By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Veteran guard Kevin Alas is set to be sidelined anew for the NLEX Road Warriors after sustaining his third anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear injury in the 2023 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

In a statement on Monday night, November 20, the Road Warriors confirmed that the former Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights star guard sustained a season-ending injury, the third in his career.

“The NLEX Road Warriors have confirmed that Kevin Alas suffered a torn [ACL]. The team is currently assessing the extent of the injury and formulating a plan for Alas’ recovery,” the team said in a statement.

“Our prayers are with Kevin for a swift and successful rehabilitation. During this challenging time, we are committed to providing Kevin with unwavering support, resources and encouragement,” it added.

The unfortunate ACL tear injury of the 32-year-old Alas occurred during the Road Warriors’ 113-112 loss to the Terrafirma Dyip at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City on Saturday night, November 18.

The injury unfolded as Alas aggressively attacked the defense of Dyip forward Javi Gomez de Liaño in transition, causing his left knee to give way at the 11:11 mark of the second quarter.

Alas, who was part of the Gilas Pilipinas team that captured a gold medal in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China in October, averaged 12 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists for the Road Warriors this conference.

This marks the third ACL tear for Alas as the first instance took place against the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots on March 18, 2018, and against the Meralco Bolts on February 2, 2019.

Despite the latest episode of an unfortunate incident in his PBA career, the six-footer Alas still showed resilience as he prepares for another lengthy recovery period from his knee injury.

“My knee may be hurting, but my spirit is not broken because I have Jesus Christ in my life,” Alas said in an Instagram post.

“Thank you to everyone who’s been praying [for] and encouraging me,” he added./ASC, WDJ