San Miguel’s Asi Taulava wins ABL MVP

Asi Taulava rebounds over Tony Dela Cruz PBA IMAGES/Nuki Sabio

MANILA, Philippines – Add another hardware to Asi Taulava’s trophy case.

Taulava, the San Miguel Beermen’s big man, was named the 2013 Asean Basketball League (ABL) MVP Wednesday afternoon according to the league’s website.

The 40-year-old Taulava, one of the best big men in the PBA, averaged close to a double-double with 10.9 points and 7.4 rebounds to help the Beermen reach the Finals and play the Indonesia Warriors on June 7 at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

“We have some very talented players in our league, and any one of them would have made an excellent Asean MVP – and it is a testament to Asi Taulava that he was selected by the teams for this award,” said ABL CEO Anthony Macri.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to have Asi in the AirAsia Asean Basketball League this season.  He was the go-to post player down the stretch of big games for the San Miguel Beermen all year-long, and always seemed to deliver. He is a great ambassador of the game to the region as well, and I hope he has a few more years of play left in him for basketball fans throughout Asean to enjoy.”

The six-foot-nine Taulava showed flashes of his old dominant self, including a 26-point performance on 13-of-19 shooting from the field to go along with five rebounds and three assists against Malaysia.

Taulava bested four other worthy MVP candidates including his Fil-Italian teammate Chris Banchero. Banchero’s season was hit by injuries but still managed to make a huge impact as he led San Miguel in scoring, assists and steals.

Other MVP candidates were former PBA guards Froilan Baguion (Sports Rev Thailand Slammers), the first player in the league to post a triple-double, and Jai Reyes (Saigon Heat) and Indonesia’s Mario Wuysang.