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PBA and Gilas Pilipinas legend Jimmy Alapag returns to the Philippines after a coaching stint with the NBA’s Sacramento Kings to handle the NLEX Road Warriors.
When Jimmy Alapag and his family relocated to the United States seven years ago, he knew he was leaving behind a comfortable life in Manila. He and his wife, actress LJ Moreno, were celebrities here, and Jimmy was an in-demand basketball coach.
It wasn’t easy leaving their comfort zone, but the challenge that awaited Alapag was too big to ignore. He was joining the coaching staff of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and their G-League affiliate the Stockton Kings, the first Filipino coach from the PBA to achieve such a milestone.
Jimmy spent two years with the Stockton Kings as an assistant coach and three with the Sacramento Kings as player development coach, learning the NBA coaching ropes under Bobby Jackson at Stockton and Mike Brown at Sacramento. In April, he announced he was leaving the Kings organization.
While his dream NBA gig may have ended, Jimmy Alapag is about to embark on a new challenge as the newly-appointed head coach of the NLEX Road Warriors. It’s a full circle moment, a homecoming for the Mighty Mouse as he returns to the MVP Group, having been drafted by Talk ‘N Text in 2002.
“It just felt like it was the right time,” Jimmy said during a media event Tuesday. “Almost six years in the NBA. I’ve had an opportunity to see a lot, to learn a lot, and I know how much it’s allowed me to grow. Not just as a husband, as a father, but also as a coach.
“So, to have an opportunity to come back home and be able to pour all of that knowledge and all that wisdom that I’ve gained in the NBA, and to pour that back into Philippine basketball, it felt like that was the right time.”
Interestingly, it wasn’t NLEX that first reached out to Jimmy.
“Well, the funny part was the conversation that was first about Gilas,” he said. “I had a great conversation with Ms. Erika DY, and she asked if I was willing to be a helper. If I was going to be available to help with the upcoming FIBA window.
“Not the current one in New Zealand, but the next one I believe in August. And I explained to her that I was open to helping. Usually, it was a time constraint to say, but that was the NBA season.
“There’s a pre-draft, there’s a summer league, so we’ll have time to come back home and help coach Tim and staff. But obviously, now that I’m back home, if that opportunity is there, I’ll obviously help.”
Jimmy Alapag, NLEX and the PBA
Jimmy Alapag is a one-time PBA MVP and six-time champion, and said he still kept tabs on the local pro league even when he was half a world away in the biggest pro league in the world. He’s now looking forward to sharing all that he’s learned from the NBA.
“You see all the new talent. It’s great for the country, it’s great for me to be back. And again, that’s one of the most fulfilling parts for me, is being able to come back and pour into the young talent that we have in the country today with everything that I’ve learned in the NBA.”
His immediate assignment is NLEX, where he will guide a team that historically does well in the elimination round only to falter in the playoffs. In the recent Commissioner’s Cup, the Road Warriors were the no. 1 seed, but lost to eventual finalists TNT Tropang 5G in the quarterfinals, where they blew a twice-to-beat advantage.
Alapag met the team for the first time on Tuesday morning during a tune-up game against the Blackwater Bossing, and he emphasized the need to move on to the next challenge.
“That was really my message to them. I thought they had a great elimination round. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out in the quarters, but my message to them was I don’t care about what happened during the quarterfinals.
“I think it’s important for us, together with the rest of the staff, to try to build on their success in the eliminations.”
As one of the best point guards in league history, Jimmy is also excited to be working a deep guard pool at NLEX, where he will be mentoring Robert Bolick, Schonny Winston, Kevin Alas, LJ Gonzalez and Matt Nieto.
“There’s so many great young guards,” he said. “So, again, part of my job as a coach is to try to help them. And, obviously, from my experience playing the position, and now my experience in the NBA, to be able to hopefully allow them to grow and have success in their careers is a high priority for me as a coach.”
His NBA stint taught him so much, particularly when it comes to attention to detail.
“I learned a lot for sure. I think one of them is just the detail, the detail in, in everything that the staff and the players do.
“It’s really almost broken down into the science of the detail of everything that’s in it. It’s one of the main things I’ve learned from Coach (Mike) Brown in terms of his preparation for us as coaches, in terms of preparing for a team, developing players, breaking down the film, scouting the opponent, so many details were involved in that. And I learned so much from him.”
Learning from Mike Brown
Before he led the New York Knicks to the 2026 NBA title, Mike Brown was at the helm of the Kings. He brought on Jimmy Alapag as a player development coach, and they’ve been close since.
In fact, Brown messaged him when he found out that Alapag was returning to the Philippines.
“He plans to visit the Philippines soon, so I’m looking forward to hosting him and his family when he comes over.”
Alapag said he was overjoyed when the Knicks won it all.
“Oh, I mean I was thrilled for him,” he said. “I think it was just a culmination of a stellar coaching career that spans I believe close to 30 years.
“I’m sure he’ll feel bad when I say 30 years, but I mean he’s coached some of the generational talents that we’ve ever seen. From a young LeBron (James), Kobe (Bryant), Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, now Jalen Brunson.
“It just speaks to him as a coach. I think he’s an unbelievable coach, but for the people who know him, he’s an even better person. And to be able to spend my first two years as an NBA coach on his staff and learning from him and just seeing how everything works was incredibly valuable. I’m looking forward to trying my best to implement some of those same values.”
Jimmy believes it was the culture that Mike Brown instilled with the Knicks that allowed them to overcome the San Antonio Spurs in the finals.
“He’s big on the word ‘connected’ and I think you saw that when you watched the Knicks play. They were they were a very connected group on the court, off the court and when you build that type of culture and you have that type of environment with talented players, you give yourself an amazing opportunity to win.
“And obviously they won the biggest prize being the NBA champions, but that’s what stands out the most. Just that the connectivity that the team had you can feel it even from watching the game on TV. And I know from my experience with him that that’s a top priority for him.”
Banner images from Sid Ventura
Frequently Asked Questions
Jimmy Alapag is a PBA legend, one-time league MVP, and six-time champion who returned to the Philippines after a coaching stint with the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and Stockton Kings to become head coach of the NLEX Road Warriors.
Alapag spent nearly six years in the Kings organization — two as a Stockton Kings assistant and three as Sacramento’s player development coach — before announcing his departure in April 2026 to return home and apply what he learned to Philippine basketball.
Alapag inherits a deep guard rotation at NLEX, including Robert Bolick, Schonny Winston, Kevin Alas, LJ Gonzalez, and Matt Nieto, with a focus on helping the group build on its strong elimination-round performance after a quarterfinal exit.
Alapag credits Mike Brown, his mentor on the Kings staff and now Knicks head coach, with teaching him the importance of preparation detail and building a “connected” team culture — values Brown used to lead the New York Knicks to the 2026 NBA title.
Before NLEX reached out, Erika Dy first asked Alapag about helping Gilas Pilipinas for an upcoming FIBA window in August. Alapag said he remains open to assisting coach Tim Cone’s staff now that he’s based in the Philippines again.
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