Alapag cherishes time with NBA great Westbrook at Sacramento Kings

MANILA, Philippines — “A huge blessing.” 

NLEX Road Warriors head coach Jimy Alapag looked back fondly on working with NBA star Russell Westbrook last season, which turned out to be the former league Most Valuable Player’s last playing year. 

Westbrook announced his retirement last week after a very colorful NBA career. 

Alapag, who was an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings during Westbrook’s final NBA season, said it was a “huge blessing” to work with the explosive guard. 

“Not knowing that last season spending time there in Sacramento with him, not knowing that it was his last season, you cherish that experience even more. To be able to be around one of the all-time greats, a first-ballot Hall of Famer, it was awesome,” Alapag said.

“He's one of the greats, and again, getting a chance to see him every day and have conversations with him, talk basketball, talk game plan, from someone who's seen it all, right? Yeah, just knowing that he's retiring and knowing that I had an opportunity to spend his last season in the NBA with him, you cherish that experience for sure,” he added.

Drafted fourth overall in the 2008 NBA Draft, Westbrook was one of the most physically gifted superstars in the league.

He won the league MVP plum in 2017, and was a nine-time NBA All-Star.  He led the NBA in scoring twice, and was an assist leader thrice. 

But perhaps the thing Westbrook is most known for is his all-around game, as he averaged a triple-double for a whole season four times.

Before him, averaging a triple-double in an entire season only happened once — pulled off by Oscar Robertson in the 1961-62 season.

Asked where he would rank Westbrook among the top guards ever, Alapag said, “top 10, easy.” 

“I mean, the most physically gifted athlete as a point guard that the game has ever seen. I wish you guys would see him at 38. He was the best-conditioned 38-year-old point guard I've ever seen,” he said. 

“It's unfortunate. I would've hoped that he would've kept playing because I think there was still gas in the tank. But there's no price for peace of mind, and he was able to walk away from the game on his own terms, and again, one of the all-time greats for sure,” he added.

Alapag also shared that as good as Westbrook was on the court, he was much better off it.

“He actually reached out when I took the job here. Wished me luck and just said he enjoyed our time together. I sent him the same message. Just told him how much of an honor it was to be around him,” he said.

“Just to see, again, one of the all-time greats and just see how they go about their career, they go about their daily work. It was amazing. So, I just wish Russ the best. He's a Hall of Fame player and person,” he added.

“As great a player he was, he was just a great of a person, doing so many different things for the community. Not just in Sacramento, but in OKC, in LA.”