CONTROVERSIES may have hounded his stint with Alaska, but there’s no denying Calvin Abueva once made history together with the team.
Calvin Abueva on Alaska disbandment
The eccentric 34-year-old forward admitted his stay with the Aces was not perfect, yet there was a tinge of sadness on his part when he learned of the news the proud franchise which owned a total of 14 championships is finally bidding the PBA goodbye.
Abueva was the Aces’ no. 2 pick overall in the 2012 draft and was a major piece in the team’s last title run during the 2013 Governors Cup.
“It was a good journey na napunta ako doon. Na-appreciate ko lahat ng hirap na nagawa ko doon as a member of Alaska. Kaya I’m so proud,” said the San Sebastian alum who is now with the Magnolia Hotshots.

On a personal note, Abueva spent some of his peak years with Alaska which saw him win the 2013 Rookie of the Year, bag his first ever Best Player of the Conference (BPC) award in the 2016 Commissioner’s Cup, two Mythical team selections, a member of the All-Defensive team, and recieve the Mr. Quality Minutes award by the PBA Press Corps.
But there were heartaches too, along the way.
During his stay with the team, Alaska suffered perhaps the biggest heartbreaker in PBA history when it failed to hold on a commanding 3-0 lead against San Miguel in the 2016 Philippine Cup finals to lose the title series.
Abueva also found himself involved in several off-court theatrics that eventually piled up and led to the team’s decision to trade him in 2018 to Phoenix for Karl Dehesa and a 2019 first round pick which turned out to be big man Barkley Ebona.
Despite the love-hate relationship, the "Beast" nonetheless still feels for the franchise that gave him his break in the pro league.
“Nakakapang-hinayang,” said Abueva. “Nakakalungkot pero meron silang title sa PBA na hindi natin malilimutan.”
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