently owned by Smart Communications, a subsidiary of the PLDT, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) since 1990. The ...
, he had 16 points. At the end of the season, he was given a new two-year deal. During the 2007–08 Philippine Cup, Najorda scored 10 points in a win over the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants. He then scored eight of his 17 points in the third quarter to lead a Red Bull breakaway and rout to a 107–95 win over the Magnolia Beverage Masters. He also contributed to Red Bull's 18 three-point makes over the Welcoat Dragons during the 2008 Fiesta Conference. In that conference, he helped Red Bull claim third place by scoring 22 points in a third place playoff game against Magnolia. In the following conferences however, the team would always finish last, especially during the 2008–09 season. Najorda scored 14 points in a win over the
Rain or Shine Elasto Painters The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association owned by Asian Coatings Philippines, Inc. It debuted in the league in the 2006–07 PBA season after acquiring the franchise righ ...
during the 2009–10 PBA Philippine Cup. He then had 21 points and eight rebounds off the bench in a win over the Tropang Texters to break an 11-game losing streak. Once again though, they finished dead last in the standings. In the first game of the following conference, the 2010 Fiesta Conference, he scored 12 points in a win over Sta. Lucia. He then scored a PBA career-high 25 points in a loss to the B-Meg Derby Ace Llamados. Against Alaska, he shot 7-of-11 from the floor to finish with 18 points to lead the locals in scoring and get just their second win of the conference. He scored 18 again against the
Air21 Express Air21 Express may refer to * Barako Bull Energy, Philippine basketball team named as "Air21 Express" from 2005 to 2009, and from 2010 to 2011 * Air21 Express (2012–2014) The Air21 Express was a professional basketball team in the Philippine B ...
, but this time they lost.


Air 21 Express / Barako Bull Energy Cola

Towards the end of the elimination round of the 2010 Fiesta Conference, Najorda was traded for
Richard Yee Richard Yee is a Filipino former professional basketball player. He last played for the Barako Bull Energy Boosters in the Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball leag ...
to the
Air21 Express Air21 Express may refer to * Barako Bull Energy, Philippine basketball team named as "Air21 Express" from 2005 to 2009, and from 2010 to 2011 * Air21 Express (2012–2014) The Air21 Express was a professional basketball team in the Philippine B ...
, in time for the wildcard phase. In the wildcard phase, Air21 lost to Rain or Shine. In his first full season with Air21, Najorda averaged just five points and two rebounds. During his second season with the team (now renamed as the Barako Bull Energy Cola), he scored 12 points in a win over the Shopinas.com Clickers. Later that season, he had 13 points in a loss to B-Meg. He averaged 7.6 points a game in his last season with the team before being traded.


San Mig Coffee Mixers

In 2013, Najorda was part of a five-team, ten player trade that sent him to the San Mig Coffee Mixers. He was part of the team that won the 2013 Governors' Cup, even though he rarely played.


2013–14 season

Two days after the 2013 PBA Draft, Najorda and Mixers draft pick Justin Chua were traded to the
GlobalPort Batang Pier The NorthPort Batang Pier is a Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) team that first played in the 2012–13 PBA season. The team took over the franchise of the Powerade Tigers in 2012 after it was sold to Sultan 900 Capital, Inc. Besides N ...
for Batang Pier draft pick Isaac Holstein. Several months later, he was traded back to the Barako Bull Energy Cola. In a game against the
San Miguel Beermen The San Miguel Beermen are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). It is one of three PBA clubs owned by the San Miguel Corporation group of companies along with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Magnolia ...
, he made a clutch four-point play and finished with 12 points, but Barako lost that game in overtime.


ABL career

Najorda was announced to be part of the Powervit Pilipinas Aguilas in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL). However, he never played a game for them.


MPBL career


Davao Occidental Tigers

Najorda then spent the next three years playing in “ ligang labas” or small-time commercial leagues in different parts of the country. In 2018, he joined the
Davao Occidental Tigers The Davao Occidental Tigers (also known as Davao Occidental Tigers – Cocolife due to sponsorship reasons) are a Filipino professional basketball team based in the Davao metropolitan area and representing the province of Davao Occidental. The ...
. He helped Davao get its first win by scoring 12 points against
Imus Bandera The Imus Braderhood (also known as the Imus Grumpy Joe Braderhood for sponsorship reasons) is a Filipino professional basketball team based in Imus, Cavite. The team currently competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a m ...
. In Davao's second win, he had 21 points over the
Quezon City Capitals The Quezon City Galeries Taipan is a Filipino professional basketball team based in Quezon City. The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's North Division. The team plays its home games a ...
. Davao went up to third place in the standings with a win over the Valenzuela Idol Cheesedogs, in which he had 13 points. One of his best games came in a win over the Laguna Heroes, in which he scored 25 points to lead his team from 22 points down, and the team got their sixth straight win in the process. He scored 17 points on five triples to lead Davao to its 11th straight win and go up to first seed. Davao fell just short of tying the league record of 14 straight wins as their winning streak ended at 13 straight with a loss to the
GenSan Warriors The GenSan Warriors are a Filipino professional basketball team based in General Santos. The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's South Division. The team most recently played their home ...
. In that winning streak-ending loss, he had 18 points and six rebounds. He bounced back with a double-double of 22 points and 12 rebounds over the Marikina Shoemasters. He was chosen to take part in the MPBL's first-ever All-Star Game. The Tigers made it all the way to the finals, where they lost to the San Juan Knights in five games.


