Pauliasi Taulava (born March 2, 1973) is a Tongan-born Filipino former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player in the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines, composed of twelve company-branded Franchising, franchise teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia ...

(PBA). Standing 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) tall and weighing 245 pounds (111 kg), Taulava is considered by many to be one of the greatest and most dominant Filipino basketball players to ever play the center position in the PBA. Throughout his 24-year career in the league, Taulava has used his size and strength to overpower opponents for points and rebounds. He is also a many-time member of the Philippine national team in international competitions. Following his career in the PBL, Taulava entered the PBA in 1999, when he was directly hired by the Mobiline Phone Pals. With his performance, he quickly emerged as one of the top centers in the league, even winning the 2003 MVP award. After eight years with Talk N' Text, he was traded to the Coca-Cola Tigers where he played until 2010. He was later traded to the Meralco Bolts, leading the team for two seasons with his presence and style. In 2012, Taulava decided to leave the PBA to play for the

San Miguel Beermen The San Miguel Beermen are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). It is one of three PBA clubs owned by the San Miguel Corporation group of companies along with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Magnolia ...

in the ABL. After a brief stint in the league, he returned to the PBA in 2013, where he signed for the Air21 Express. Taulava's individual accolades include the 2003 MVP award, two All-Star Game MVP awards and the 2013 ABL MVP award. 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. His moniker is "The Rock". Taulava is also a brand ambassador of the sports clothing brand

Under Armour Under Armour, Inc. is an American sportswear company that manufactures footwear and clothing, apparel headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. History 20th century Under Armour was founded on September 25, 1996, by Kevin Plank, a ...

Philippines.

Philippine Basketball League

In 1997 Taulava, a 6 foot 9 inch center from Tonga, along with several Filipino-foreign cagers bannered Blu Detergent in the PBL, 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 and Tia Marias to the semi-finals but failed to lead his team in the finals due to severe bleeding and insomnia.

PBA career

Talk 'N Text Phone Pals (1999–2007)

He was directly hired by the Mobiline Phone Pals to boost up their frontline. From 1999 to 2002, he was only able to lead the team to a single finals stint which happened during the 2002 Commissioner's Cup, ending as runners-up. 2003 was 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, they ended in third place. Taulava, along with teammate Jimmy Alapag, was named as the co-MVP of the All-Star Game held in

Cebu City Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu, is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 964,169 people, making ...

. During the 2004–05 PBA season, the Department of Justice announced that Taulava and five other Fil-foreign cagers have irregular documents. PBA commissioner Noli Eala indefinitely suspended him and some of the other players. But even without Taulava, the Phone Pals were still able to have a good elimination round record of 12–6. Later, a series of controversies rocked during the course of the Philippine Cup finals as the Phone Pals lost in five games. In the Fiesta Conference, he led them again to the finals but still lost to the

in game five. During the 2005 off-season, Taulava played for Team Pilipinas in the William Jones Cup and the Brunei Cup tournaments. During the 2005-06 PBA season, Taulava was named MVP of the All-Star Game held in

Cagayan de Oro Cagayan de Oro (abbreviated CDO and officially the City of Cagayan de Oro; ; Bukid language, Binukid: ''Ciudad ta Cagayan de Oro''; ; ) is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Regions of the Philippi ...

in 2006 as he led the South All-Stars to a 122–120 win over the North All-Stars. In 2006–2007, the Phone Pals reached the semi-finals during the Philippine Cup but lost to the Barangay Ginebra Kings in six games. On the following conference, the team reached the finals despite his absence. However, they were still not able to get the crown against the Alaska Aces.

Coca-Cola Tigers (2007–2010)

On December 5, 2007, In the middle of 2007–2008 Philippine Cup, he was traded to the Coca-Cola Tigers in exchange for Ali Peek and the Tigers 2008 first round pick, who turned out to be Jared Dillinger. Asi's numbers and style of play was then rejuvenated with the new team, lifting the Tigers from wildcard to quarterfinals, but eventually losing to

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

, 2–0. In the 2007–2008 season, Taulava averaged 13.5 points, 1.9 assists, 12.5 rebounds, 0.4 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. On March 29, 2008, in an out-of-town game in 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's 5,000-point club. Taulava made his 12th PBA All-Star appearance in the 2010 PBA All-Star Weekend, as he played in the All-Star Game at the Puerto Princesa Coliseum in Palawan. The 2003 MVP awardee was part of the South team’s First 5 alongside Kelly Williams, Eric Menk, Cyrus Baguio, and James Yap. They eventually lost the game against the North All-Stars, 133–130.

