Japeth Aguilar officially closed the book on a storied career with Gilas Pilipinas, retiring on the same floor where his Philippine basketball journey first took shape — at the storied Blue Eagle Gym inside Ateneo de Manila University.
After over 16 years of service to the Philippines’ men’s basketball team, Aguilar donned the country’s colors on the international stage for one last time in Gilas’ clash against Guam in Window 1 of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers on Monday evening.
Aguilar received a center-court tribute before tipoff, highlighted by a framed jersey presentation and the presence of Philippine Sports Commission chairperson Pato Gregorio and his family.
Following stints with the Blue Eagles and NCAA Division I school Western Kentucky University, Aguilar launched his national team journey in 2009 under the SMART Gilas Pilipinas developmental program, guided by Serbian coach Rajko Toroman, aimed at boosting the Philippines’ competitiveness on the international stage.
Since then, Aguilar became one of the program’s pillars. He suited up in over 20 FIBA-sanctioned tournaments, two Asian Games tilts, and a lone appearance in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games held on home soil — a decorated 16-year run with the Philippines.
Hailing from Samal, Pampanga, Aguilar played a key role in Gilas’ historic silver-medal run at the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship, which finally ended the so-called “Korea Curse.”
He was also part of the squad that narrowly claimed bronze at the 2014 FIBA Asia Cup and featured in the final 12-man roster for the Philippines’ maiden campaign in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
On a regional stage, Aguilar holds two SEABA championships across the tilt’s 2011 and 2017 editions, one SEA Games gold medal, and a bronze finish in the 2011 William Jones Cup.
Among the 38-year-old’s standout accomplishments with Gilas was helping the Philippines end a 60-year gold-medal drought at the 2022 Asian Games. The triumph capped an improbable run that saw the team topple regional powerhouses Iran in the quarterfinals, China in the semifinals, and Jordan in the championship match.
Aguilar will now shift his focus to his PBA career with Barangay Ginebra, confident that the towering trio of Quentin Millora-Brown, AJ Edu, and Kai Sotto will anchor Gilas in the years to come.
