Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League – Wikipedia

Professional men’s basketball league in the Philippines

The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) is a men’s professional basketball league in the Philippines.

History[edit]

Founding[edit]

Manny Pacquiao launched the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League on August 29, 2017, starting off as a semi-professional league.[1][2] According to Pacquiao, the league is not intended to be a competitor to the Philippine Basketball Association, the country’s top professional basketball league. The MPBL was intended to feature both the regional commercial and barangay-level league, with teams on the commercial side to have a home locality in addition to a corporate sponsor.[3]

In the first months, the league hosted teams from Luzon with future plans to expand to accommodate teams based in Visayas and Mindanao like the defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association. It is planned that an expanded MPBL will have two conferences, North and South, where the best teams from both divisions will face in the finals similar to the format of the National Basketball Association of the United States.[3]

The league was planned to start as early as September 23, 2017 with at least six teams.[4] A pre-season was held with the Bulacan Kuyas finishing as champions.[5]

First seasons (2018–2021)[edit]

The MPBL began its first season (named the Anta Rajah Cup) on January 25, 2018, and included ten teams, all based in Luzon.[6] In the opening game at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, the Parañaque Patriots secured a 70–60 victory over the Caloocan Supremos.[7] The Batangas City Athletics were crowned as the league’s first-ever champion when they defeated the Muntinlupa Cagers in the 2018 MPBL Finals.

For the 2018–19 season, the MPBL had expanded its roster of teams to 26, adding 16 expansion teams to the league. After ten expansion teams were admitted into the league, it closed its doors for new applicants from Luzon so that it could leave room for future Visayas and Mindanao teams, which was then discussed in a meeting in Cebu was held on April 28.[8] The Davao Occidental Tigers became the first MPBL team from the Visayas-Mindanao region. This drastic increase led to the addition of the aforementioned Northern and Southern Divisions. The San Juan Knights then became the 2019 champions, beating the Davao Occidental Tigers.

In December 2019, Chooks-to-Go of Bounty Agro Ventures became the title sponsor of the league under a five-year deal.[9] The 2019–20 season featured a record-high 31 teams participating in the league, including 6 expansion teams, but was postponed on March 12, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, after the second game of the Divisional Finals. Nearly one year later, the league resumed play for the final games of the playoffs on March 10, 2021 through a bubble in Subic.[10] The Davao Occidental Tigers beat the San Juan Knights in a rematch of last season’s Finals to become the 2020 champions. Because of the long delay, the 2020–21 season was cancelled altogether.[11] In October 2021, Chooks-to-Go took over the operations of the league.[9]

Professional league (2021–present)[edit]

On November 9, 2021, it was announced that the MPBL will turn into a professional league. They have also lifted the restrictions for Fil-foreign and ex-professional players.[12] On December 9, 2021, the MPBL was granted professional status by the Games and Amusements Board.[13] The league also signed a partnership with sports betting platform OKBet to server as their title sponsor.[14]

The 2022 season featured 22 teams competing. The league held its first preseason tournament, the 2021 Invitational, with the Basilan Jumbo Plastic becoming the tournament’s champions, also winning a prize pot of two million pesos. On October 10, 2022, Kyt Jimenez of the Sarangani Marlins became the first player in league history to record a quadruple-double.[15] The Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards became the 2022 champions, winning against the Zamboanga Family’s Brand Sardines.

The upcoming 2023 season will feature 30 teams, including two expansion teams.[16] The 2023 Preseason Invitational was held in General Santos featuring eight teams, among those teams is the first guest team in the league, Bulalakaw.[17] The Zamboanga Family’s Brand Sardines won the preseason tournament, beating the Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards.

Regular season[edit]

The regular season format resembles that of the Philippine Basketball Association. All teams play in a single-round robin format, where each team plays against all of the other teams once. In each gameday, a series of games is played in a team’s homecourt, but not all games feature the host team, making them neutral-site games. Gamedays usually end with the host team participating in the final game.

Playoffs[edit]

In each division, the top eight teams by winning percentage advance to the playoffs and are seeded into a single-elimination bracket. The first three rounds (First Round, Divisional Semifinals, and Divisional Finals) are played in a best-of-three series, while the National Finals is played in a best-of-five series.

