Asi Taulava

Infobox NBA Player
name = Asi Taulava


position = Center/Power Forward
height_ft = 6
height_in = 9
weight_lb = 245
salary =
team = Coca-Cola Tigers
nationality = Filipino
birth_date = Birth date and age|1973|3|2|mf=y
birth_place = United States
college = Brigham Young-Hawaii
draft =
draft_year = 1999
draft_team = Mobiline Phone Pals
career_start = 1999
former_teams = Talk 'N Text Phone Pals (1999-2007)
career_end =
awards = 2003 PBA Most Valuable Player
PBA All-Star Game MVP 2004, 2006

Pauliasi Taulava (born March 2, 1973) is a Filipino-Tongan professional basketball player for the Coca-Cola Tigers in the Philippine Basketball Association. He is also a member of the Philippines national basketball team in international competitions.

Taulava is considered by many to be perhaps the greatest Filipino basketball player to ever play the center position in the PBA. His offensive and defensive post game coupled with his enormous 6'9", 245-pound frame has overwhelmed opposing teams on a consistent basis.

However, Taulava is also one of the most controversial figures in Philippine basketball due to his numerous issues about his citizenship since he arrived in the local basketball scene in 1997.

He is also known for his dyed hair, although he has also shaved his head bald numerous times in the past.

Philippine Basketball League

In 1997 Taulava, a 6 ft 9 inches tall Center from Tonga, along with several Filipino-foreign cagers bannered Blu Detergent in the PBL Vis-Min Cup, where he showed some promise. In 1998, Blu management included Taulava to their roster in the PBL Centennial Cup.

Asi emerged as one of the top players in the league, alongside Tanduay rival Eric Menk. The two had a rivalry of sorts when both players matched-up in two games between Blu and Tanduay.

Taulava led the Detergent Kings to the semi-finals but failed to lead his team in the finals.

PBA career

Talk n' Text Phone Pals

In 2003 became a fruitful year for Taulava when he led the Phone Pals to the All-Filipino Championship while being named as the Best Player of the Conference. At season's end, he became the first Fil-foreign cager since Great Taste's Ricardo Brown in 1985 to win the Most Valuable Player Award.

In 2004, Taulava, along with teammate Jimmy Alapag, was named as the co-MVP of the All-Star Game held in Cebu City. During the season, the Department of Justice announced that Taulava and five other Fil-foreign cagers have irregular documents, PBA commissioner Noli Eala indefinitely suspended him. A series of controversies rocked during the course of theduring the series as the Phone Pals lost in five games.

During the 2005 offseason, Taulava played for Team Pilipinas in the William Jones Cup and the Brunei Cup tournaments.

In 2006, Taulava was named MVP of the All-Star Game held in Cagayan de Oro City as he led the South All-Stars to a 122-120 win over the North All-Stars.

This past season was one filled with ups and downs for the Phone Pals' main man. Averaged a league-best 20.2 ppg (the only local to average more than 20 points per game for the season) and 11.1 rpg despite playing only 34 games. Also led the league in turnovers with 3.4 tpg. Sat out most of the season due to his citizenship problems that led to a legal battle between the Phone Pals and the PBA before he was reinstated in the last Fiesta Conference finals. The 2003 MVP, he also made it as a last-minute entry to the RP team in the Jones Cup shortly after he was reinstated. Improved his free throw shooting by hitting 67 per cent of his foul shots this past season.

Coca-Cola Tigers

On November 2007, he was traded to the Coca Cola Tigers in exchange of Ali Peek and the Tigers 2008 first round pick. Asi's numbers and style of play was then rejuvenated with the new team, thus lift the Tigers from the wildcard to quarterfinals but eventually lost to the Alaska, 2-0.

On March 29, 2008, in a out-of-town game on Panabo City, Davao del Norte, Taulava tossed in seven points, including a short stab with 11:11 left in the third quarter which made him the 58th member of the PBA 5,000-point club.

International career

In 2002, Taulava played for Team Philippines in the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, Korea. Taulava showed promise during the said tournament in the center position while also had a hard time on guarding Chinese center Yao Ming. In the end, the Philippines went home without a medal after suffering a harsh defeat in the semifinals against host Korea and lost in the bronze medal match against Kazakhstan.

In 2005, Taulava was added in the Team Pilipinas Training Pool of Chot Reyes. He was part of the country's third-place finish in the William Jones Cup tournament behind Passing Lane Sports USA and host Chinese Taipei. Taulava also led Team Pilipinas to the championship of the 5th Brunei Sultan Cup.

In 2006, Taulava participated in the team's 110-102 victory over the Dennis Rodman led American team on May 1.

In 2007, Taulava was once again a national team member in 2007 FIBA Asia Championship in Japan. Despite Taulava's tremendous showing at the center position, the team failed to pass the preliminary round which considered as the "group of death" losing to eventual champion Iran and Jordan and winning only one game against China.

Awards and Accomplishments

Member, PBA 5,000 point club

Genuine Kindness

Taulava has been very kind with fans. He acknowledges their support as the main engine for his career growth. When you chance upon him in public places, he never fails to give his dimpled smile. As noticaeble as he is with crowd, the height and demeanor included, he can give you an autograph just when you need it. He even poses for a pic anytime. True build of a star athlete.

Controversy

Taulava's citizenship has been questioned ever since he arrived in the PBL in 1998. A government scrunity from 1999-2000 about the alleged number of fake Fil-foreign cagers led to his deportation in April 2000.

While Taulava proved his citizenship when he returned to the country in 2001. Three years later, his name became a subject of DOJ's scrunity on the said issue that led to his indefinite suspension in the PBA.

It is claimed that Taulava's mother, Pauline Hernandez Mateeaki, was born in the Samar Province. However, the documents are said to be inaccurate. Some reports even claim Hernandez was born in Tonga.

While Taulava is now cleared by the Justice Department, it remains to be seen if his citizenship will be questioned again in the near future.

External links

* [http://www.pba.ph/component/option,com_comprofiler/task,userProfile/user,161/Itemid,1/ Asi Taulava PBA Profile]
* [http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/Lagoon/8541/taulava.html Asi Taulava's ABA statistics]