LJ Moreno, Jimmy Alapag reveal why they moved back to the Philippines

LJ Moreno and Jimmy Alapag opened up about their decision to return to the Philippines after living in the United States for six years.

In an interview with Karen Davila on her latest YouTube vlog, LJ candidly shared the challenges their family encountered while living in the US.

“Medyo mahirap siya kasi walang family. Aside from walang help, ang hirap kasi although California kami, our family was 6, 7 hours away, so di ba dun parang busy lahat ng tao,” she said.

LJ also recalled having to manage their household on her own whenever Jimmy was away for work during the NBA season.

“‘Pag NBA season minsan two weeks straight wala [si Jimmy], ako lang. It’s just me with the kids and now apat na ‘yung kids namin. And all three were doing sports. So talagang driver, yaya, everything,” she shared. 

LJ and Jimmy relocated to the US six years ago after Jimmy began pursuing coaching opportunities with the Sacramento Kings. He served as an assistant coach for their NBA G League affiliate, the Stockton Kings, before becoming a player development coach for the Sacramento Kings.

The former actress admitted that she initially tried not to get her hopes up about returning to the Philippines. However, when Jimmy received a job offer back home, she gradually became excited about the possibility of moving back.

“So ‘yun that’s why nung nagkaroon siya ng offer dito [sa Pilipinas], nung una medyo inano ko na ‘yung sarili ko kay Lord, siguro this is ano talaga this is where You want us so hindi ko muna iisipin ‘yung Philippines, ganyan. So nung nagkaroon ng offer parang ayaw ko munang ma-excite tapos as the days went by parang sobrang nai-excite na ako and we started talking about it,” she said.

For his part, Jimmy described his experience working in the NBA as an incredible opportunity. However, he acknowledged that spending extended periods away from his family had become increasingly difficult.

“Dun sa NBA grabe ‘yung experience, I mean amazing to get an opportunity na you’re around the best basketball minds in the game tapos ‘yung players di ba? You know, being around with future Hall of Fame basketball players, amazing, amazing experience,” he highlighted. 

Despite his passion for his career, Jimmy emphasized the importance of being present as his children grow up.

“But for us especially our kids, maliit sila. Our eldest is 13, our daughter is 11 and then our two younger boys are 8 and 3. So at that age, we talked about it as a couple, as a family na it’s just as important for me to do what I love but at the same time not lose the connection with the kids,” Jimmy shared.

He went on to recall an emotional moment with his eight-year-old son that made him reflect on the sacrifices that came with his career.

“Last season in particular sobrang hirap, ‘pag alis ko even the night before, mag-ayos ng gamit, our 8-year-old [umiyak] siya, ‘Dad, where are you going?’ And it’s a heavy feeling,” he shared. 

The basketball coach shared that the experience ultimately reinforced their decision to prioritize spending more time together as a family.

“It’s parang you love what you do but how long are you willing to do it if it’s at the expense of your kids so we made the decision as a family to come back,” Jimmy stated.

The couple returned to the Philippines with their children following Jimmy’s appointment as the new head coach of the NLEX Road Warriors.