During its first season in 2018, the MPBL had ten teams entering the league, all based in Luzon. Since then, it has expanded into Visayas and Mindanao. In the 2023 season, there are 29 teams participating in the league, including two expansion teams in Negros and Quezon.

Team names change often in the league, even mid-season. Teams can be named by something that represents their home city or region, or their title sponsor.

2023 teams[edit]

Team Locality Main sponsor Arena Capacity Founded Joined Head coach
Northern Division
Bataan Risers Balanga, Bataan Camaya Coast People’s Center Capitol 4,000 2018 Ricky Dandan
Bulacan Kuyas Baliuag, Bulacan Baliuag Star Arena 5,000 2017 Alvin Grey
Batang Kankaloo – Koolers Caloocan, Metro Manila Yanyan International Philippines, Inc. Caloocan Sports Complex 3,000 2017 Ronnie Dojillo
Makati OKBet Kings[18][19] Makati, Metro Manila OKBet Makati Coliseum 12,000 2018 Don Dulay
Manila Stars[20] Manila, Metro Manila Czar Concept Solution San Andres Sports Complex
Paco Arena
3,000
1,000
2018 Tylon Darjuan
Marikina Shoemasters[21] Marikina, Metro Manila Marist School Gym
Marikina Sports Center
2,500
7,000
2018 Elvis Tolentino
Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards Palayan, Nueva Ecija Nueva Ecija Coliseum 3,000 2019 Jerson Cabiltes
Pampanga Giant Lanterns[22] San Fernando, Pampanga AMG3 Construction Bren Z. Guiao Sports Complex and Convention Center 3,000 2018 Dennis Pineda
Parañaque Patriots Parañaque,
Metro Manila
Okada Manila
Illo’s Group
The Orange Platform
Olivarez College Coliseum 3,500 2017 Michael Saguiguit
Pasay Voyagers[23] Pasay,
Metro Manila
Cuneta Astrodome 12,000 2018 Marlon Martin
Pasig City MCW Sports[24] Pasig, Metro Manila MCW Sports Pasig Sports Center
Ynares Sports Arena
2,500
3,000
19873
19981
2018 Boyet Fernandez
Quezon City Gaz N Go Quezon City, Metro Manila Gaz N Go Blue Eagle Gym
Henry Noble Gymnasium, Trinity University of Asia
JCSGO Seed Dome
7,500
980
1,000
2018 Teng Torcuator
Rizal Golden Coolers[20][25] Antipolo, Rizal PTC Foodsphere Asia Corp.
AMRC Holdings Company, Inc.
Ynares Center 7,400 2018 Jonathan Banal
San Juan Knights[26] San Juan, Metro Manila Powerball Marketing & Logistics Corporation Filoil EcoOil Centre 5,500 19991 2018 Randy Alcantara
Valenzuela XUR Homes Valenzuela, Metro Manila XUR Homes Realty, Inc. Bahayang Pag-asa Sports Complex 3,000 2018 Jhon Velasquez
Southern Division
Bacolod City of Smiles Maskaras Bacolod, Negros Occidental USLS Coliseum 8,000 2019 Monel Kallos
Bacoor City Strikers[27] Bacoor, Cavite Filbet.com Strike Gymnasium 1,500 2018 Alexander Angeles
Batangas City Embassy Chill Batangas City, Batangas Tanduay Distillers Batangas City Coliseum 4,000 2018 Cholo Villanueva
Bicol Volcanoes Bicol Region
Legazpi, Albay
Naga,
Camarines Sur
Liberty Commercial Center, Inc. Albay Astrodome
Ibalong Centrum for Recreation
Jesse M. Robredo Coliseum
5,000
8,000
12,000
2019 Vis Valencia
GenSan Warriors[28] General Santos, South Cotabato Lagao Gymnasium 6,000 20052 2018 Jesus Ramon Pido
Iloilo United Royals Iloilo City, Iloilo United Coconut Planters Life Assurance Corporation University of San Agustin Gymnasium 5,000 2019 Manu Inigo
Imus SV Squad Imus, Cavite Tutok To Win Party-List Imus Sports Complex
AATF Sports Complex
1,000
2,000
2018 Jinino Manansala
Laguna Krah Asia[29] Biñan, Laguna Krah Pipes Manila, Inc. Alonte Sports Arena 6,500 2018 Nath Gregorio
Oriental Mindoro Disiplinados Oriental Mindoro Spring Fuel N/A 2019 Jonathan Reyes
Muntinlupa Cagers Muntinlupa, Metro Manila Paramount Logistics, Inc. Muntinlupa Sports Center 3,000 2018 Jack Azcueta
Negros Pau Muscovados[30] Victorias, Negros Occidental ALDRTZ Corporation Victorias City Coliseum 8,000 2021 Bonnie Garcia
Quezon Huskers[30] Lucena, Quezon Quezon Convention Center 7,000 20044 2023 Eric Gonzales
Sarangani Marlins Alabel, Sarangani Sarangani Capitol Gymnasium N/A 19981 2019 John Kallos
Zamboanga Family’s Brand Sardines[28] Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur Universal Canning, Inc. Mayor Vitaliano D. Agan Coliseum 12,000 2018 Vic Ycasiano
Notes

