JIMMY Alapag admitted he is contemplating on moving to the United States and one of the reasons is to land a coaching job in the NBA or in the G-League.
Alapag confirmed to 2OT that he and his family are mulling to stay in the United States due to the uncertainty brought about by the pandemic in the Philippines.
But Alapag, currently the head coach of San Miguel Alab Pilipinas in the Asean Basketball League (ABL) said the move would also be a career decision as he is looking at the possibility of pursuing his coaching in the United States, saying that he had already spoken to a few contacts in the NBA.
“To be completely honest, it is something that we are thinking about,” Alapag said. “With so much uncertainty around the world and here in the country especially from a sports and basketball landscape, it’s something that we are thinking about.
“I’ve reached out to my contacts from Sacramento and other people I know around the NBA and the G-League to see what opportunities there might have been there’s an opportunity there might be,” he added.
The search for a possible coaching job in the United States has so far been optimistic, according to Alapag.
“We don’t know yet where the direction will go but the feedback I’ve gotten has been very, very positive so we will see,” Alapag said.
Following his 13-year career in the PBA and Gilas Pilipinas, Alapag was hired as head coach of San Miguel Alab Pilipinas in 2017, winning the ABL crown in the 2017-2018 season.
Last year, Alapag got a break as far as his coaching career is concerned when he became part of the staff of the Sacramento Kings in the NBA Summer League.
Alapag made it clear that nothing is final yet about moving to the United States especially with the COVID-19 pandemic still happening across the world.
“There’s still a lot happening. The NBA is in the playoffs and they haven’t announced anything in terms of next season but it’s definitely a possibility. We will see,” Alapag said.
The former Gilas Pilipinas captain said he would definitely be an honor to coach in the US at the pro level, with UC Riverside coach Mike Magpayo already setting the bar as the first Filipino to coach in the NCAA Division I level.
“It’s awesome to see success of Filipinos here locally and abroad. He is blazing a trail for Filipinos at the collegiate level. Hopefully, one day, I might do the same at the pro level,” said Alapag.
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