MANILA – NLEX Road Warriors is set to retire the number 88 jersey of veteran center Paul Asi Taulava, marking the end of an illustrious professional basketball career that spanned for 24 years.
The short retirement ceremony will take place during the halftime of the Road Warriors’ game against sister team TNT Tropang Giga in the 2023 PBA Commissioner’s Cup tonight at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
“The jersey retirement ceremony will be a poignant moment to pay tribute to the legacy of Asi Taulava, recognizing his immeasurable contributions to Philippine basketball,” the Road Warriors said in a statement.
The 50-year-old Taulava will be leaving the league as a member of 40 Greatest Player, one-time champion, one-time PBA MVP, one-time Best Player of the Conference and 17-time PBA All-Star.
Taulava arrived in the country in 1997 and played for Blu Detergent in the Philippine Basketball League Vis-Min Cup. He went on to play in the PBL Cup from 1998 to 1999 for Blu Detergent.
He started his PBA career in 1999 as a direct hire by Mobiline/Talk N’ Text franchise, where he won his lone PBA title and MVP award in 2003. He went on to play for Coca Cola Tigers, Meralco Bolts, Air 21 Express and the Road Warriors.
The PBA career of Taulava, however, was not that smooth as he was slapped with a two-game ban in 2003 after he was tested positive for banned drugs during routine check-ups of players.
The 6-foot-9 big man was indefinitely suspended in 2004 after the Department of Justice found out that he and five other Filipino-foreigners has irregular documents. He made his return to TNT a year later.
Taulava left the PBA in 2012 after a failure in contract negotiations with the Bolts as he went on to suit up for the San Miguel Beer-Philippines in the 2013 ASEAN Basketball League where he won a championship and a MVP award. He returned to PBA in 2013.
His final PBA game was during NLEX’s 107-94 loss to NorthPort Batang Pier in the 2022-2023 PBA Commissioner’s Cup last November 9, 2022, which allowed him to tie Ginebra legend Robert Jaworski Sr. for most PBA seasons played.
Taulava was also a fixture in the national men’s basketball team where he played from 2002 to 2011. He returned in 2015 for the FIBA Asia Champions Cup, in 2018 in the Asian Games and in the same year in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers./PN
