PBA: Jimmy Alapag recalls iconic Gilas win in MOA Arena return

Gilas Pilipinas legend and NLEX Road Warriors coach Jimmy Alapag during a game in the 2026 PBA Governors’ Cup. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—When Jimmy Alapag was still playing professional basketball, he made the Mall of Asia Arena one of his stomping grounds.

On Sunday, he returned to the Pasay venue for the first time in a completely new role—this time as NLEX head coach—with plenty of memories.

“When I walked in earlier today, I walked through the same entrance that we went into when we beat Korea in 2013. Definitely a nostalgia moment,” he said after the Road Warriors’ 119-107 win over Converge in PBA Governors’ Cup action.

“It just brings back a lot of great memories of that night with the coaching staff and players and fans. It was such a special night.”

MOA MEMORY LANE

WATCH: NLEX coach Jimmy Alapag talks about his return to the MOA Arena.

It was in this same building where he and Gilas lifted the “Korean Curse” back in 2013. #PBA50 | @MeloFuertesINQ pic.twitter.com/22Ot7VHTf1

— INQUIRER Sports (@inquirersports) August 1, 2026

Alapag used to suit up for the Tropang Texters at the same arena in the early 2010s, but no game was more memorable than Gilas Pilipinas’ win over South Korea in the 2013 Fiba Asia Championship.

In what is now regarded as the game that broke the “Korean Curse,” Alapag scored 14 points–including two crucial threes–in the Philippines’ historic 86-79 victory over the South Koreans.

That memory has since been etched into the minds of many Filipino basketball fans, Alapag included.

So when he returned to Mall of Asia Arena after spending the last several years as a player development coach for the Sacramento Kings, those memories came rushing back.

“It’s just a special moment to be back [here] at Mall of Asia. There’s a lot of special memories built here not just for Gilas but also for the country so it was good to walk back through these doors,” he said.