Abando played two years at Philippine College of Science and Technology in
Pangasinan. He was coached by former Letran Knight
Chris Calaguio. He was then recruited by Coach
Aldin Ayo to play for the
UST Growling Tigers in
Metro Manila's
UAAP.
UST Growling Tigers Abando redshirted in 2018. He also played in the
PBA D-League in 2019 with UST and represented the team in the
UAAP 3x3 basketball championship for
Season 81. After the tournament, Ateneo star player
Thirdy Ravena called him a "threat to the whole league in the next coming years." In their next game which they won against the
UP Fighting Maroons, he had an all-around 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals off the bench. However, in their rematch with UP in the second round, he was benched by Coach Ayo. The reason was because he was being recruited by two UAAP schools in the middle of the season, and it could have distracted the team. After affirming his commitment to UST, he was able to play again. Against the
La Salle Green Archers, he made three straight threes in the fourth quarter to cut the 10 point lead of the Archers down to just one. He almost tied the game for UST, but he had his foot on the line when he made a jumper that could have been the game-tying three. Instead, La Salle escaped with the 80–79. At the end of the elimination round, UST faced off against the
FEU Tamaraws to start the step-ladder semifinals. In that game, he and
Renzo Subido made back-to-back threes in the third quarter that extended the lead for UST, who eventually came out with the win and were on to the next phase. The Maroons were their next opponents, with UP having the twice-to-beat advantage. In Game 1, he and Soulemane Chabi Yo both led the team in scoring with 17, as their hot shooting led UST to the win. In Game 2, he had 11 points and nine rebounds as UST completed their upset over UP. In the Finals, UST was swept by the
Ateneo Blue Eagles in two games. He finished that season with averages of 11.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and a team-high 1.3 blocks in 18 games played, while averaging just over 23 minutes off the bench.
Sorsogon Bubble In 2020, the UST men's team covertly held a training camp in
Sorsogon despite a ban on amateur team sports activities due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. In September, the "
bubble" training camp became known to the public. Abando was among the complainants regarding their poor conditions in the Tigers' "bubble" training. Anticipating sanctions on UST due to ongoing investigations, Abando and six of his teammates transferred to other schools. Meanwhile, Ayo resigned as coach and was banned from the UAAP indefinitely. Before making his decision, he was also recruited by
San Beda University,
Adamson University, and
National University. He chose Letran because of the talent level of the NCAA, he didn't want to face UST in the UAAP, and because he was assured by Coach
Bonnie Tan that he wouldn't regret his decision. Before the start of the season, he played for the
San Juan Knights in the
inaugural Filbasket season.
Championship with Letran Entering Season 97, the Knights were the favorites to win the championship. Abando made his winning debut for Letran with 19 points, eight rebounds, four blocks, and a team-high three assists against the
CSB Blazers. He only had 11 points and one assist in their win against the
Arellano Chiefs, but bounced back with 24 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals against the
Perpetual Altas as the team improved to 3–0. He then led the team with his 18 points and nine rebounds in a win against the
San Sebastian Stags as the Knights secured the twice-to-beat advantage. The Knights then went on to complete their sweep of the elimination round with a win over the
San Beda Red Lions. The Knights beat the Altas again in the Final Four to get into the Finals, with Abando leading them with 24 points. In Game 1 of the Finals, he had 13 points and seven rebounds in just under 20 minutes, as he injured his foot following a highlight putback jam in the third quarter. The Knights endured without him in the fourth quarter to pull off the win. The injury was diagnosed as not a fracture, allowing him to recover. Before Game 2, he became the 11th Letran Knight to be crowned MVP, the first since
Raymond Almazan in 2013. He also won Rookie of the Year, becoming the 4th player to win both Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player of the Year, the first since Mapua's Allwell Oraeme in 2015. Lastly, he was awarded a spot on the Mythical Team along with teammate
Jeo Ambohot. He then went on to score eight of his 14 points in the fourth quarter to power the Knights to their 19th NCAA crown via a perfect 12–0 sweep of the season. Abando finished that season by playing in the NCAA All-Star Game. He also received a Resolution of Congratulations and Commendation from the
La Union Provincial Board for his accomplishments that season. == Professional career ==