Former teams[edit]

Team Locality Main sponsor Arena Capacity Founded Joined Last season
Basilan Jumbo Plastic Lamitan, Basilan Jumbo Plastic Linoleum
Medical Depot
Lamitan Capitol Gym 3,000 2018 2021
Cebu – Casino Rubbing Alcohol Cebu City, Cebu
Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu
International Pharmaceuticals Inc. USJ-R Basak Coliseum
Hoops Dome
Aznar Coliseum
4,000
6,500
3,000
2018 2019–20
Davao Occidental Tigers
– Cocolife
[31]
Davao Occidental
Davao City,
Davao del Sur
United Coconut Planters Life Assurance Corporation University of Southeastern Philippines Gymnasium & Cultural Center
Rizal Memorial Colleges Petro Gazz Arena
Davao City Recreation Center
6,000
2,000
2,500
2018 2019–20
Mandaluyong El Tigre Mandaluyong City Dataland Jose Rizal University Gym
Ynares Sports Arena (temporary)
3,000 (Ynares) 2018 2018–19
Navotas Uni-Pak Sardines Navotas,
Metro Manila
Slord Development Corporation Navotas Sports Complex 1,000 2018 2019–20

All-time venues[edit]

Team Arena Image Location Capacity
Bacolod City of Smiles La Salle Coliseum
STI West Negros University Gymnasium
La Salle Coliseum.jpg Bacolod,
Negros Occidental
8,000
5,000
Bacoor City Strikers Strike Gymnasium Inside the City of Bacoor Sports Gymnasium at Bacoor Government Center in Bacoor, Cavite, Philippines.JPG Bacoor, Cavite 1,500
Basilan Jumbo Plastic Lamitan Capitol Gym Lamitan City Capitol Gymnasium.jpg Lamitan, Basilan 3,000
Bataan Risers Bataan People’s Center Balanga,Bataanjf2820 01.JPG Balanga, Bataan 4,000
Batangas City Embassy Chill Batangas City Sports Coliseum
Batangas State University Gymnasium
De La Salle Lipa SENTRUM
Governor Feliciano Sanoy Leviste Memorial and Multi-Purpose Gymnasium.JPG Batangas City,
Batangas
Lipa, Batangas
4,000
2,500
1,000
Bicol Volcanoes Albay Astrodome
Ibalong Centrum for Recreation
Jesse M. Robredo Coliseum
Jesse M. Robredo Coliseum.jpg Bicol Region
Legazpi, Albay
Naga, Camarines Sur
5,000
8,000
~12,000
Bulacan Kuyas – Baliwag City Bulacan Capitol Gymnasium
Baliwag Star Arena
Malolos Sports and Convention Center
Landmarks Arena Baliwag, Bulacan.jpg
2397Malolos Sports Convention Centerfvf 15.JPG
Malolos, Bulacan
Baliwag, Bulacan
5,000
5,000
5,000
Batang Kankaloo – Koolers Caloocan Sports Complex 9891Caloocan City Bagumbong Deparo Landmarks 42.jpg Caloocan,
Metro Manila
3,000
Cebu Casino Ethyl Alcohol USJ-R Basak Coliseum
Hoops Dome
Aznar Coliseum
Recoletoscoliseum.jpg
Hoops Dome.jpg
Cebu City, Cebu
Lapu-Lapu, Cebu
4,000
6,500
7,000
Davao Occidental Tigers University of Southeastern Philippines Gymnasium & Cultural Center
Rizal Memorial Colleges Petro Gazz Arena
Davao City Recreation Center
RDR Gymnasium
RDR Gymnasium, DNSTC.jpg Davao Occidental
Davao City,
Davao del Sur
Tagum
6,000
2,000
2,500
N/A
GenSan Warriors Lagao Gymnasium General Santos,
South Cotabato
6,000
Iloilo United Royals University of San Agustin Gymnasium
Iloilo Sports Complex
Passi City Arena
Iloilo City, Iloilo
Passi, Iloilo
5,000
3,000
2,000
Imus Bandera Imus Sports Complex
AATF Sports Complex
ImusCavitejf0475 04.JPG Imus, Cavite 1,000
2,000
