After getting involved in a number of physical altercations, basketball player John Amores found a chance at redemption in the PBA with the NorthPort Batang Pier. One gun shot changed all of that.

John Amores was drafted by the NorthPort Batang Pier in PBA Season 48. | Art: Mitzi Solano/One Sports

Basketball player John Amores was finding his groove in the PBA, after he was drafted by the NorthPort Batang Pier despite his involvement in collegiate altercations.  However, his path to redemption could be cut short with a case of attempted murder after being involved in an alleged shooting incident in Laguna.

Here’s a look back at Amores’ time in the spotlight.

July 2022 – John Amores of JRU “punches” Mark Belmonte of UP

During a Universities and Colleges Basketball League (UCBL) match, John Amores (then a member of the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers) reportedly punched University of the Philippines Fighting Maroon player Mark Belmonte.

He sustained gum fractures, teeth dislocation, and mouth lacerations. The Fighting Maroon had to undergo medical surgery, according to News5.

Atty. Agaton Uvero, the UP men’s basketball team manager at the time, wrote to JRU president Dr. Vicente Katigbak Fabella, urging him to investigate the incident and impose sanctions.

“We expected JRU to take proactive steps. But since nothing came out of our efforts with the school’s administration, we were morally bound to file a criminal case against JRU player John Amores,” Uvero said.

This was all revealed by Renan Dalisay, founder of the page Nowhere to go but UP.

November 2022 – John Amores of JRU runs amok against CSB Blazers

A few months later, John Amores went on a punching spree during the JRU’s National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) game against the College of Saint Benilde (CSB) Blazers.

One fan was reportedly heckling the players, which prompted Amores to react and charge. Other athletes tried to stop him, which led to the punching spree.

The NCAA halted the game with 3:22 left in the final quarter and CSB won, 71-51. CSB players Jimboy Pasturan and Taine Davis filed a complaint of serious physical injury, according to News5.

At first, JRU suspended Amores for the rest of the season and banned him from practices. Eventually, he was removed from the Heavy Bombers basketball program.

JRU also said Amores would be provided counseling “to cope with the strain of what has taken place in his young life,” according to a News5 report.

“Violence has no place in the NCAA. The (management committee) condemns and will not tolerate any acts of violence that will endanger our athletes, participants, officials, supporters, and the public. The safety of everyone is our primordial concern,” the league said in a statement.

December 2022 – John Amores finds a friend in the Office of the Vice President

An unlikely personality reached out to Amores after he was removed from the JRU basketball program–Vice President Sara Duterte.

The player shared a letter he received from the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

“Remember the lesson not the mistake. You have a friend from the Office of the Vice President,” recounted Amores.

“Ipapa-frame ko ‘to as a remembrance na sa dami ng bashers at negative critics, may isang tao na ipapaalala sa’yo na mahalaga ka kahit ‘di mo kaano-ano,” he added. “I won’t lose hope. Somewhere in between, in the darkest season of my life, there’s still a light.”

December 2022 – John Amores joins Zamboanga Valientes

Amores got his chance with the Zamboanga Valientes for the 2023 ASEAN Basketball League.

“We at Valientes believe in second chances. He is a good player who made a mistake in which he truly regrets,” the team said in signing Amores. “One mistake does not define who you are.”

March 2023 – John Amores suits up for the MPBL

Amores’ career continued, as he then shifted to the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL).

In March 2023, he was announced as the latest member of the Muntinlupa Cagers.

September 2023 – John Amores signs up for the PBA Draft

A few months later, the 6-foot-2 guard knocked on the doors of the country’s premier basketball league. Amores was one of the over 100 applicants for the PBA Season 48 Draft.

He said he was workng on his temper, as told in an interview with One PH’s Sa Totoo Lang.

“Number 1 na nakatulong sa ‘kin ‘yung pagte-take ko ng sports psychology and anger management… ‘yun ang pinaka-nakatulong sa ‘kin,” Amores said.

“And kailangan ko po i-apply ngayon ‘yun sa mga darating na mga games ko kasi ito na ‘yung pinaka-last chance ko. Hindi na pwede mangyari sa ‘kin ‘yun [losing his temper and punching multiple players], lalo na sa PBA kung mapi-pick man ako.”

He was selected 51st overall by the NorthPort Batang Pier.

Fans welcomed his redemption story.

“Ito ‘yung umpisa para maitama ko at maipakita sa mga tao na gagawin ko ‘yung para sa ikakabuti ng career ko,” Amores said after his selection.

November 2023 – John Amores gets heart-to-heart with Calvin Abueva

Even PBA players were seemingly rooting for Amores’ heel-face turn.

The Batang Pier player at the time shared an Instagram Story of how he talked with Magnolia Hotshots star Calvin Abueva–a man who is no stranger to on-court physical antics.

“Eto ‘yung welcome advice na ‘di ko makakalimutan. Thank you, kuya idol,” Amores posted, tagging Abueva.

The Beast was quick to share the post.

“Hindi nila maintindihan kung ano meron ka ngayon. Kailangan mo lang magtiwala sa taas,” Abueva wrote.

“Not everyone is going to see the goodness in you, not everyone is going to appreciate the authenticity you are now operating from, and not everyone is going to acknowledge the growth that has transpired within you—but you know that your ability to recognize your endurance, maturity, and truth is going to be enough,” according to the story Amores shared.

“The people who are meant to have that confirmation, align with your purpose, and hear you will fully see, appreciate, and understand you. Don’t worry or waste time meditating on the mocking, mishandling, or malicious intent of the ones who don’t,” it further read.

January 2024 – John Amores shoots the lights out for the Batang Pier

It seemed Amores was taking all the advice he got to heart and played well during the Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup for NorthPort. His best output came against the Blackwater Bossing with seven points from three-of-four field goals.

May 2024 – John Amores shines in Philippine Cup

His average improved in the Season 48 Philippine Cup, making 4.1 points per game, along with 1.3 rebounds.

He even made this three-pointer at the buzzer against the Terrafirma Dyip.

August 2024 – John Amores makes a four-point play

And when the league instituted a four-point play in the Season 49 Governors’ Cup, Amores was one of the handful of players who managed to sink one.

September 2024 – Shooting incident

So fans were stunned with the news on September 25, and how Amores allegedly got into a heated argument with a 32-year-old man after a basketball game in Lumban, Laguna, according to a police report.

The taunts for a fistfight then escalated. A CCTV camera captured how a figure purported to be Amores–driven by his brother on a motorcycle–shot an unspecified firearm. He missed.

The victim was unscathed, according to a News5 report. But authorities were seeking the basketball player, who escaped the scene.

At 1 a.m. on September 26, Amores surrendered to the police. His brother came some thirty minutes later.

“Nagkakaroon na ng threat sa kanilang buhay. Napag-desisyunan nila na dito na lang sumuko sa police station,” Lumban police chief Bob Louis Ordiz told News5.

The brothers did not give any statement to the media. The police though said Amores could be facing attempted murder charges.

Asked about the issue, PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial had this to say.

“This is a matter subject of investigation by the police, and we cannot comment [on] it. But we are saddened by such [an] unfortunate incident,” he told One Sports via text message.

One Sports also reached out to the NorthPort Batang Pier for comment, but has yet to issue a statement as of this writing.

In the act of shooting–with a firearm–basketball player John Amores missed his shot at redemption.