Meralco Bolts (2010–2012)

On September 22, 2010, he was traded to the expansion team Meralco Bolts in exchange for

Jason Misolas Jason G. Misolas is a Filipino former professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He was also an assistant coach for the UST Growling Tigers. College career Misolas played for the Letran Knights basketball, L ...

and Khasim Mirza as part of a three-team deal with the

Barako Bull Energy Boosters The Barako Bull Energy Boosters were a professional basketball team of the Philippine Basketball Association owned by the Photokina Marketing Corporation. They entered the league in 2000, after a successful stint in the semi-professional Phili ...

. When asked upon the center's arrival to the new team, coach Ryan Gregorio said: "Asi (Taulava) is a great welcome addition for us. We definitely need size since it is only Marlou (Aquino) who’s our legitimate center." He also added: "His addition certainly deepens our rotation up front. I am very happy that we got him (Taulava). With him on the team, it improves our team in a flash. Like I said before, if we can fast-track things, we will. This is a big development for us." However, after the departure of Marlou Aquino to the

, Taulava became Meralco's only center. Taulava made his 2010–11 season debut for the Bolts on October 3, 2010, against the Barangay Ginebra Kings, wearing the number 55 instead of his more common number 88. The Filipino-Tongan player recorded 7 points and 8 rebounds in his first game with Meralco. His first double-double came twelve days after, as he scored 15 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in an 84–92 loss against his former team Talk N' Text. Meralco opened the 2011 PBA Commissioner's Cup with a game against the Barangay Ginebra Kings on February 18, 2011. In his first game of the year, Taulava recorded a season high with 23 points and 10 rebounds but the Bolts eventually lost to Ginebra, 115–98. He chose to wear the number 5 because it is also the number he wore in his recent stints at international competitions. In the 2010–11 season, Taulava was not conceded full playing time and averaged career lows in almost every major statistical category, but still proved to be one of the focal points of Meralco's offense. He improved his numbers in the following season. After leading the Bolts for two seasons, he decided to leave the organization and declined a two-year contract extension worth maximum salary. Taulava went to play for the

instead in the ABL. In 2013, he won the ABL Most Valuable Player award.

Air21 Express / NLEX Road Warriors (2013–2023)

Following a brief stint in the ABL, Taulava signed for the Air21 Express to play the 2013 PBA Governors' Cup, making him the oldest active PBA player at 40 years old. He made his debut on September 13, 2013, against his former team Talk N' Text, where he scored 7 points and led his team to a 106–102 victory. Due to Air21 being unable to reach the playoffs of the 2013 Governor's Cup, Taulava finished the 2012–13 season with only 3 games. In his second season with Air21, Taulava saw more action in the league. Express was eliminated in the first round of the 2013–14 Philippine Cup with a dismal 3–11 record. Taulava led Air21 to the quarterfinals of the 2014 Commissioner's Cup where they met the San Miguel Beermen. In a surprising upset, Air21 made their first semifinals appearance in franchise history, after beating the second-seeded Beermen with the knockout game ending in two overtimes. However, they were beaten by the eventual champions San Mig Super Coffee Mixers in their semifinals series that extended to Game 5. The 2003 MVP also led his team to the quarterfinals of the 2014 Governors' Cup, where they were ousted by Rain or Shine. The 41-year-old Taulava was averaging his most minutes (37.7) in five years and took on a much more significant role than in previous years. As a result, his numbers and style of play also were revived by his time in Air21 where he averaged 14.7 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists. His strong performance during the season also made him one of the candidates for the MVP award, which was ultimately won by June Mar Fajardo. At the season's end, Taulava was given the Comeback Player of the Year award. Bothered by financial problems, the Air21 Express was acquired by expansion team

NLEX Road Warriors The NLEX Road Warriors is a professional basketball team owned by Manila North Tollways Corporation, NLEX Corporation, a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) since the 2014 ...

before the start of the 2014–15 season. In August 2014, the 2003 MVP was also signed a two-year, maximum salary deal worth P10 million. On October 14, 2016, Taulava was recognized during the PBA Leo Awards Night as he was named to the PBA Mythical Second Team. After the 2022–23 season, Taulava retired from professional basketball. On December 8, 2023, NLEX announced that the team will

retire Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...