Laguna Krah Asia Alonte Sports Arena
Santa Rosa Sports Complex
3632Biñan City, Laguna Barangays Landmarks 45.jpg
5Santa Rosa Laguna City Proper Landmarks 40.jpg
Biñan, Laguna
Santa Rosa, Laguna
6,500
5,700
Makati OKBet Kings Makati Coliseum Makati,
Metro Manila
12,000
Mandaluyong El Tigre Jose Rizal University Gymnasium
Ynares Sports Arena
0592jfPasig City Capitol Commons Sports Arena Ortigas Center Shaw Boulevardfvf 14.jpg Mandaluyong,
Metro Manila
1,000
3,000
Manila Stars San Andres Sports Complex
Ninoy Aquino Stadium
Paco Arena
San Andres Sports Complex (San Andres Street, Malate, Manila; 2014-10-24).jpg
Ninoy Aquino Stadium.jpg
Malate,
Manila,
Metro Manila
3,000
6,000
1,000
Marikina Shoemasters Marist School Gym
Marikina Sports Center
Marikina,
Metro Manila
2,500
7,000
Oriental Mindoro Disiplinados TBA Calapan,
Oriental Mindoro
N/A
Muntinlupa Cagers Muntinlupa Sports Center Muntinlupa Sports Center (Tunasan, Muntinlupa; 2015-04-28).jpg Muntinlupa,
Metro Manila
3,000
Navotas Uni-Pak Sardines Navotas Sports Complex NavotasCityjf0230 37.JPG Navotas,
Metro Manila
1,000
Negros Muscovados Victorias City Coliseum Victorias,
Negros Occidental
8,000
Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards Araullo University Gym
San Leonardo Gymnasium
Nueva Ecija Coliseum
Cabanatuan,
Nueva Ecija
San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija
Palayan,
Nueva Ecija
3,000
Pampanga Giant Lanterns Angeles University Foundation Sports and Cultural Center
Bren Z. Guiao Sports Complex and Convention Center
Brenjf.JPG Angeles City
San Fernando, Pampanga
2,000
3,000
Parañaque Patriots Olivarez College Coliseum Parañaque,
Metro Manila
3,500
Pasay Voyagers Cuneta Astrodome Cuneta Astrodome panorama - PBA - 2016-0417 (26485021665).jpg Pasay,
Metro Manila
12,000
Pasig City MCW Sports Pasig Sports Center
Ynares Sports Arena
0592jfPasig City Capitol Commons Sports Arena Ortigas Center Shaw Boulevardfvf 14.jpg Pasig,
Metro Manila
2,500
3,000
Quezon Huskers Quezon Convention Center Lucena,
Quezon
7,000
Quezon City Gaz N Go Blue Eagle Gym
Henry Noble Gymnasium, Trinity University of Asia
JCSGO Seed Dome
Blueeaglegymjf1999 04.JPG Quezon City,
Metro Manila
7,500
980
1,000
Rizal Golden Coolers Ynares Center YnaresCenterjf5353 02.JPG Antipolo, Rizal 7,400
San Juan Knights Filoil Flying V Centre Filoil Flying V Centre - Interior - 2018.jpg San Juan,
Metro Manila
5,500
Sarangani Marlins Sarangani Capitol Gymnasium Alabel,
Sarangani
N/A
Valenzuela XUR Homes Valenzuela Astrodome
Bahayang Pag-asa Sports Complex
Valenzuela,
Metro Manila
3,000
Zamboanga Family’s Brand Sardines Mayor Vitaliano D. Agan Coliseum Mayor Vitaliano D. Agan (Zamboanga City) Coliseum during MPBL game.jpg Zamboanga City,
Zamboanga del Sur
12,000
N/A
(Opening games)
Smart Araneta Coliseum
Mall of Asia Arena
Smart Araneta Coliseum - Basketball configuration - wideshot - 2016 (30183917215).jpg
Mall of Asia Arena 2019.jpg
Cubao,
Quezon City,
Metro Manila
Bay City,
Pasay,
Metro Manila
25,000
15,000
N/A
(All-star games)
Mall of Asia Arena Mall of Asia Arena 2019.jpg Bay City,
Pasay,
Metro Manila
15,000

