MANILA, Philippines – Seeking to defend its throne in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL), Alab Pilipinas brings back the man who helped it reach the pinnacle. 

Renaldo Balkman is set to reinforce the Philippine ball club as it sees action in the 2018-2019 season of the regional basketball league. 

Alab head coach Jimmy Alapag bared the development on his Instagram account. 

View this post on Instagram

#BALKMANIA returns!!! Welcome back to the San Miguel Alab Pilipinas family @rbalkman! @alabpilipinas #Family #DefendTheCrown #ABL9 #NewSeasonSameGoal  c/o @richardesguerra

A post shared by Jimmy Alapag (@jalapag3) on Oct 7, 2018 at 7:48pm PDT

Partnering with beloved Barangay Ginebra import Justin Brownlee, the Puerto Rican was a key piece in Alab’s championship run that gave the Philippines its third ABL title. 

The 34-year-old won Defensive Player of the Year and averaged 24.9 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.6 blocks in 25 games. 

This time, though, Balkman will be teaming up with 7-foot-3 and fellow Puerto Rican PJ Ramos.

Alab Pilipinas begins its title-retention bid on December 9 in Sta. Rosa, Laguna against Indonesia’s CLS Knights. – Rappler.com