Fans and players alike were saddened by the shocking departure of the Alaska franchise soon in the PBA after its sudden announcement Wednesday morning, Feb. 16.
Sad reactions and comments flooded a single post, a press release in particular, by the Alaska Aces on its Facebook page.
As of this writing, the Facebook post has garnered around 5,500 shares and almost 10,000 likes in almost three hours.
Jeron Teng, Alaska's star player, was the first one to express gratitude on social media for his organization.
"Grateful to Alaska for giving me a home for the last 4 years. It’s been an honor to play for the franchise. This will be our last conference as Alaska Aces, will definitely make it count!" wrote Teng while tagging the Aces including the hashtags #TheLastAce, #TheLastDance, #WeNotMe, #2017PBAdraft.
A video tribute by Alaska, showing a glimpse of the franchise's legacy in the league, posted on its Facebook page also reached 6,100 reactions and 2,800 reactions as of this writing.
Former Alaska players such as Vic Manuel, who is now with the San Miguel Beer, and Dondon Hontiveros, retired Alaska great, among others, also aired their sentiments on Instagram stories.
Meanwhile, former PBA commissioner Noli Eala also paid respect to the Aces for being a "class organization" and said the Alaska franchise will be a "big loss to the PBA."
Before ending its 35-year mark, Alaska will still be competing in the ongoing PBA Governors' Cup.
PBA commissioner Willie Marcial was also surprised by the news and called it a "sad day for Philippine basketball."