League championships[edit]

Media coverage[edit]

Similar to the defunct Philippine Basketball League and the former Shakey’s V-League prior to 2016, the MPBL employs its own in-house broadcast team for all games.

Television[edit]

On January 11, 2018, it was announced that ABS-CBN and its sports division would be the first television broadcasters in the league.[32] These games were broadcast through S+A, Liga, and its various ABS-CBN Regional Network Group in the Philippines, while The Filipino Channel broadcast the games in international markets. Some Finals games would also be aired through the main ABS-CBN channel. In addition, Fox Sports Asia also held the broadcast rights for Monday games until the 2018–19 season.

The broadcast rights were left in jeopardy when ABS-CBN’s franchise was expired on May 4, 2020, which led to the dissolution of its sports division on August 31, 2020. Despite that, the network continued to broadcast games through A2Z when the 2020 playoffs resumed.

For the 2021 Invitational, the league then found new broadcast partners in IBC and TAP DMV, where the games were broadcast via the IBC channel and Tap Sports.

The current television contract began in the 2022 season, where select games are broadcast through One PH and One Sports+. Beginning with the 2023 season, games will also be broadcast on Media Pilipinas TV via Cignal TV.

Streaming[edit]

As for streaming, the league broadcasts all of its games through its official Facebook, YouTube, and Kumu pages, as well as on Cignal Play and iWantTFC.

Game regulations[edit]

  1. FIBA rules

Players eligibility[edit]

  • Local players – Born to full-blooded Filipinos.[33]
  • Filipino-foreigners – Filipinos born to at least a parent with foreign heritage regardless where they are born or raised or if they are a holder of a Philippine passport. Only those with a height of less than 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) are eligible to play in the MPBL.[33]
  • Pro players (until 2021) – Players with prior participation in professional leagues such as the Philippine Basketball Association and the ASEAN Basketball League.[34]
  • Homegrown players – Players who are native to their team’s home locality.[35]

During the 2021 MPBL Invitational,[36] the height limit for Filipino-foreigners was lifted.[12]

Team roster limits[edit]

At least three homegrown talents per team[35]
Limit on Filipino-foreigner per team.

One player per team (2018)[37]
Two players per team, only one can play at a time (2019–)[38]
Limit on ex-professional (ex-pro) players per team

Five players per team (2018)[38]
Seven players per team, five can play at a time (2019–)[38]

At least for the 2021 MPBL Invitational,[36] it was announce that the cap on ex-pros and requirement to field homegrowns will be scrapped.[12]

