ABS-CBN
Paper Rex's PatMen: From basketball player to first Pinoy VALORANT champion
Patrick "PatMen" Mendoza, a 23-year-old from Angat, Bulacan, has become the first Filipino Valorant champion after Paper Rex won the VALORANT Masters: Toronto in June 2025.
He also helped Paper Rex reclaim the VCT Pacific trophy in Japan.
Mendoza transitioned to the international Valorant stage in March 2025 after establishing himself in the local Challengers scene.
Before Valorant, Mendoza had a successful amateur basketball career, winning championships and multiple Mythical Five awards.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted his plans for university basketball tryouts, leading him to explore Valorant.
Inspired by his brother, Mendoza discovered a passion for Valorant and began dedicating himself to improving his gameplay despite lacking prior FPS experience.
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