Anton Asistio

Anton Asistio
No. 8 – Rain or Shine Elasto Painters
PositionPoint guard
LeaguePBA
Personal information
Born (1995-06-02) June 2, 1995
Caloocan, Philippines
NationalityFilipino
Listed height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Listed weight175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High schoolAteneo (Quezon City)
CollegeAteneo
PBA draft2020: 2nd round, 22nd overall pick
Drafted byRain or Shine Elasto Painters
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019Bataan Risers
2019–2020Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines
2021–presentRain or Shine Elasto Painters
Career highlights

Anton Rafael Asistio (born June 2, 1995) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He suited up for the Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles, and won two UAAP championships. He has also played in the MPBL.

Early life

Asistio was born into a family of pro and national team golfers.[1] His father, Nio Asistio, was a former basketball player for Ateneo in high school who became a tennis player, and was a big influence on Anton choosing to pursue basketball instead of golf.[2][1] They practiced together, shooting 300 to 500 jump shots a day.[2] He also played in the Milo BEST Center's Small Basketeers of the Philippines tournament, leading Ateneo's junior team to the national title for 2007–08, at 13 years old.[3] He played for Ateneo from grade school up to college.[4]

Collegiate career

Asistio then suited up for Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles. In his first two seasons, Seasons 76 and 77, he seldom played, scoring a total of six points. In his rookie year, he was almost cut from the team, but was added onto the final roster to round it out.[4] For Season 78, he was sent down to Team B. With the help of coach Yuri Escueta, he developed his skills further and regained his confidence.[5] He also played in Division II of Father Martin Cup in 2015, leading Ateneo's Team B to the title with 45 points in the championship game.[6]

Beginning in Season 79, Tab Baldwin became the coach of the Blue Eagles. Initially, he wasn't impressed by Asistio due to his weaknesses, such as his athleticism and ball-handling.[5] After their run at the Filoil Flying V Cup, in which he experimented on playing point guard, the coaches then put the team on an intense eight-week weight training regime to get into shape.[7] After seeing his work ethic, he added Asistio to the main roster as a shooting guard.[5]

In his first game back in the UAAP, Asistio only had six points, but he had already matched his total output from his first two seasons.[7] He then had four games where he scored in double-digits in the first round of eliminations, including a career-high 21 points in a win over the UE Red Warriors. He then had the opportunity to start games when Aaron Black went down with an injury.[8][7]

In Season 80, Ateneo swept the first round of eliminations.[9] From there, they went on to win the title.[10] For Season 81, his senior year, Asistio was the captain of the team.[5][11] During the elimination rounds, he shot 45.2% from three.[5] They became back to back champions that season.[4] In his final season, he averaged 7.3 points and shot 30% from three overall.[12]

Professional career

Bataan Risers (2019)

Asistio first played for the Bataan Risers in 2019 in the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 league.[13] He then played for them in the MPBL.[14][15]

Zamboanga Valientes (2019–2020)

On September 22, 2019, Asistio and Santi Santillan were traded to the Zamboanga Valientes for four players.[16] He competed in the MPBL's Three-Point Shootout.[17] His shooting helped Zamboanga advance to the semifinals with a win over the Batangas City Athletics.[18] They were eliminated in the playoffs by the Davao Occidental Tigers.[19]

Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (2021–present)

On December 7, 2020, Asistio declared for the PBA draft.[12] He was selected by the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in 2021 with the 22nd overall pick and signed to a one-year deal.[20] In the PBA, he was converted into a point guard.[2]

In his first conference, the 2021 Philippine Cup, Asistio and Rain or Shine's other rookies were given enough playing time to make a positive impact on the team.[21] Although he only started two games that conference, he averaged 5.7 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists in 18.4 minutes.[22] With his play and Rain or Shine making the quarterfinals that conference, he was given a two-year contract extension.[23]

Asistio got to play in the Rookies-Sophomores-Juniors game during the 2023 and 2024 All-Star weekends.[24][25] He was given a two-year contract extension at the end of the 2023–24 season.[26]

During the 2024–25 season, in a game against the NLEX Road Warriors, Asistio scored 25 points.[27] In a win over the TNT Tropang Giga, he made a PBA career-best six triples for 21 points as Rain or Shine made the quarterfinals.[28]

Personal life

In 2021, Asistio became the first Filipino Anta brand ambassador.[22] When he was younger, he co-hosted "Sports Kidz" on Studio 23 alongside Sara Castañeda, Javi Benitez and ice skater Katrice delos Reyes.[3]

PBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   MPG Minutes per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage
 3FG%  3-point field-goal percentage  4P%  4-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 2024–25 season[29]

