[1] He was nicknamed "The Beast" due to the all-around threat he brings at both ends of the court, he dominated the nation's collegiate ranks by posting excellent numbers during his tenure with the San Sebastian College – Recoletos Stags in the NCAA.
He won the Most Valuable Player award during the 87th season of the NCAA by leading the league in scoring (20.6), rebounding (13.7), and was fourth in assists (3.9) although he also had an alarming league-high 5.6 turnovers.
But worse, the suspension meted on the league's best player makes him ineligible to win any individual award this season If not for the misconduct, Alaska's No.
2 pick in the recent PBA draft would have handily won the MVP derby as he leads the current statistical race by a wide margin.
In his highly anticipated debut game, Abueva made an immediate impact as he came through with a beastly performance against the Petron Blaze Boosters.
Still smarting from his alma mater's NCAA final four loss to Letran 4 days before, he showed that he definitely is ready for the big leagues, finishing with 12 points and 16 rebounds in just 27 minutes.
However, a dip in his performance as well as Alaska's quick exit in the season-ending Governors' Cup has eroded his claim to both awards.
On October 28, 2014, he was instrumental in a comeback 100–98 win against the Talk 'N Text after trailing by as much as 18 points and hit the game-winning buzzer beater.
[19] On August 7, 2018, Abueva was traded to the Phoenix Fuel Masters for Karl Dehesa and a 2019 first round draft pick.
[20] In his debut for the Fuel Masters against the Columbian Dyip back on August 22, 2018, Abueva came off the bench and recorded 12 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists in just 23 minutes of playing time.
In July 2020, Abueva made public the moves he had to make for his suspension to be lifted including undergoing drug and psychological tests.
Abueva's suspension was lifted in October 2020, enabling him to play games for Phoenix at the Philippine Cup which was restarted within a bubble format.
[25] Abueva was punished with a P100,000 fine for making a mocking gesture towards Jorge Gallent in Game 2 on February 4 in the PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals.
[26] On March 31, 2024, Abueva flashed his middle finger to a fan in Magnolia's eventual Manila Clasico loss to Ginebra.
[27] Accordingly, PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial imposed a one-game suspension and P20,000 fine with stern warning upon Abueva.