By ADRIAN STEWART CO
The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters is set to retire the jersey number 18 of Negrense guard James Yap following the announcement that the two parties had parted ways earlier this week.
According to Painters head coach Joseller “Yeng” Guiao, the jersey retirement was the franchise’s way of expressing their gratitude and respect to the Negros Occidental’s Escalante City-native cager for his eight years with the team.
“We are very thankful for James and his service to the franchise. His influence on the character and development of the team, especially the young players, is irreplaceable,” Guiao said in a team statement.
“As a courtesy and respect to him, our team will retire his jersey number 18. He will forever be part of the culture and family of Rain or Shine,” the seven-time PBA champion coach continued.
Yap, a two-time PBA MVP awardee, joined the Raymond Yu and Terry Que-owned franchise in 2016 after being involved in a deal that traded him away from the Magnolia franchise in exchange for Paul Lee.
The 41-year-old Yap signed a one-contract deal with the Elasto Painters to see action in the Commissioner’s Cup, where the squad absorbed a quarterfinals exit after falling to the San Miguel Beermen.
“James has paved the way for the next generation of young ballers, but there will always come a time when we must reflect on how the team can move forward with its young core,” Guiao said.
“And we’re thankful that James has paved the way for the next generation of players who deserve the limelight and opportunities to grow,” he said.
“Nonetheless, he is still a very serviceable player and can play good years for any team if he desires to,” he added.
Unlike the Painters, Yap’s former team, Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots, has no plans to retire the jersey of the Negrense cager, who played a key role in the franchise’s several PBA crowns.
“He has played for several years already in another team, seven years. But there’s been no discussion regarding that matter,” Magnolia team governor Rene Pardo said in an online interview./ASC, WDJ