He will be leading the team in the upcoming conference.
Last Monday, June 29, the NLEX Road Warriors basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) marked a new chapter in its history as it welcomed a new figure to its group.
Jimmy Alapag, the former player development coach of the Sacramento Kings team in the National Basketball Association (NBA), is back in the local scene as the new head coach of the NLEX Road Warriors.
“As we prepare for the upcoming conference, the NLEX management believes this is the right time to introduce renewed leadership while preserving the continuity and identity that the team has built,” the management’s statement read.
It further noted, “Coach Jimmy brings valuable experience from an NBA organization, a strong basketball philosophy, and a player-centered approach that we believe can help elevate the team to the next level.”
The NLEX Road Warriors also said the move to sign up Alapag about strengthening the team’s program by “combining fresh perspectives with continuity,” as well as give themselves the “best opportunity to achieve our goal of becoming a championship-caliber team.”
To date, the team has not yet won in any conferences in the PBA throughout its existence in the main league since the 2014-15 season.
NLEX Road Warriors is one of the teams owned by basketball patron and billionaire Manny Pangilinan (MVP) in the PBA, with the other two being the TNT Tropang 5G and Meralco Bolts.
His signing also marks another homecoming for Alapag, this time to the MVP Group, as he previously played for a total of 13 years in what was then the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters from 2003 to 2015 and a year in the Bolts from 2015 to 2016.
The Mighty Mouse would remain with Meralco for another year after his retirement, from 2016 to 2017, as its consultant, before moving on to other endeavors outside the company.