IS a return to Philippine basketball next for Jimmy Alapag?
The former PBA MVP and Gilas Pilipinas legend bid goodbye to the Sacramento Kings after being with the NBA team for almost five years.
READ: Alapag cites qualities a Filipino player must have to make it to NBA
The 48-year-old Alapag said his piece in a social media post just days after the NBA 2025-26 regular season came to an end which saw Sacramento limp home with a 22-60 record in a tie with the Utah Jazz for the last spot in the Western Conference.
“Thank you SacTown,” said the Fil-Am guard.
“My time here is up…Grateful for all the love shown to my family and I. What was once a dream to coach in the NBA became a reality in Sacramento. Thankful for all the amazing experiences, the lessons, the growth, and most importantly, the time spent with some of the best fans in the NBA,” he added.
“Looking forward to what God has planned next…”
Prior to his stint with the Kings, Alapag served as one of the San Miguel deputies in 2019-20 before he and his family went to the U.S. at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But he did have an experience as head coach, calling the shots for Alab Pilipinas which he steered to the championship of the 2018 ASEAN Basketball League.
He was once deputy coaches at Meralco and the Gilas Pilipinas team, where he was part of Tim Cone's coaching staff that won the basketball gold in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in Manila.
Alapag was a decorated PBA player who won a total of six championships, a two-time Finals MVP, a Best Player of the Conference awardee, a three-time Mythical First Team, an 11-time All-Star, the Rookie of the Year in 2003, and a member of the league's 50th Greatest Players of all-time.
Upon settling in the US during the pandemic, Alapag applied and was accepted to become an assistant coach of the Stockton Kings - the affiliate team of the Sacramento Kings in the G. League.
He later joined Sacramento as part of its coaching staff, eventually winning the crown during the 2021 Summer League.
Alapag returned to Stockton the following year, before he was promoted as the players development coach of the Kings in the NBA in 2023.
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