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GILAS Pilipinas icon and former PBA Most Valuable Player Jimmy Alapag left the country along with his family for the United States on Tuesday amid mounting uncertainty caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Charlie Dy, who long represented the six-time PBA champion and captain of the Philippine men’s basketball team, confirmed the Alapags’ departure.
“Yes, they are waiting to board for Los Angeles,” Dy said in a short text message to SPIN.ph.
His departure to the United States came just a week after Alapag’s wife, actress and television host LJ Moreno, suffered a miscarriage of their fourth child at six weeks pregnant.
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Alapag, a native of San Bernardo, California, left along with children Ian, Keona and Calen.
Dy expressed his sadness at seeing 42-year-old Alapag leave, perhaps feeling the same sentiment that most Filipino basketball fans would feel.
“It’s refreshing because he’s really a basketball icon here in the Philippines,” said the popular players agent.
Alapag was a first-round pick (10th overall) by Talk `N Text in the 2003 PBA draft and played in the league until 2016, when he came out of retirement and played one season for the Meralco Bolts.
After winning Rookie of the Year, he carved out a career that saw him win six championships with the TnT franchise, won the honor of MVP in 2011, was named MVP of the Finals twice, Player of the Conference (2011 Commissioner’s Cup ), three-time Mythical First Team and 3-point shooting champion (2003).
He was named Most Valuable Player of 2011, an 11-time All-Star, and before retiring, he became the league’s all-time top three-point scorer.
Alapag was also named one of the PBA’s Top 40 Players of All Time.
