THE Muntinlupa Emeralds are now owned by Lito Alvarez, who is making a return to professional basketball this season through the Chooks-to-Go National Basketball League (NBL).
Veteran team executive
Alvarez is a former PBA chairman and governor of FedEx/Air21 during its stay in the league. He will now take the lead in the Emeralds’ quest to form a competitive team for the 2021 season after their debut campaign in 2019.
Alvarez said he looks forward to the coming season especially with all players of the team based in Muntinlupa, as per the format of the league to tap homegrown talents. He also thanked individuals from the business and public service sector of the city for their support.
“The basketball community in Muntinlupa has welcomed with euphoric excitement the news that the city will be represented by homegrown talents in the National Basketball League’s inaugural season as a professional league,” Alvarez said.
“This gift to basketball-loving Muntinlupeños is made possible by the decision of respected personalities in the local business and public service spheres to put their resources together to form a solid and, hopefully, competitive basketball team that the local fans of the game can proudly support and cheer on,” he added.
With the season slated to open on July 17, Alvarez also said he hopes the Emeralds will also be able to bring unity to all Muntinlupa citizens during the gradual return of sports in the country during the pandemic.
“The identities of these patrons will be revealed in due time but the common message everyone would like to relay to our ‘kababayans’, thru yours truly, who accepted their request to serve as team owner is this: May our common passion for the game of basketball provide us not just an ounce of entertainment but a pound of motivation to embrace the spirit of unity and a profound sense of affinity,” said Alvarez.
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