Ligang Pinoy Blog chronicles the stories of basketball players, courtside reporters, and all other personnel connected with the sport of basketball. We share their struggles, pains, victories, achievements and everything in between in order to inspire the next generation of hoopers.
As of the moment, we are focusing on the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League because there are a lot of basketball personalities who are underrated and therefore deserve more attention. You can read their stories here.
For the uninitiated, The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) is an upstart regional basketball league in the Philippines. It was founded by Senator Manny Pacquiao and officially launched in August 29, 2017. It was originally envisioned to be a two-tier league composed of a main regional commercial league particated by local-based teams sponsored by companies, and a barangay-level league as a grassroot component. In the end, the inter-barangay setup was dropped and only the locality-based regional tournament was adopted.
As of the moment, we are focusing on the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League because there are a lot of basketball personalities who are underrated and therefore deserve more attention. You can read their stories here.
For the uninitiated, The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) is an upstart regional basketball league in the Philippines. It was founded by Senator Manny Pacquiao and officially launched in August 29, 2017. It was originally envisioned to be a two-tier league composed of a main regional commercial league particated by local-based teams sponsored by companies, and a barangay-level league as a grassroot component. In the end, the inter-barangay setup was dropped and only the locality-based regional tournament was adopted.
The very first season of the MPBL which was also known as the Raja Cup kicked off on January 25, 2018 with a game between the Parañaque Patriots and the Caloocan Supremos. The said game and all the succeeding matches were broadcasted live by ABS-CBN S+A which is the official broadcast partner of the MPBL.
The broadcast agreement with ABS-CBN S+A legitimized the MPBL. With the help of ABS-CBN's expansive reach, the MPBL was able to reach millions of pinoy basketball fans via free tv. It was therefore not surprising that just on its first season, the MPBL became a phenomenal hit as pinoy basketball fans warmly embraced the concept of a regional basketball league similar to the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the United States of America (USA). With its new found popularity, the MPBL was able to pack every gym wherever it brings the matches.
10 pioneering teams participated in the inaugural season, Rajah Cup. These include the Batangas City Athletics, Muntinlupa Cagers, Parañaque Patriots, Caloocan Supremos, Quezon City Capitals, Valenzuela Classics, Bulacan Kuyas, Imus Banderas, Bataan Defenders (now Risers), and Navotas Clutch.
The MPBL adopted a single-round robin format for the elimination stage of the tournament then only the top eight (8) will advance to the playoffs round. After all the matches were played, the Batangas City Athletics took home the inaugural Championship trophy by defeating the Muntinlupa Cagers, 3-1, in their championship duel.
The success of the MPBL continued into the second season. Taking off from a very successful staging of its very first season, the MPBL added more teams into its fold. 16 more teams joined the fray which increased the number of participating teams to 26.
The newcomers included the Bacoor Strikers, Basilan Steel, Cebu City Sharks, Davao Occidental Tigers, General Santos City Warriors, Laguna Heroes, Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines, Makati Supercrunch, Manila Stars, Marikina Shoemasters, Pampanga Lanterns, Pasay Voyagers, Pasig Pirates, Rizal Crusaders, Mandaluyong El Tigre, and San Juan Knights.
With more teams, the season became longer and the popularity of the league continued to rise. And after a grueling tournament which lasted for around 10.5 months, the San Juan Knights proved to be the best team as they secured the Championship Trophy after they tamed the Davao Occidental Tigers, 3-2, on their best-of-five series.
Now on its third (3rd) iteration, the MPBL will even grow further as it expanded to 31 competing teams. The new teams who will see action in the upcoming Lakan Cup are the Nueva Ecija Miguards, Mindoro Tamaraws, Iloilo United Royals, SoCKSarGen KAPA, Bacolod Masters, and Bicol Volcanoes. Nonetheless, the franchise of Mandaluyong will take a leave of absence.
ABS-CBN will continue to carry the games live on its various platforms from Monday to Saturday with three games per day. The 4pm game will be shown live on Liga Channel while the 6pm and 8pm games are aired live on ABS-CBN S+A.