Jimmy Alapag returns to PBA as new NLEX head coach

Jimmy Alapag is making his long-awaited return to the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) sidelines after six years, taking over as the new head coach of the NLEX Road Warriors.

The Road Warriors formally introduced the former PBA Most Valuable Player on Monday during a signing ceremony at the Meralco Center in Pasig. Present at the event were Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation chairman Manny V. Pangilinan, team governor Ronald Dulatre, and MPTC president Joey Lim. Alapag is set to make his coaching debut with NLEX in the 2026 PBA Governors' Cup.

The appointment marks a homecoming for one of Philippine basketball's most celebrated point guards. Alapag spent the prime of his playing career with TNT from 2003 to 2015 under the MVP Group, winning six PBA championships and the league's Most Valuable Player award before ending his playing career with Meralco.

At 47, Alapag becomes the fourth head coach in NLEX franchise history, succeeding veteran mentor Jong Uichico. Uichico handled the Road Warriors for five conferences and led the team to four quarterfinal appearances during his tenure.

Since retiring as a player, Alapag has steadily built his coaching résumé both locally and overseas.

He began his coaching career in 2017 with San Miguel Alab Pilipinas in the ASEAN Basketball League before moving to the United States during the pandemic to join the NBA G League's Stockton Kings as an assistant coach.

His work with Stockton eventually earned him a promotion to player development coach with the NBA's Sacramento Kings, a position he held through the end of last season.

Now armed with years of coaching experience at both the international and NBA levels, Alapag returns to the MVP Group, where he established himself as one of the greatest guards in PBA history.

He now takes on the challenge of guiding the Road Warriors as the franchise aims to become a consistent contender under one of Philippine basketball's most accomplished figures.