James Yap vowed to manage his time and balance his responsibilities on and off the court as he returns to action for Rain or Shine in the Governors' Cup of the Philippine Basketball Association.

The two-time Most Valuable Player said he will do his best to fulfill his roles as Elasto Painters gunner and San Juan City councilor in the coming conference that starts on 22 January.

"This conference, I'll know if I can still do it," said Yap, who bagged a seat in the city council of San Juan in the previous national elections last May, said in the latest episode of The Athletes Tribune with Nikki Viola last Monday.

"I need to balance my time so my return will be very crucial."

Yap said he already plotted how he can get a healthy balance of sports and politics during the season.

"As councilor, we always have Monday sessions while in basketball practice, we train in three hours maximum. Managing my time might not be so hard," he said.

Yap will be joining a Rain or Shine squad filled with young talent with the likes of Rey Nambatac, Gian Mamuyac, Mike Nieto and Anton Asisitio at the helm.

He said he is more than happy to be share his vast knowledge to new players.

"We went through a lot of battles. They can ask me anytime," Yap said.

"Actually, the players we have are very talented. I'm not just here as a player but to guide the younger players in the team."