Commissioners[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Del Rosario, Paolo (August 29, 2017). “Senator Manny Pacquiao launches new basketball league”. CNN Philippines (in English and Filipino). Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  2. ^ “From humble origins in GenSan, Manny Pacquiao’s MPBL is now a nation-wide league”. ABS-CBN Sports. June 13, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2018. nd as the semi-professional league continues to grow, it’s amazing to think that it all started with a ‘pa-liga’ in General Santos City.
  3. ^ a b Henson, Joaquin (September 3, 2017). “MPBL won’t compete with PBA”. The Philippine Star. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  4. ^ Lintag, Paul (August 29, 2017). “Home-and-away games make grand return through Maharlika Pilipinas”. ABS-CBN Sports. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  5. ^ “ABS-CBN S+A is the official broadcaster of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League”. January 12, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  6. ^ Leongson, Randolph (January 22, 2018). “Maharlika basketball league tips off Thursday with 10 teams at Big Dome”. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  7. ^ Leongson, Randolph (January 25, 2018). “Pacquiao’s dream league comes to reality; Parañaque wins”. Inquirer.net. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  8. ^ Lagunzad, Jerome. “20 teams, so far, in MPBL”. Manila Bulletin. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  9. ^ a b “Chooks-to-Go takes over MPBL’s basketball operations”. Tiebreaker Times. October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  10. ^ Giongco, Mark (March 6, 2021). “MPBL set to resume division finals on March 10”. Inquirer.net. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  11. ^ Tupas, Cedelf (June 1, 2020). “MPBL cancels 2020-2021 season”. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  12. ^ a b c “Chooks-to-Go MPBL set to turn pro, removes Fil-for restrictions”. Tiebreaker Times. November 10, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  13. ^ “Chooks-to-Go MPBL officially turns pro”. Tiebreaker Times. December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  14. ^ Ulanday, John Bryan. “MPBL seals deal with sports betting firm, puts premium on integrity”. Philstar.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  15. ^ “Kyt Jimenez posts historic quadruple double in Sarangani blowout win”. Spin.ph. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  16. ^ “Quezon, Negros Musovados join MPBL as 5th season features 26 squads”. Philstar.com. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  17. ^ “P3M at stake in MPBL preseason joust”. Philstar.com. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  18. ^ Joble, Rey (April 10, 2018). “MPBL reaches Sweet 16 as Makati enters as latest expansion ball club”. Fox Sports Philippines. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  19. ^ “Makati ditches Skyscrapers MPBL moniker as team unveils Super Crunch”. Fox Sports. November 5, 2018. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  20. ^ a b Joble, Rey (April 8, 2018). “Manila, Team Rizal raise Maharlika Pilipinas member teams to 15”. Fox Sports Philippines. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  21. ^ Joble, Rey (April 25, 2018). “Ex-Navotas stars likely to rejoin old coach in new team in Marikina”. Fox Sports Philippines. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  22. ^ Joble, Rey (April 24, 2018). “MPBL: Anybody wants to know what Pampanga’s moniker is?”. Fox Sports Philippines. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  23. ^ Joble, Rey (May 13, 2018). “Unheralded Lastimosa, 2 ex-pros lead Pasay’s MPBL campaign”. Fox Sports Philippines. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  24. ^ Reyes, Jonas Egan (April 4, 2018). “Pasig Pirates set to sail again”. Fox Sports Philippines. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  25. ^ Joble, Rey. “Team Rizal planning to change moniker for MPBL season”. Fox Sports Philippines. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  26. ^ Joble, Rey (April 7, 2018). “Ex-Senator Estrada excited to see Cardona-led San Juan Knights in MPBL”. Fox Sports Philippines. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  27. ^ Joble, Rey (May 22, 2018). “MPBL welcomes Bacoor Strikers as 26th squad”. Fox Sports Philippines. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  28. ^ a b Joble, Rey (May 2, 2018). “Gen San, Zamboanga join Davao Occi in MPBL’s Vis-Min expansion”. Fox Sports Asia. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  29. ^ Joble, Rey (April 5, 2018). “Laguna 2nd expansion squad to join MPBL; San Juan, Makati next in line”. Fox Sports Philippines. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  30. ^ a b “Quezon, Negros Musovados join MPBL as 5th season features 26 squads”. Philstar.com. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  31. ^ Joble, Rey (December 26, 2021). “Davao Occidental leaves MPBL, named founding member of PSL”. Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  32. ^ “ABS-CBN S+A is broadcaster of Pacman’s cage league”. Manila Standard. January 12, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  33. ^ a b “Tratter: MPBL rule on Fil-foreigners taking away opportunity from players”. ESPN.com. May 17, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  34. ^ Henson, Joaquin (February 22, 2018). “Manny Pacquiao upbeat on MPBL expansion”. The Philippine Star. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  35. ^ a b Nicolas, Jino (February 8, 2018). “Tanduay Athletics locked in for grassroots basketball”. BusinessWorld. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  36. ^ a b “MPBL scraps limit on Fil-foreign players per team – for the time being”. Sports Interactive Network Philippines. November 11, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  37. ^ “Contentious MPBL rule on Fil-foreigners stays: ‘I’m very sorry sa players na naapektuhan’. Sports Interactive Network Philippines. May 22, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  38. ^ a b c “MPBL raises limit on Fil-foreigners to two, ex-pros to seven per team”. Sports Interactive Network Philippines. May 17, 2019. Retrieved November 11, 2021.