Season-by-season averages

Year Team GP MPG FG% 3P% 4P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021 Rain or Shine 19 14.6 .350 .323 — .929 1.4 1.2 .2 .0 4.7
2022–23 Rain or Shine 34 18.9 .397 .367 — .852 1.4 1.8 .3 .0 7.8
2023–24 Rain or Shine 25 11.4 .333 .293 — .722 1.0 1.3 .5 .0 4.9
2024–25 Rain or Shine 53 13.6 .456 .428 .385 .800 1.4 1.6 .2 .0 6.7
Career 131 14.7 .402 .367 .385 .817 1.3 1.5 .3 .0 6.4

References

  1. ^ a b Terrado, Reuben (September 27, 2016). "Anton Asistio emerges from family of golfers, finds own niche in basketball". Spin.ph. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c Ganglani, Naveen (May 3, 2024). "Anton Asistio has no limitations". ALL-STAR. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  3. ^ a b Godinez, Bong (August 7, 2008). "Sports and fun collide at "Sports Kidz"". PEP.ph. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  4. ^ a b c Go, Beatrice Lauren (December 11, 2018). "From Team B to champion: Asistio completes long Ateneo journey". RAPPLER. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  5. ^ a b c d e Naredo, Camille B. (December 6, 2018). "UAAP finals: Roller-coaster stint at Ateneo comes to stop on top for Anton Asistio". ABS-CBN News.
  6. ^ "Anton Asistio shows he deserves Ateneo call-up after scoring 45 in Fr. Martin Cup title run". Spin.ph. November 16, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  7. ^ a b c Salao, Colin C. (December 29, 2016). "Anton Asistio". The GUIDON. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  8. ^ Carmen, Lorenzo del (September 24, 2016). "Ateneo grabs 3rd win, condemns UE to worse start since 2012". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  9. ^ Li, Matthew (October 8, 2017). "Discipline over Mayhem: Ateneo sweeps first round". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  10. ^ Li, Matthew (December 3, 2017). "Blue Eagle the King". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  11. ^ Lozada, Bong (December 6, 2018). "'Too short, too slow, too weak' Anton Asistio proves his worth as two-time champ". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  12. ^ a b Li, Matthew (December 7, 2020). "Anton Asistio, Joshua Torralba throw names in 2021 PBA Draft". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  13. ^ Times, Tiebreaker (January 8, 2019). "Ex-pros, top collegiate stars enlist for Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  14. ^ Leongson, Randolph B. (June 1, 2019). "Pasaol, Santillan, Manganti, Asistio to suit up for Bataan Risers in MPBL". Spin.ph. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  15. ^ Times, Tiebreaker (June 18, 2019). "Asistio, Presbitero give Uichico win in Bataan debut". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  16. ^ Leongson, Randolph B. (September 22, 2019). "Bataan roster revamp continues with six-player trade with Zamboanga". Spin.ph. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  17. ^ Times, Tiebreaker (February 13, 2020). "Lester Alvarez outsnipes James Martinez, rules MPBL Three-point Shootout". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  18. ^ Leongson, Randolph B. (February 6, 2020). "Zamboanga stays calm in heated affair vs Batangas to reach MPBL semis". Spin.ph. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  19. ^ Times, Tiebreaker (March 5, 2020). "Kenneth Mocon steps up vs Zamboanga, leads Davao Occidental to MPBL South Finals". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  20. ^ Leongson, Randolph B. (March 2, 2021). "Rain or Shine signs rookies Santi Santillan, Franky Johnson, Anton Asistio". Spin.ph. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  21. ^ Terrado, Reuben (September 10, 2021). "RoS rookies Santillan, Asistio, Caracut repaying Gavina trust". Spin.ph. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  22. ^ a b Henson, Joaquin M. (November 10, 2021). "Asistio honored to wear Anta". Philstar.com. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  23. ^ Bacnis, Justine (November 24, 2021). "Asistio, Torres ink extensions with Rain or Shine". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  24. ^ Bacnis, Justine (February 20, 2023). "PBA: Scottie picks CStan as first pick, Japeth gets good pal JMF". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  25. ^ Ramos, Gerry (March 19, 2024). "Aris Dionisio set for first PBA All-Star appearance as Scottie replacement". Spin.ph. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  26. ^ Terrado, Reuben (January 24, 2024). "ROS signs young guns Santi Santillan, Anton Asistio to fresh deals". Spin.ph. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  27. ^ Fuertes Jr, Rommel (September 17, 2024). "PBA: Anton Asistio steps up as Rain or Shine flaunts depth in win". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  28. ^ Ballesteros, Jan (January 31, 2025). "Anton Asistio hits career-high in 3s as Rain or Shine bests TNT in crucial tiff". onesports.ph. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  29. ^ "Anton Asistio Player Profile, Rain or Shine Elasto Painters – RealGM". basketball.realgm.com.
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