.jpg) Tautuaa withTNT in 2016 | |
| No. 3 – San Miguel Beermen | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center /power forward |
| League | PBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1989-04-30)April 30, 1989 (age 35) San Mateo, California |
| Nationality | Filipino / Tongan |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 245 lb (111 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Claremont (Claremont, California) |
| College | Chadron State (2008–2012) |
| NBA draft | 2012:undrafted |
| PBA draft | 2015: 1st round,1st overall |
| Selected by theTalk 'N Text Tropang Texters | |
| Playing career | 2012–present |
| Career history | |
| 2012–2014 | Westports Malaysia Dragons |
| 2015–2018 | TNT Tropang Texters / Tropang TNT / TNT KaTropa |
| 2018–2019 | NorthPort Batang Pier |
| 2019–present | San Miguel Beermen |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Medals | |
Moala Delvalle Tautuaa Jr.[1] (born April 30, 1989)[2] is an American born Filipino-Tongan professional basketball player for theSan Miguel Beermen of thePhilippine Basketball Association (PBA). He was drafted first overall by theTNT Tropang Texters in the2015 PBA draft.
Tautuaa attended high school atClaremont High School in Claremont, California.[3] In his senior year at Claremont High, he averaged 21 points and seven rebounds per game.[4]
He suited up forChadron State College, anNCAA Division II school. He led theCSC Eagles in scoring with 12.9 points a game and rebounding with 5.6 per game in his senior year. His 63.5 percent field goal percentage led the team and ranked second in theRocky Mountain Athletic Conference. During his career at CSC, he shot 62.6 percent (426–681) from the field to break the old mark of 61.9 percent that Elijah Collins set during 2001–05. He finished with 1,160 points, tying him for 17th all-time at CSC.[5]
He applied for the2012 NBA draft but went undrafted.[6] He then decided to resume his basketball career by playing as an import for theWestports Malaysia Dragons in theASEAN Basketball League.[7] Initially discovered by former PBA player Pongky Alolor, he was introduced to KL Dragons' head coach Ariel Vanguardia during the latter's visit to San Francisco and was recruited to join the team. He became teammates and friends with PBA playerJustin Melton. He averaged 15.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 0.6 block for the Dragons, who started off the 2014 season with a 2–1 win–loss record.
After his stint in the ABL, he processed his citizenship papers at theBureau of Immigration of the Philippines to prove his Filipino lineage[8] and applied for the 2014 PBA D-League Draft, where he was drafted first overall byCagayan Rising Suns. He helped the Suns reach the Finals against the powerhouseHapee Fresh Fighters. He was then signed by theCebuana Lhuillier Gems into a one-conference contract, where he spent the remainder of the season.[9] He was the 2015 PBA D-League Foundation Cup MVP while playing for Cebuana Lhuillier and took them to the semifinals.[10]
After spending a season in the D-League, he applied, along with 16 other Fil-Foreigners, for the2015 PBA draft, according to the list released by the PBA on August 10, 2015.[11] He, along with formerNU BulldogTroy Rosario, was the consensus top pick leading to the draft day.[12]
On August 23, 2015, he was drafted 1st overall by theTNT Tropang Texters in therookie draft.[13] On August 27, 2015, both he and newly acquired #2 pickTroy Rosario signed maximum three-year rookie contracts with Talk 'N Text worth₱ 8.5 million.[14]
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
As of the end of 2023–24 season[15]
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | TNT | 41 | 17.6 | .541 | .289 | .600 | 4.1 | 1.2 | .4 | .2 | 8.9 |
| 2016–17 | TNT | 59 | 17.3 | .519 | .152 | .563 | 4.7 | .8 | .3 | .2 | 7.9 |
| 2017–18 | TNT | 34 | 25.5 | .500 | .290 | .649 | 8.1 | 1.9 | .5 | .4 | 9.8 |
| GlobalPort / NorthPort | |||||||||||
| 2019 | NorthPort | 38 | 31.2 | .499 | .321 | .670 | 7.5 | 2.9 | .7 | .2 | 14.0 |
| San Miguel | |||||||||||
| 2020 | San Miguel | 13 | 35.2 | .602 | .333 | .600 | 8.1 | 2.5 | .9 | .5 | 18.6 |
| 2021 | San Miguel | 32 | 19.1 | .507 | .293 | .686 | 4.6 | .8 | .3 | .4 | 9.0 |
| 2022–23 | San Miguel | 50 | 20.0 | .559 | .378 | .542 | 4.9 | 1.5 | .4 | .2 | 8.9 |
| 2023–24 | San Miguel | 43 | 18.2 | .500 | .372 | .597 | 4.2 | 1.0 | .4 | .5 | 6.4 |
| Career | 310 | 21.4 | .524 | .307 | .607 | 5.4 | 1.5 | .4 | .3 | 9.5 | |
In 2015, Tautuaa joined theGilas Pilipinas 3.0 training pool as a practice player and went with the entire team toEstonia to participate in a pocket tournament. He also saw action in the2015 William Jones Cup where Gilas won the silver medal.
He would only be eligible to play for anyFIBA sanctioned tournament as an alternate naturalized player since he was not able to secure his Philippine passport before he turned 16 years old.[16]
Tautuaa is a versatile big man. He is considered a stretch "five" with ball-handling skills, range, passing abilities and someone who can rack up points, rebounds, assists, blocks, etc., not to mention his penchant for dunks, putbacks, chasing down loose balls and his uncanny basketball IQ.[17]
Tautuaa's father is Moala Sr. from the Pacific Island nation ofTonga, while his mother is Romanita (née Del Valle), a Filipina, who hails fromTaguig.[18][19] He earned a degree in Criminal Justice, and can also speakTagalog.[20] He is often teased with the nickname "Pebbles".[21]
Philippines squad | |||||||
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