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PBA: Asi's longevity, professionalism should inspire young players, says Alapag

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Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/sports/05/04/20200504-pba-alapag-taulava.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>Asi Taulava (background, 88) watches Jimmy Alapag (3) make a speech during his jersey retirement ceremony in 2015. <em>File photo. PBA Media Bureau</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA, Philippines -- Asi Taulava&#x27;s longevity in professional basketball is a source of amazement and inspiration to his former teammate and good friend, Jimmy Alapag.</p><p>Longtime teammates in the Talk &#x27;N Text franchise, the two led the then-Phone Pals to the 2003 All-Filipino Cup championship -- still the only title that Taulava has won in his PBA career.</p><p>Alapag went on to win five more titles before retiring in 2016 and becoming a coach for San Miguel-Alab Pilipinas in the ASEAN Basketball League. Taulava, meanwhile, continued playing: he became a key cog for Air21, suited up for the national team in the 2018 Asian Games, and is now the elder statesman of the NLEX Road Warriors.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://sports.abs-cbn.com/pba/news/2020/05/03/pba-open-cancelling-45th-season-due-covid-19-67955">READ: PBA open to cancelling all of 45th season due to COVID-19</a></li></ul><p>&quot;You know, watching Asi Taulava at 46, still be out there on the court and still be productive and still have an impact on the game, it&#x27;s amazing,&quot; Alapag said during an online seminar hosted by former Phoenix coach Ariel Vanguardia.</p><p>&quot;I&#x27;ve played my career, and he&#x27;s still going at his age, and it says a lot about Asi,&quot; he added. &quot;It says a lot about his professionalism and the way that he&#x27;s taken care of his body.&quot;</p><p>Alapag admitted that when he retired in 2016, shortly before turning 39, he knew that &quot;there was nothing left.&quot; His mind was as sharp as ever, but he knew that his legs could no longer handle the grind of a full basketball season after 14 years in the PBA.</p><p>&quot;To think Asi&#x27;s played another seven years after the age that I retired, it&#x27;s something special,&quot; said Alapag. &quot;I think his longevity and his professionalism is something that the younger players can really look up to and see what he&#x27;s doing and try to follow that same path.&quot;</p><p>Taulava saw limited action in the 2019 PBA Governors&#x27; Cup, averaging just 2.75 points and 2.75 rebounds per game. The league&#x27;s MVP in 2003, he planned to play one last conference in the 2020 All-Filipino Cup before hanging up his sneakers, but the novel coronavirus pandemic prevented him and the Road Warriors from playing a single game.</p><p>Aside from his friendship with Taulava, Alapag also discussed his coaching philosophies and influences, his thoughts on the national team, and more during the online seminar. </p><p>Watch the full discussion here:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oPOz7a5DfgI?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>(For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/"><b>ABS-CBN Sports website</b></a>).</p>

<p>Asi Taulava's longevity in professional basketball is a source of amazement and inspiration to his former teammate and good friend, Jimmy Alapag.</p>

Asi Taulava's longevity in professional basketball is a source of amazement and inspiration to his former teammate and good friend, Jimmy Alapag.

PBA: Asi's longevity, professionalism should inspire young players, says Alapag

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PBA: Asi's longevity, professionalism should inspire young players, says Alapag

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 04, 2020 04:33 PM PHT

Read More:

PBA

Jimmy Alapag

Asi Taulava

NLEX Road Warriors

TNT KaTropa

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