Alaska team owner Wilfred Uytengsu. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—With the Aces wrapping up their storied PBA stint after 35 seasons, the legacy of “doing it the right way” is what team owner Wilfred Uytengsu hopes Alaska will leave.
Alaska made a shocking announcement on Wednesday that it is retiring from the PBA after the end of the ongoing PBA Governors’ Cup and is looking to sell its franchise.
“We always try to win with integrity, we try to respect our opponents. Hopefully history would judge that we did the right way at Alaska,” said Uytengsu in a virtual press conference. “Would I change anything? I’m proud of the way we ran the franchise. I’m proud of our transparency and honesty.”
Since Alaska introduction into the PBA in 1986, the Aces committed to an identity unique only to them.
They weren’t the rough and tumble sorts like Barangay Ginebra, nor were they the pretty boys that the Purefoods franchise held for much of the 1990s until the 2000s, as the Milkmen kept wholesome image.
“When we first started the franchise, we had to be a wholesome team because we were selling milk to children. So we had to be the good boys, if you will, and we tried to promote that with our players,” said Uytengsu.
“We told them that they weren’t just professional basketball players, but they were ambassadors of our brand on on and off the court. And we tried to also replicate that behavior and the way we conducted ourselves in the boardroom. So, you know, the wholesomeness and winning with integrity, I hope are some of those legacies that we leave behind.”
This identity stretched beyond the basketball court as Alaska featured its players in its advertisements promoting health and introducing the immortal tagline of “Wala pa rin tatalo sa Alaska!”
On the court, the Aces were a model team winning 14 titles including the 1996 Grand Slam under Tim Cone.
