Yap dreams of winning title for ROS

Two-time MVP James Yap isn’t ready to hang up his sneakers just yet. Not until he leads Rain or Shine to a PBA championship.

Yap, 38, has won seven PBA titles spiked by a grand slam in 2014, all with the Purefoods franchise, but has come up short with the E-Painters so far.

“Pang-third year ko na sa Rain or Shine. So, bago man lang matapos ang career ko sana makapagchampion naman sa Rain or Shine (Before my career ends, I’d love to win a championship for Rain or Shine.),” Yap said on the 2OT podcast Sunday.

“Big Game James” particularly wants to win it for the late Margaret Yu, mother of Rain or Shine coowner Raymund Yu. The Yu matriarch was Yap’s No. 1 supporter since his Welcoat days in the Philippine Basketball League.

Yap is among the senior statesmen in the PBA right now. Some of his contemporaries, like pal PJ Simon of Magnolia, is about to call it quits after Season 45.

But the former University of the East star said he hasn’t really thought about life after basketball.

“Hindi pa talaga kasi ang focus ko ngayon paano makapag-champion ang Rain or Shine. Yan ang main goal dito (My focus now is how to help Rain or Shine win a championship. That’s the main goal here.),” he said.

After 12 years with the Purefoods franchise, Yap joined ROS in 2016 in a celebrated trade with Star Hotshots for Paul Lee.

Yap and the Elasto Painters came close to a finals appearance in last year’s Philippine Cup. Seeded second, Rain or Shine engaged Yap’s former team Magnolia in a marathon best-of-seven series in the semifinals but fell short, losing the rubbermatch, 60-63, in overtime.