Ni Christian Vidad

PHOTO: Inquirer Sports

Ubos na ang mga baraha ng Alaska Aces sa Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) makaraang ihayag nitong Linggo ng Alaska Milk Corporation (AMC) ang pagreretiro ng koponan sa liga.

"After more than three decades of basketball, 14 titles, and a grand slam, it is with a heavy heart that Alaska Milk Corporation (AMC) announces the retirement of its Alaska Aces team from the PBA," sambit sa isang statement.


"We thought long and hard before making this final decision," pahayag pa ng AMC Chairman Fred Uytengsu. "However, we believe that this will allow us to focus our resources on providing affordable nutrition for Filipino families."

Nakapingwit ng 14 na kampeonato ang Alaska kasama ang isang grandslam noong 1996 simula makipagdigmaan ng prangkisa sa torneyo taong 1986.

“The Aces franchise will always be very special to me. I had the good fortune of starting this franchise at the age of 24 and learned so much about building championship teams from the players and coaching staff,” dagdag pa ni Uytengsu.

Ang kasalukuyang Governor’s Cup na ang huling conference kung saan makikipagbakbakan ang Aces sa PBA.


Ginarantiya naman ng AMC na hindi nito pababayaan ang bawat miyembro ng koponan matapos wala pa ring ni isa ang nagpapakita ng interes sa pagbili ng prangkisa, daan upang mapunta sa dispersal draft ang lahat ng manlalaro.

“We are extremely grateful for the extraordinary talents of all of our players and coaches and the hard work of the team’s managers and staff. Rest Assured, we will enusure that each one of them will be taken care as of the transition into a new chapter in their careers.”