Taulava's jersey number 88 in a game scheduled on December 13 against the

TNT Tropang Giga The TNT Tropang 5G is a professional basketball team currently owned by Smart Communications, a subsidiary of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) since 1990. The fra ...

, where Taulava formerly played. On December 12, he was activated by the team, making him eligible to play for one final game. On December 13, he started the game against TNT and played for almost two minutes before being subbed out for the rest of the game. In the process, he played his 24th season in the PBA, breaking the previous record he shared with

Robert Jaworski Robert Vincent Salazar Jaworski Sr. (; born March 8, 1946), also known by his nicknames Sonny, Big J, and Jawo (), is a Filipino former professional basketball player, head coach and politician who served as a Senator of the Philippines fro ...

. Taulava also became the second player in the PBA at the age of 50 after Jaworski. During halftime of the same game, his jersey number was officially retired.

PBA career statistics

Season-by-season averages

, - , align=left , , align=left , Mobiline , 37 , , 43.1 , , .459 , , .000 , , .604 , , 12.0 , , 3.3 , , .5 , , .8 , , 17.7 , - , align=left , , align=left , Mobiline , 12 , , 40.6 , , .524 , , — , , .569 , , 13.8 , , 3.5 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 21.5 , - , align=left , , align=left , Mobiline / Talk 'N Text , 22 , , 39.1 , , .452 , , .200 , , .631 , , 12.8 , , 1.5 , , .5 , , 1.3 , , 19.9 , - , align=left , , align=left , Talk 'N Text , 10 , , 37.3 , , .430 , , .000 , , .747 , , 11.3 , , 5.4 , , .8 , , 1.2 , , 21.3 , - , align=left , , align=left , Talk 'N Text , 54 , , 42.2 , , .493 , , .254 , , .544 , , 13.7 , , 3.6 , , .4 , , 1.3 , , 23.4 , - , align=left , , align=left , Talk 'N Text , 34 , , 37.5 , , .554 , , .378 , , .667 , , 11.1 , , 2.0 , , .7 , , .8 , , 20.2 , - , align=left , , align=left , Talk 'N Text , 41 , , 35.1 , , .491 , , .125 , , .455 , , 13.0 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , 1.1 , , 14.9 , - , align=left , , align=left , Talk 'N Text , 29 , , 31.3 , , .534 , , .000 , , .617 , , 10.9 , , 2.1 , , .1 , , .8 , , 16.6 , - , align=left rowspan=2, , align=left , Talk 'N Text , rowspan=2, 45 , , rowspan=2, 32.0 , , rowspan=2, .448 , , rowspan=2, .250 , , rowspan=2, .490 , , rowspan=2, 12.5 , , rowspan=2, 1.9 , , rowspan=2, .4 , , rowspan=2, .5 , , rowspan=2, 13.5 , - , align=left ,

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

, - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 32 , , 36.7 , , .439 , , .308 , , .552 , , 12.8 , , 3.0 , , .4 , , .5 , , 16.9 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 31 , , 32.1 , , .369 , , .000 , , .591 , , 11.5 , , 3.1 , , .2 , , .3 , , 11.2 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

Meralco The Manila Electric Company, also known as Meralco (, , stylized in uppercase), is an electric power distribution company in the Philippines. It is Metro Manila's only electric power distributor and holds the power distribution franchise for 3 ...

, 31 , , 23.0 , , .481 , , — , , .495 , , 7.9 , , .7 , , .2 , , .5 , , 7.5 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 44 , , 26.3 , , .535 , , — , , .586 , , 8.7 , , .6 , , .4 , , .7 , , 8.2 , - , align=left , , align=left , Air21 , 3 , , 36.0 , , .524 , , — , , .286 , , 12.7 , , 3.7 , , .0 , , 1.3 , , 9.3 , - , align=left , , align=left , Air21 , 40 , , 37.7 , , .469 , , .000 , , .595 , , 12.4 , , 2.0 , , .5 , , .6 , , 14.8 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

NLEX The North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), signed as E1 of the Philippine expressway network, partially as N160 of the Philippine highway network, and partially as R-8 of the Metro Manila arterial road network, is a controlled-access highway that ...

