THEIR TIME HAS COME
Of all the players added to the list of the Philippine Basketball Association’s greatest stars, no one’s wait was more puzzling than Nelson Asaytono.
“There is no doubt that he is deserving,” former league commissioner Sonny Barrios, who chairs the selection committee tasked to add 10 more names to bring the number of members in the PBA Greatest list to 50 in line with the league’s golden anniversary.
The committee completed that list on Wednesday, with the man they called “The Bull” getting the overwhelming nod of the selectors, who announced the name in a televised event.
Snubbed during the first 25 inducted in 2000, Asaytono was also left off the 15-player list added for the league’s 40th anniversary in 2015.
In a way, the late inclusion mirrored Asaytono’s career.
Asaytono was part of a talented Draft class of 1989 that included Rookie of the Year-Most Valuable Player Benjie Paras and was selected by the Purefoods franchise.
His 17-year career was highlighted by championships with the defunct Swift/Sunkist franchise, including a near Grand Slam in 1995. In 1996, he became the focal point of San Miguel Beer’s offense under the late great coach Ron Jacobs, who transformed the 6-foot-5 forward into a wrecking ball on offense.
Missed MVP
But despite his success, individual accolades came in trickles. An MVP award eluded him and his stint with the Beermen failed to bring home a championship trophy.
By the time the PBA expanded its Greatest list to 40 a decade ago, Asaytono remained the only member of the 10,000-point group who had yet to be enshrined.
In a way, correcting snubs seemed to be the theme of Wednesday night’s unveiling.
Abe King, a member of the fabled Toyota squad who was known as the “Chairman of the Board” in his prime, and Arnie Tuadles, the 1979 Rookie of the Year, were part of the 10-man list revealed by the selection committee. Yoyoy Villamin and Manny Victorino, big men who had different ways of scoring down low, were also on the list.
Asaytono’s other rivals from the 1990s and 2000s were also named: Bong Hawkins and Jeffrey Cariaso of the 1996 Alaska Grand Slam team fame and San Miguel’s scoring dynamo Danny Seigle.
Only two active players were included in this addition to the elite group, the fewest in three enshrinements.
San Miguel’s June Mar Fajardo and Barangay Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson were named to the list by virtue of being past MVP winners. Fajardo is the league’s eight-time MVP, while Thompson won it in 2022.
The 25 Greatest list, announced in 2000, had six active players on the list, while the 15 added for the 40 Greatest in 2015 had seven active players.
The announcement came exactly a week before the 50th birthday of the league, which started on April 9, 1975 at Araneta Coliseum.
For next week’s celebration, the PBA will play a doubleheader at one of its old stomping grounds in the historic Rizal Memorial Coliseum, with Magnolia and Converge playing the opener before Meralco and San Miguel Beer take the court sporting retro uniforms.
The formal celebrations are set two nights later with a gala event featuring the introduction of the 50 Greatest.
