Aces leaving PBA after 35 years
The most dominant team in the 1990s winning 9 titles
By Olmin Leyba
AS the Alaska Aces make their last hurrah in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), officials, players and aficionados go past the initial shock to celebrate the legacy one of the greatest ballclubs is leaving.
For the last 35 years, the Alaska franchise has been an integral part of Asia’s first play-for-pay league and accomplished one of only five grand slam feats in history. The Aces were the most dominant team in the 1990s, winning nine of their 14 overall titles during that period, which was highlighted by the 1996 treble under coach Tim Cone.
“Great memories! Honored to be part of this family/team’s history,” said Poch Juinio, who won Most Improved Player accolade on the year he and fancied teammates led by Jojo Lastimosa, Johnny Abarrientos and Bong Hawkins swept the competition 26 years ago.
Kenneth Duremdes, who came on board during the 1997 Governors Cup, agreed with the general consensus that Alaska was “the greatest team of the 1990s.”
“Yes, it is,” said the 1997 MVP who won four of his six PBA rings with the Milkmen. “All I can say is we take pride in every game — refusing to lose and preparing hard everyday.’”
More than the trophies, Alaska gets plaudits for its integrity.
“Much respect to Alaska. A class organization. The Aces will be a big loss to the PBA,” former Commissioner Noli Eala said of the franchise that he described as “one of the independent teams” in the league.
“I feel genuine sadness with the departure of Alaska, “said Rain or Shine co-team owner Raymond Yu. “Nothing but respect for a classy organization. Indeed, they won with integrity.”
Top honcho Fred Uytengsu, with a heavy heart, himself announced the “retirement” of the Alaska team from the PBA on Wednesday.
“We thought long and hard before making this final decision. However, we believe that this will allow us to focus on providing affordable nutrition for Filipino families. The decision is also aligned with the global directive of AMC’s parent company, FriesIslandCampina, to implement an organizational transformation that ensures long-term sustainability,” he said.
Mr. Uytengsu said the organization took pride in doing the right thing throughout its PBA journey.
“We always wanted to win with integrity. We tried to treat our players friendly. We tried to respect our opponents. Hopefully, history will judge that we did it the right way at Alaska,” he said.
Meantime, the Aces have made it their mission to go out with a bang and capture their 15th crown in their Governors’ Cup swan song.
“This will be our last conference as Alaska Aces, (we) will definitely make it count!” said forward Jeron Teng.
The PBA is set to convene in a special board meeting soon to discuss the next step following Alaska’s departure.
“It’s a sad day for Philippine basketball, especially the PBA,” said commissioner Willie Marcial.
