Will Nelson Asaytono’s third time be lucky? 

The suspense over whether one of the most athletically gifted players to ever play in Asia’s oldest professional league would finally receive the recognition that the majority of basketball fans believed he deserved grows as the PBA publicly announces the additions to its list of the 50 Greatest Players.

When the PBA makes the announcement at a press conference on Wednesday, the name of the now 58-year-old Asaytono again comes to mind as one of the players who is most likely to lead this new group of players who will be featured in the PBA’s all-time Greatest list.

Surprisingly, the player known as “The Bull,” who was touted as a first-ballot pick when the PBA originally announced its original 25 choices in 2000, failed to make the cut.

The second rebuff he received, however, was even more astounding when 15 additional names were added to the list at the PBA’s 40th anniversary celebration ten years ago.

It goes without saying that this is Asaytono’s final opportunity to join the select group that comprised competitors and former teammates during his 1989–2006 playing career.

On Wednesday at the Cignal Customer Experience Center, the league will formally reveal the ten players that were discussed and selected by a panel of ten people that included coaches, league executives, former players, and representatives of the media.

Legends Ramon Fernandez, Atoy Co, and Allan Caidic, champion coach Dante Silverio, sports editors Ding Marcelo, Al S. Mendoza, and Nelson Beltran, as well as broadcast panelists Andy Jao and Quinito Henson, were all on the panel, which was chaired by former commissioner Renauld “Sonny” Barrios. 

The burly power forward from Oriental Mindoro, Asaytono, won seven championships, two Best Player of the Conference awards, three Mythical First Team selections, four Mythical Second Team selections, one scoring champion, and ten All-Star selections.

He was a serious candidate for the MVP title three times, but each time he lost the league’s top individual honor.

With a total of 12,668, Asaytono also held the fifth-highest scoring record in the league’s history. He’s the only player in the Top 10 who doesn’t make the Greatest list, which is ironic.

Former Toyota colleagues, high-flying forward Danny Seigle, efficient big man Bong Hawkins, and old-timers Abe King and the late Arnie Tuadles all met the same end in his case.

However, two current players, 2021 MVP Scottie Thompson of Barangay Ginebra and eight-time MVP June Mar Fajardo of San Miguel, are already certain to make it.

According to prior criteria, which guarantee MVP winners a spot in the Greatest selection, Fajardo and Thompson were seeded to the list.