, 36 , , 32.2 , , .490 , , .000 , , .658 , , 9.9 , , 1.9 , , .3 , , .3 , , 13.9 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 35 , , 31.8 , , .473 , , .000 , , .624 , , 10.1 , , 2.1 , , .5 , , .3 , , 13.9 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 31 , , 10.3 , , .441 , , .250 , , .667 , , 3.0 , , .7 , , .2 , , .2 , , 3.5 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 32 , , 7.8 , , .405 , , .304 , , .500 , , 2.5 , , .6 , , .2 , , .3 , , 2.7 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 20 , , 8.3 , , .286 , , .207 , , .833 , , 3.1 , , .5 , , .3 , , .3 , , 2.0 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 3 , , 8.7 , , .556 , , .400 , , .333 , , 2.0 , , .7 , , .0 , , 1.0 , , 4.3 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 1 , , 2.2 , , 1.000 , , 1.000 , , — , , 2.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 3.0 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 1 , , 5.1 , , .000 , , .000 , , — , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 1 , , 1.9 , , — , , — , , — , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - class=sortbottom , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 625 , , 31.0 , , .475 , , .246 , , .576 , , 10.3 , , 2.0 , , .4 , , .7 , , 13.7

National team career

In 2002, Taulava played for Team Philippines in the

2002 Asian Games The 2002 Asian Games, officially known as the XIV Asian Games and also known as Busan 2002 (), were an international multi-sport event held in Busan, South Korea from September 29 to October 14, 2002. Due to schedule impediments the football tour ...

Busan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

. Taulava showed promise during the said tournament in as Center but had a hard time guarding Chinese center,

Yao Ming Yao Ming ( zh, c=姚明; born September 12, 1980) is a Chinese basketball executive and former professional player. He played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and the Houston Rockets of the National Baske ...

. In the end, the Philippines went home without a medal after suffering a harsh defeat in the semifinals against host Korea and even losing the bronze medal against

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

. 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 The William Jones Cup International Basketball Tournament (), also known as the William Jones Cup, is an international basketball tournament organized by the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA) held annually since 1977 in sports, 1977 ...

tournament behind Passing Lane Sports of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and host,

Chinese Taipei "Chinese Taipei" is the term used in various international organizations and tournaments for groups or delegations representing the Republic of China (ROC), a country commonly known as Taiwan. Due to the One China principle stipulated by the ...

. 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 Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Renowned for his defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best rebounding forw ...

-led American team on May 1. In 2007, Taulava was once again a national team member in

2007 FIBA Asia Championship The 2007 FIBA Asia Cup, FIBA Asia Championship for Men was the qualifying tournament for FIBA Asia at the Basketball at the Summer Olympics, men's basketball tournament at the 2008 Summer Olympics at Beijing. The tournament was held in Tokushima, T ...

in Japan. Despite Taulava's tremendous performance as Center, the team failed to pass the preliminary round, which was considered the "group of death", winning only one game against China and losing to eventual champion Iran and Jordan. In 2008, he was again listed under the RP Training Pool under Coach

Yeng Guiao Joseller "Yeng" Medina Guiao (born March 19, 1959) is a Filipino professional basketball head coach, politician, commentator and sports commissioner. He is currently the head coach of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters of the Philippine Basketba ...

. In 2010, he played for the Smart Gilas during the Stankovic Cup Asia Tournament helping the team to a 4th-place finish. Along with Kelly Williams, Taulava was granted the permission to play for Smart Gilas for the

2010 Asian Games The 2010 Asian Games (), officially known as the XVI Asian Games () and also known as Guangzhou 2010 (), were a regional multi-sport event held from November 12 to 27, 2010 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China (although several events commenced ear ...

in November. The team eventually reached 6th place in the tournament. In January 2011, Taulava declared his availability for Smart Gilas to represent the country at the

2011 FIBA Asia Championship The 2011 FIBA Asia Championship for Men is the intercontinental championship for basketball organized by FIBA Asia that doubles as a qualifying tournament for the men's basketball tournament of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England, United ...

