Upcoming season or competition: 2025 MPBL season | |
 | |
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | August 29, 2017 |
| Founder | Manny Pacquiao |
| First season | 2018 |
| COO | Zaldy Realubit |
| Commissioner | Kenneth Duremdes |
| Motto | Ang Liga Ng Bawat Pilipino (The League of Every Filipino) |
| No. of teams | 29 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Headquarters | Pasig |
| Continent | FIBA Asia (Asia) |
| Most recent champion(s) | Pampanga Giant Lanterns (2nd title) |
| Most titles | Pampanga Giant Lanterns (2 titles) |
| TV partner(s) | Cignal TV Media Pilipinas TV Pilipinas Live YouTube |
The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines consisting of 29 teams as of the 2024 season.
Founded in 2017 by eight-division boxing world champion Manny Pacquiao, the MPBL is not intended to be a competitor to the top-flight Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), but rather to provide a gateway for local, homegrown talents to showcase their skills. The league uses a home-and-away format, similar to the defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association.[1] The MPBL started an amateur league before being granted professional status in 2021 by the Games and Amusements Board.[2]
The MPBL is the oldest in a series of leagues under the Maharlika Pilipinas name. It is followed by the Junior MPBL,[3] the Maharlika Pilipinas Volleyball Association (MPVA),[4] and the upcoming Women's Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (WMPBL).[5]
The Pampanga Giant Lanterns are the current defending champions, beating the Quezon Huskers in three games during the 2024 MPBL finals. They are also the team with the most championships with two.[6]
- ^ Henson, Joaquin (September 3, 2017). "MPBL won't compete with PBA". The Philippine Star. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:3was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Escarlote, Mark (August 12, 2023). "Pacquiao launching volleyball tournament". Daily Tribune Sports. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
- ^ Valencia, Justin (October 27, 2024). "Haydee Ong aims to elevate women's basketball as WMPBL commissioner". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
- ^ "Pampanga sweeps Quezon to claim back-to-back MPBL championships". spin.ph. December 7, 2024. Retrieved December 7, 2024.