Alaska retires jersey No. 20

True enough, even good things never last.

After a total of 270 games in 18 conferences in 13 seasons in the PBA, Sean Chambers finally bid goodbye to his playing career, retiring at age 36.

He’s no Billy Ray Bates, Tony Harris or Bobby Parks but Chambers, no doubt, proved himself a legend of his own kind in the country’s premier pro league.

Thus, hardly anybody was surprised when the Alaska Milk organization went out of its way to hold a short ceremony, paying tribute to their long-time resident import by retiring his No. 20 jersey.

Chambers, who had played at least one conference as Alaska import since 1989, couldn’t conceal his emotion in the poignant rites held at halftime of the Alaska-Ginebra duel at the Philsports Arena last Wednesday, shedding tears as he made a farewell speech.

He said he had a lot to thank the PBA for as he acknowledged it as the league where he started his career as part of the IBA selection that competed in a mini-tournament here in 1987. He added he’s happy his career ended where it all started.

Alaska coach Tim Cone said the idea of retirement came from Chambers himself as the player felt he could no longer compete in a level he wanted to.

"The last couple of years has been difficult for me in terms of coaching. Two years ago, I lost Jojo (Lastimosa). Last year, I lost Bong (Hawkins), Johnny (Abarrientos) and Edward (Juinio). Now, it seems the last piece of the puzzle is gone," said Cone.

"Sean is the icing on the cake. He was my first import and I always had that security blanket of having Sean around early in my career. In just a few years, we transcended from being coach and player to become best friends," Cone added.

After Chambers served the team with good results for years, Cone said the least they could do is to keep the door open for Chambers for a possible spot in the coaching staff. But Cone said Chambers is going home to consider a coaching job offer in a university in the Sacramento area.

Chambers first created stir in the country when he topped the PBA-IBA Slam Dunk competition in 1987, beating Billy Ray Bates. The following year, he finished second to Alaska’s Willie Bland in the same competition.

He has the most championship rings among PBA imports with six although he won Best Import honors only once, in the 1996 Governors Cup.