Who is PBA player Caelan Tiongson and why is he trending?

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PBA rookie Caelan Tiongson draws attention not just for his game but also his personal life after getting linked to a popular P-pop member

MANILA, Philippines – There is growing interest in Rain or Shine forward Caelan Tiongson after appearances by Aiah of P-pop powerhouse BINI in the Elasto Painters’ games sparked speculations of romance between the two.

Aiah was in attendance for two games of Rain or Shine’s best-of-seven semifinals against TNT in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, showing up in Game 2 at the PhilSports Arena on February 28 and Game 4 at the Araneta Coliseum on March 5.

For his part, Tiongson — who considers himself a big BINI fan — watched the first leg of the BINIverse World Tour at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan last February 15.

So who is Tiongson?

‘Veteran rookie’

While Tiongson is technically a rookie in the PBA, he is as grizzled a veteran as they come, having played for multiple local and overseas teams.

The 32-year-old saw action for Chinese club Chong Son Kung Fu during the 2017-2018 season of the now-defunct ASEAN Basketball League then joined Alab Pilipinas for the 2018-2019 campaign.

He also took his act to Taiwan, where he represented the Taoyuan Leopards in the inaugural 2021-2022 season of the T1 League.

The Filipino-American standout returned to the Philippines to reinforce Strong Group in the 2024 William Jones Cup, helping the squad go unbeaten and capture the championship.

His experience and skill set prompted the Elasto Painters to pick him seventh overall in the last rookie draft bannered by Converge’s Justine Baltazar, Blackwater’s Sedrick Barefield, and Barangay Ginebra’s RJ Abarrientos.

Return to basketball

After his run with Alab Pilipinas in 2019, Tiongson made a surprise decision to retire at the age of 27 as he opted to return home to the United States to be with his family.

There, Tiongson worked a nine-to-five job in sales.

But Tiongson — a product of Biola University in California — gave basketball another shot and joined the T1 League along with other Filipino-foreign players Jordan Heading and Jason Brickman.

That stint led to another as Tiongson found his way to the PBA.

“I think when you play basketball overseas, it’s a really hard thing to do,” Tiongson said before the draft.

“I think I was just thinking I was ready to be home with my family and not really dealing with some of the hardships of overseas basketball, but I was happy to make a return.”

Key player

Tiongson is a major reason why Rain or Shine reached the semifinals of the Commissioner’s Cup, marking the third straight time the independent team made the final four.

In 18 games he appeared in this conference, Tiongson averaged 9.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists while being tasked to defend the opposing squads’ best player or import.

He has scored in double digits nine times and owns conference highs of 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. – Rappler.com