, held in Wuhan, China. The 2003 MVP also said: "I’ll make all the necessary sacrifice for Team Pilipinas and our country. Let’s all unite for flag and country and make 2011 a year for Philippine basketball." In August 2011, Taulava joined the Smart Gilas Team for the 2011 William Jones Cup; in the preliminary round of the tournament, the Philippine team compiled a promising 5–2 record, before being eliminated in the semifinals by Iran. On August 9, 2011, during a game against Malaysia, Taulava got involved in an altercation with Yoong Jing Kwaan. The episode happened in the third quarter of the match; with less than 20 seconds remaining in the period, Taulava suddenly went down on the floor in pain after Yoong Jing Kwaan grabbed and squeezed his private parts. The Fil-Tongan then stood up, chased the Malaysian player and hit him twice in the head. The two were later tossed out with 7.4 seconds left in the period. Smart Gilas eventually won, 86–68. Taulava would later apologize for his actions. In 2011, Taulava retired from international competitions after the stint at the

. Taulava has been a member of the

Philippines men's national basketball team The Philippines men's national basketball team (), commonly known as Gilas Pilipinas, is the basketball team representing the Philippines. The team is managed by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (Basketball Federation of the Philippines or s ...

since 2002. In 2015, he returned to international competitions. He played for the national team at the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship where the Philippines took home the silver. In 2018, he was part of the 12-man line-up of the Philippines men's basketball team for the

2018 Asian Games The 2018 Asian Games ( or ''Asian Games 2018''), officially known as the 18th Asian Games (), and also known as Jakarta-Palembang 2018 or Indonesia 2018, were a Asia, continental multi-sport event that was held from 18 August to 2 September 201 ...

at Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia. He played with Fil-Am NBA star Jordan Clarkson and finish fifth overall.

Awards and accomplishments

PBA

* PBA Champion (2003 All-Filipino) * PBA Finals MVP (2003 All-Filipino) * 2003 PBA Most Valuable Player * 2004 PBA All-Stars Game Most Valuable Player (shared with Jimmy Alapag) * 2009 Defensive Player of the Year * All-Filipino Best Player of the Conference (2003) * Reinforced Finals MVP (2003) * All-Star MVP (2006–2007) * Member, PBA 5,000 point club * 2009 PBA PBA All-Defensive Team * 2003 PBA PBA All-Defensive Team * 2003 Mythical First Team * 2008 Mythical First Team * 2009 Mythical First Team * 2002 Mythical Second Team

International

* 2002 Philippines-Chinese Taipei Basketball Series * 2002 Philippines-Qatar Basketball Series * 2002 Philippines-Melbourne Tigers Basketball Series * 2002 Four Nations Invitational Tournament (Italy), 3rd place * 2002 Asian Games, 4th place * 2005 William Jones Cup, 3rd place (Bronze) * 2005 Brunei Cup champions * 2006 Philippines-Lebanon Basketball Series * 2006 Brunei Cup champions * 2007 FIBA Asia Champions Cup * 2007 SEABA champions * 2007 William Jones Cup, 3rd place (Bronze) * 2007 Four Nations Invitational Tournament (Philippines) champions * 2007 Philippines-Kuwait Basketball Series * 2007 FIBA Asia Championship, 9th place * 2009 Philippines-Australian Great White Sharks Basketball Series * 2009 Philippines-PBA All-Star Exhibition Series * 2009 SEABA champions * 2011 Smart Ultimate All-Star Challenge (Smart Gilas) * 2011 William Jones Cup, 3rd place (Bronze) * 2013 ASEAN Basketball League MVP * 2015 William Jones Cup, 2nd place (Silver) * 2015 FIBA Asia Championship, 2nd place (Silver) * 2018 Asian Games, 5th place

Controversy

Taulava's citizenship has been questioned ever since he arrived in the PBL in 1998. A government scrutiny from 1999 to 2000 about the alleged number of fake Fil-foreign cagers led to his deportation in April 2000. Taulava proved his citizenship when he returned to the country in 2001. Three years later, his name became a subject of DOJ's scrutiny 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.

References

Sources

External links

Asi Taulava PBA.ph Profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taulava, Asi 1973 births Living people Air21 Express players ASEAN Basketball League players Basketball players at the 2002 Asian Games Basketball players at the 2010 Asian Games Basketball players from California BYU–Hawaii Seasiders men's basketball players Centers (basketball) Tongan people of Filipino descent Meralco Bolts players NLEX Road Warriors players Philippine Basketball Association All-Stars Philippines men's national basketball team players Filipino men's basketball players Powerade Tigers players TNT Tropang 5G players Basketball players at the 2018 Asian Games Asian Games competitors for the Philippines Doping cases in basketball Philippine Basketball Association players with retired numbers Filipino sportspeople in doping cases 20th-century Filipino sportsmen