Thoss’ jersey gets retired
It has truly been an honor to be a part of such a prestigious and successful organization
Big man Sonny Thoss was honored by his former team Alaska during a jersey retirement ceremony over the weekend at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The affair took place during halftime of the Alaska vs Magnolia game in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors’ Cup . Thoss was the seventh and last player of Wilfred Uytengsu Jr.-owned franchise to have his jersey retired after Alaska announced it was leaving the PBA after the Governors’ Cup. Legends such as Johnny Abarrientos, Jojo Lastimosa, import Sean Chambers, Bong Hawkins, Bogs Adornado, and current Aces head coach Jeff Cariaso were the other players to share the honor. “This is definitely not an easy situation. But after watching the clips, seeing old teammates, there’s one word that comes to mind, and that’s blessed,” said Thoss, who played his entire career for Alaska.
“It has truly been an honor to be a part of such a prestigious and successful organization.”
Sadly, good things do come to an end.
Witnessing the event were Thoss’ former teammates such as LA Tenorio, Calvin Abueva and JVee Casio with former mentor Tim Cone, who now coaches Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, also in attendance. Drafted at fifth overall pick in the 2004 PBA Annual Draft, Thoss became an anchor for the Aces, winning three championships and even bagged the Finals Most Valuable Player award in the 2013 Commissioner’s Cup.
He was also a 12-time PBA All-Star, a two-time PBA Mythical First Team and a four-time Mythical Second Team.
Thoss made it to the 2005 All-Rookie Team that had Paul Artadi and James Yap of Purefoods, Rich Alvarez of Shell and Ranidel de Ocampo of FedEx in the mix.
“Sadly, good things do come to an end. I know this is a very sad moment for a lot of people that this would be the last time we’ll be able to experience the Alaska Aces team in action,” Thoss said
“But we don’t have to leave sad, we hold our heads up high and proud to be a part of a company rich in integrity and success. The memories that were made in arenas like this will forever be cherished.”