Julie Anne San Jose, Rere Madrid, Aleah Finnegan among muses for PBA Season 49 opening

Before the PBA stars take centerstage in the league's 49th season, 12 ladies will first serve glamour in the league's opening rites on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. 

Kapuso artists Julie Anne San Jose and Rere Madrid as well as Filipina-American gymnast Aleah Finnegan are among the muses chosen to grace the season opener slated at 5 p.m. 

San Jose, who already served as a muse for Magnolia last season, will return and will now lead its sister team Barangay Ginebra which underwent a slight facelift with new players Stephen Holt, Isaac Go, and rookie RJ Abarrientos. 

Madrid, meanwhile, was tapped by the Hotshots while Finnegan, fresh off her debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics, will banner the Meralco Bolts, who are looking to build on their title run in the previous conference. 

Alas Pilipinas and Creamline star Jema Galanza will be Phoenix' muse while fellow national athlete and karate star Jamie Lim will grace San Miguel, the same team that his late father, Samboy, played for during his prime years in the PBA. 

Completing the muses are Atasha Muhlach for TNT, Myrtle Sarrosa for Converge, Charmaine Skye Chua for NorthPort, Inday Fatima for NLEX, Krishnah Gravidez for Blackwater, Sophia Bianca Santos for Rain or Shine, and Annabellle Mcdonnel for Terrafirma. 

After the opening rites, Meralco and Magnolia will lock horns at 7:30 p.m. to officially kick things off for the season. 

—JKC, GMA Integrated News