PAOLO Taha has officially joined the Magnolia Hotshots family.
The veteran 34-year-old guard agreed to a two-year contract with the Purefoods franchise as he ended his eight-year stint with the Northport Batang Pier.
SPIN.ph learned that Taha became an unrestricted free agent when his previous deal with Northport expired at the end of the previous season, giving him the option to choose which team to play for in the coming Season 50 of the league.
READ Paolo Taha in the frame for Magnolia spot under Tenorio?
He was a third-round pick (29th) overall by the KIA franchise (Terrafirma) during the 2014 draft.
It so happened former Barangay Ginebra teammate LA Tenorio just assumed the head coaching job at Magnolia that Taha tried out for a roster spot with the team.
He signed the contract on Friday in the presence of Magnolia team manager Alvin Patrimonio.
So far, it has been a busy off season for the Hotshots, with Taha the latest player to be signed by the team, joining Russel Escoto, Joseph Erioubu, and Peter Alfaro who all got new deals from Magnolia.
With the Hotshots, Taha will be playing under his former backcourt teammate at Barangay Ginebra where they won a championship together during the 2017 Governors’ Cup.
But his stay with the Kings didn’t last long as Taha was traded to NorthPort for then Fil-Am rookie Julian Sargent.
He played the next six seasons of his career with the Batang Pier and was part of the two teams of the franchise that made it to the semifinals, including last season’s Commissioner’s Cup.
According to PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III, Taha spent eight-and-a-half seasons with NorthPort, making him the longest-staying player in franchise history.
Although picked by KIA in the draft, Taha failed to sign with the team, but was signed by GlobalPort (now NorthPort) as a rookie free agent in 2014.
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