‘You don’t need expensive shoes to play in the PBA,’ Asi says

Asi in his blue Chucks. PBA IMAGE by Nuki Sabio

ANTIPOLO, Rizal—It’s not in the shoes.

“You don’t need expensive shoes to play,” said Taulava, who rocked a pair of low top blue Chuck Taylors.

He added that he wanted to change the fortunes of his team, the NLEX Road Warriors, which was on a three-game losing skid.

True enough, the Road Warriors snapped their dry spell with a 104-84 drubbing of listless Blackwater Elite.

“We’ve been losing, I wanted to do what I  always did in high school when I was hungry and always wanted to win,” Taulava said.

Wearing two pairs of socks underneath the size 13 Chucks, Taulava said that the sneakers were comfortable and that he would continue to wear low tops in future games.

Taulava, also known as The Rock, did not put any tape around his ankles. He said he was always used to running around barefoot or in slippers when he’s at home and playing with his kids.

A pair of low top Chucks, just like the ones Taulava wore, usually don’t crack the P1,000 mark while new basketball sneakers go as high as P10,000.