Alapag gets P10.8M, 2-yr pact with Bolts

MANILA, Philippines - One-time PBA MVP awardee Jimmy Alapag is guaranteed a basic pay of P10.08 million in the next two years under the terms of agreement in his PBA comeback with the Meralco Bolts.

Alapag, the 2003 Rookie of the Year awardee who became MVP winner eight years later, signed a maximum two-year pact with the Bolts before leaving for Estonia with the Gilas Pilipinas training pool.

The heady Fil-Am guard is making a PBA comeback after a retirement in the league’s last two conferences. During the last PBA All-Star Game, Talk n Text even held a formal retirement ceremony for the team’s longtime skipper.

But Alapag was forced to return to competitive ball  again with all the withdrawals in the Gilas team set to compete in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship in Changsha, China.

The MVP Group worked on a trade, sending Alapag to Meralco and Larry Rodriguez to Talk n Text while Blackwater absorbed Mike Cortez and James Sena.

Alapag, from Cal State San Bernardino, plays his 13th season in the next PBA wars beginning in October.

The Star Hotshots’ Alex Mallari, Meralco’s Cliff Hodge and Rain or Shine’s Jeff Chan are among other PBA stars who got lucrative deals ahead of the 2015 PBA Rookie Draft.

Mallari, Hodge and Chan all signed maximum three-year contracts worth P15.12 million, involving a monthly pay of P420,000.

Chris Ellis, back from a foot surgery, is also expected to ink a substantial deal with Barangay Ginebra. The two parties, however, are still negotiating.

At Talk n Text, up for negotiations are Kelly Williams, Danny Seigle, Harvey Carey and Aaron Aban.

Williams, the 2007 Rookie of the Year and the 2008 MVP awardee, got injured in Day One of the Gilas training camp with his existing pact with the Texters about to expire.