By Waylon Galvez
James Yap yesterday signed a three-year extension Rain or Shine in what the two-time Most Valuable Player described as his final contract before calling it quits.
Yap, who is entering his 15th season, finalized the deal worth R15.12 million during a meeting with co-owner Raymund Yu and team governor Mamerto Mondragon at Rain or Shine’s office in Pasig City.
Under the terms, the 6-foot-3 cager and one of the PBA’s most recognizable faces will still receive a maximum salary of R420,000 a month.
“I’m very happy that management is taking care of me,” Yap said in Filipino. “I hope to help them contend for playoff berths and possibly a title in the coming conferences.”
“This is my last three years. I hope to win a title before I retire,” added Yap, who joined Rain or Shine from the Purefoods franchise in a 2016 offseason trade for Paul Lee.
Talks of Yap joining politics have been brewing, though the 36-year-old said that his main focus for now is on his pro career.
“I’m not thinking about that… my focus is on the team, and to get better as a basketball player,” said Yap.
There had been rumors the past several months that Yap will vie for a spot as a councilor in San Juan City, where he recently relocated together with his family.
Yap, however, did not file a Certificate of Candidacy.
However, he has strong ties with former De La Salle player Francis Zamora and former teammate Paul Artadi, his partners in a bar in Greenhills. Zamora is vying for Mayor in the city while Artadi, Yap’s teammate at University of the East and with Purefoods, is seeking a second term as councilor.
Yap, whose has career averages of 15 points per game and the league MVP in 2006 and 2010, said that he hopes to have a better showing with the Elasto Painters this season.