Bataan Risers

Najorda then joined the
Bataan Risers The 1Bataan Risers, more commonly known as the Bataan Risers, are a Filipino professional basketball team based in the province of Bataan. The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's North ...
for the start of the 2019–20 season. However, he left in September 2019 as the Risers underwent new management.


Pasig Realtors

Soon after leaving the Risers, Najorda joined the Pasig Realtors. He scored 20 points in a win over his former team Bataan. In a loss to the Makati Super Crunch, he led all scorers with 29 points. He then made a clutch jumper to get the win over the Bicol Volcanoes. In a loss to Basilan Steel, he had 22 points but it wasn't enough. He then had 21 points in a loss to San Juan that saw drop to seventh in the division standings. The team snapped their losing streak with a win over Imus. In a win that guaranteed them a spot in the playoffs, he had 12 points. In a playoff loss to the Manila Stars, he had 18 points and seven rebounds. The following game, he had 14 points and Pasig was eliminated from semifinals contention.


Imus Bandera

After his stint with Roxas, Najorda then played for
Imus Bandera The Imus Braderhood (also known as the Imus Grumpy Joe Braderhood for sponsorship reasons) is a Filipino professional basketball team based in Imus, Cavite. The team currently competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a m ...
in the 2021 MPBL Invitational. In his first game with the team, he had 12 points to help Imus pull away from the Bulacan Kuyas for the win. He then had 17 points and four rebounds in a win over GenSan. In a game against Mindoro EOG Burlington, his head coach collapsed in the middle of the game, but he was able to lead the team to the win with 21 points and five rebounds. Imus was able to secure its spot in the quarterfinals with a win in their next game against Rizal Xentromall. In the quarterfinals, they won over Bicol with him leading with 23 points, two rebounds and two assists off the bench. In the semifinals, he had 24 points against the Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards, but they failed to make it to the finals. Najorda had an offer to play for Bohol in the VisMin Super Cup, but he decided to stay with Imus. After losing their first two games of the season, he scored 18 points to lead Imus to a win over Manila. He had 15 points and nine rebounds in a loss to Quezon City as they slipped to 2–7 in the standings. He scored 18 points against the Pampanga Giant Lanterns, but it wasn't enough as they got their ninth loss in 12 games. Despite the team's low record, he was still chosen to play in the 2022 MPBL All-Star Game.


VisMin career


Roxas Vanguards

In 2021, Najorda joined the Roxas Vanguards in the VisMin Super Cup. He contributed 15 points in a close loss to the Pagadian Explorers. In a match against the Zamboanga Valientes, he hit a clutch triple with 19.7 seconds left to tie the game. His teammate Lester Reyes then hit the game-winning buzzer beater, giving the team their first win. He then had 16 points in the next game to put Roxas up fifth in the standings. In a loss to the Basilan Peace Riders, he had 19 points, but Roxas was still able to secure the fourth seed. In Game 2 of the first round of the semifinals, he hit clutch free throws and contributed 10 rebounds to send Roxas to the next round of the semis and upset Pagadian, who were the third seed. In Game 1 of the second round of the semis against Zamboanga, he made a clutch lay-up that sent the game into overtime. He then scored the first seven points in overtime before his teammate Chito Jaime finished the job by scoring the next five points and Roxas was able to pull away for the win. He finished the game with 19 points, five rebounds, a steal, and a block. In Game 2, although he received a technical foul, he was still able to contribute 16 points and send Roxas to the finals. In Game 1 of the finals against Basilan, he had 16 points and five rebounds, but Roxas suffered a blowout loss. He then led the team with 15 points in Game 2, but Basilan won the game and got the championship.


PSL career


Koponang Lakan ng Bulacan

After his stint in the MPBL, Najorda then played for Koponang Lakan ng Bulacan in the
Pilipinas Super League The Pilipinas Super League (PSL) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines. History The Pilipinas Super League (PSL) was founded in December 2021 by former officials the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup, namely its former CEO Ro ...
(PSL) Pro Division Second Conference Dumper Cup. Against the 1Munti Emeralds, he had 13 points and five rebounds to lead Bulacan in the win. In a win over Batang Kankaloo – Caloocan, he had 16 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, allowing Bulacan to get up to fifth in the standings. The team then got its fifth straight win against Pampanga, with him leading with 21 points, five rebounds, and four assists. In a loss to the Boracay Islanders, he had a career-high 31 points.


Siomai King

Najorda then joined the PSL-sanctioned D2 Super Cup, joining the Siomai King team. In his first game, he contributed 13 points in a win over the Antipolo Pilgrims. He contributed 16 points against the San Antonio Bobcats to send Siomai King to the finals. In the finals, he scored 17 points and Siomai King won the championship.


Career statistics


PBA


Player profile

Najorda is a standout natural left-handed shooter. He rarely scored in his time in the PBA but he could get hot from distance. He is also known as a defensive specialist.


Personal life

Najorda's brother Dave is a 6'5" forward who went undrafted in the 2013 PBA Draft.


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Najorda, Leomar 1982 births Living people 21st-century Filipino sportsmen Abra Solid North Weavers players Barako Bull Energy players Barako Bull Energy Boosters draft picks Barako Bull Energy Boosters players Basketball players from Ilocos Norte Bataan Risers players Davao Occidental Tigers players Filipino men's basketball players Ilocano people Imus Braderhood players Magnolia Hotshots players MPBL All-Stars NorthPort Batang Pier players Pasig City MPBL team players People from Ilocos Norte San Sebastian Stags basketball players Small forwards