kɑːɹdˈoʊnə plˈeɪd fɔːɹ ˈaɪktsilˌæ sˈæl ɪnðə fˈɪlᵻpˌiːn bˈæskɪtbˌɔːl lˈiːɡ fɹʌm tˈuː θˈaʊzənd tˈuː tə tˈuː θˈaʊzənd fˈaɪv, wˌɛɹ hiː wʌz ɐwˈɔːɹdᵻd tˈɑːp ɹˈʊki ˈɑːnɚz æz pˌiːbˌiːˈɛl tˈɑːp nˈuːkʌmɚ.
Cardona played for ICTSI-La Salle in the Philippine Basketball League from 2002 to 2005, where he was awarded top rookie honors as PBL Top Newcomer.