Spending most of his time away from family due to his coaching role with the Sacramento Kings, Gilas great Jimmy Alapag is enjoying the offseason with the people he loves most.
There are a lot of challenges in the intense world of the NBA, whether be it as a coach or as a player.
For Sacramento Kings player development coach Jimmy Alapag, among the hardest parts of the job is having to endure time away from his wife and children because of the grueling nature of the NBA schedule.
Alapag, who has been with the Kings organization since 2021, opened up about making most of the NBA offseason with his family.
Hopping on an interview with former PBA Commissioner Noli Eala and sportsman Jera Sison on Power & Play, the six-time PBA champion and Gilas legend spoke about spending his rare down time with the people close to his heart.
“You know, Kom, it’s a blessing. Obviously, my job in the NBA requires a lot of time away from the family, especially during the season kasi grabe yung travel. We’re in different states, you know, sometimes we’re gone one week, sometimes two weeks,” Alapag said.
“Right now, while it’s still the offseason, training camp doesn’t start until the end of September, this is a great opportunity for me just to make sure that I’m focusing my time and energy to these kids and trying to be as present for them as possible,” he added.
But the time management hasn’t been too difficult for Alapag, as he also said that his family enjoys basketball with his kids now likewise playing the sport.
The 47-year-old had just come from a basketball tournament featuring his children before the interview.
“They’re all playing basketball, they’re having fun. Just being here in a support capacity, it’s been great,” he said.
Alapag will need to return to his duties soon, though, as the team will be needing his services anew.
As a player development coach, Alapag will be assigned with specific players to help their game on the offensive end.
“As a player development coach in the NBA, during the season I’m assigned anywhere between two to three players," said. Alapag.
"I’ve been with Keon Ellis for the last three years, I was with Davion Mitchell for about a year and a half, before he moved on to Toronto and now Miami. I was with my guy Jake LaRavia who unfortunately is now with the Lakers, and I’ve also worked with Terence Davis."
“For this upcoming season, it looks like I’ll be having Devin Carter together with Keon. So, you know, Kom, when you’re working with those players, you worked with them during the offseason, during training camp before and after practice, spending a lot of time with your guys, watching film. For my role the last two years, I’ve been helping on the offensive side of the ball," he added.
Entering another year into his NBA coaching career, Alapag will face the challenge of continuing to cement his place within the coaching ranks in the Kings and the Association in general.
In the meantime, Alapag will continue to enjoy his time away from the Kings and the NBA and focus on his personal life.