TALENT. Skills. Heart.
While these embody the Filipino basketball player—traits that should enable him to make it to the NBA—PBA great and Sacramento Kings player development coach Jimmy Alapag maintained there’s still much work to be done to realize this long-cherished dream.
“I do think, you look at the talent back home in the PBA, the Gilas players, and even the young talents, the Filipinos that are playing abroad, your Ray Parks, your Kiefer Ravena, there’s so much talent in the Philippines,” Alapag said on the Power and Play program hosted by former pro league Commissioner Noli Eala. “Honestly, I really truly believe this. I do think we’re close.
“Their discipline together with their talent and their work ethic is second to none. It’s not just on the court,” he added.
The former long-time Gilas Pilipinas skipper and 2011 PBA MVP said players doing things beyond what is expected from them can make their NBA aspirations a reality.
“You look at the NBA now and it’s something that I’ve really learned and got a much, much better understanding of. Our guys come in every day and they get their work done in the weight room,” Alapag said. “They get their work done with our PTs and trainers and make sure that their bodies are as healthy as they can possibly be with the food that they eat offseason, during the regular season.
“Then you still have your work on the court. Whether it’s the guards or it’s the wing players or it’s the big man. Everybody is doing something that will help strengthen their game, help improve their game and help improve the team in preparation for the season.”
Seven-foot-3 big man Kai Sotto was the last homegrown Filipino who tried his luck in the NBA Draft three years ago but fell short of that elusive bid while former La Salle star and two-time UAAP MVP Kevin Quiambao is now chasing that ambition.
Alapag, 47, insisted it’s only a matter of when and not “if” before a pure-blooded Pinoy steps foot on the game’s biggest stage—only that it’s not going to be a walk in the park.
“Again, I truly believe in my heart that we will have a local Filipino (in the NBA) soon. But I do think that whoever that special talent will be, again, his focus, his work ethic, on top of the talent, have to be at its highest level to get an opportunity in the NBA,” he said. “Whoever that young talent is will be the first and there will be so much responsibility on that young player to not only handle the pressure of being the first local or first pure Filipino to be in the NBA.
“But even with that pressure, still be able to go out there in Summer League, in training camp and hopefully during an NBA regular season and go out there and still perform.”
