Sacramento coach Jimmy Alapag reflects on Kevin Quiambao’s unsuccessful NBA Summer League bid

Arjun DevganBasketball6 days ago209 Views

Philippine basketball star Kevin Quiambao is focusing on his future as he takes steps toward realizing his dream of becoming the first full-blooded Filipino to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

 

Quiambao, a two-time University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Most Valuable Player (MVP) with the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers, recently flew to the United States for a personal training camp aimed at preparing him—both in skill and fitness—for a serious shot at making the NBA.

 

The young star was seen participating in workouts with NBA-caliber trainers and prospects in Sacramento. Despite his efforts, however, Quiambao was left out of the Sacramento Kings’ roster for the upcoming NBA 2K26 Summer League. Notably, Quiambao had been linked to the Kings due to the presence of former Gilas Pilipinas captain Jimmy Alapag, who currently serves as Sacramento’s player development coach and will also be on the coaching staff for the Summer League in Las Vegas.

 

Alapag, for his part, expressed regret at not being able to help his fellow countryman during his time in the States, while reiterating that Quiambao’s camp and confidants should have done things differently to boost his chances of landing a spot with an NBA team.

 

“This is not blaming Kevin at all. I do think whoever is helping him should have probably planned better in terms of reaching out to different NBA teams and front offices and saying, ‘We have this unbelievable young Filipino talent. He has been an import around Asia and Korea. He is one of the best amateur players here at home. How can we get an opportunity for him to be seen, possibly by your coach, your front office?’” Alapag said during an appearance on Power and Play with Noli Eala.

 

“This is a very direct process to how that all works, and I felt bad that I wasn’t in a position to help him. Because when he reached out and said, ‘Hey, I’m here in Sacramento. I’d love to work out and try to make the team,’ the team had already been put together. So that was the unfortunate part,” he added.

The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) legend added that he had been in contact with Quiambao in January of this year, when the youngster informed him of his plans to work out with different NBA teams.

 

“He had reached out to me back in January of this year and he just said, ‘Hey, coach.’ And I reached out to him, and I told Kevin, ‘First and foremost, congrats on all your success with the MVP at La Salle and displaying your talent in Korea.’ I said, ‘I think it’s great. Best of luck to you,’” Alapag continued.

 

“And he expressed to me, he said, ‘Hey coach, I have NBA workouts in the summertime in June.’ And that was all he said. So I was under the impression that whoever is part of Kevin and his team had spoken to other NBA teams and front offices and had arranged for him to be seen… He reached out later on in May and said, ‘Hey coach, I’m going to be in Sacramento.’ So again, it was very brief. I said, ‘Hey Kevin, when you come to Sacramento, please reach out.’”

 

“When he finally reached out, this was the end of June, I believe, or early July. And by this time, the draft was at the end of June. Our front office and Coach Doug Christie and some other coaches already had an idea of who our Summer League team was going to be. And when Kevin came out, it was like, ‘Hey coach, I’m ready for any workouts. I hope I can try to make the team.’ And at that point, being an assistant on the Summer League staff—for one, I don’t have any say as far as who is or isn’t on our roster,” Alapag added.

 

Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone confirmed to the media that Quiambao would work out with five other NBA teams. After failing to seal a spot with any of them, he returned to join the national team squad for the upcoming 2025 FIBA Asia Cup.

 

However, Alapag wants Quiambao to understand that this is not the end of the road and hopes he continues to seek more opportunities abroad.

 

“He is young, and I commend him for seeking out these opportunities—Summer League, G League, potentially the NBA in the future. He just has to continue to keep working so that when that time comes, when he does get an opportunity… he is the best Kevin Quiambao that he can be,” Alapag concluded.

 

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