The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) is a professional basketball league in the Philippines. Since its establishment in 2017, the league has played through six seasons and currently consists of 29 teams. Initially an amateur league, the league gained professional status on December 2021.[1]

List of seasons

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Regular season Playoffs Finals No. of teams No. of games Notes Ref.
Year Top seed Record Year North champion South champion Year Champion
2018
Rajah Cup
Batangas City Athletics 8–1
(.889)
2018 [a] 2018 Batangas City Athletics 10 9 Inaugural season; started with 10 teams [2]
2018–19
Datu Cup
Bataan Risers 23–2
(.920)
2019 San Juan Knights Davao Occidental Tigers 2019 San Juan Knights 26 25 16 expansion teams joined [3]
2019–20
Lakan Season
San Juan Knights[b] 26–4
(.867)
2020–21 San Juan Knights Davao Occidental Tigers 2021 Davao Occidental Tigers 31 30[c] 6 expansion teams joined; 1 team departed [4]
2020–21 Season cancelled[d]
2022 Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards 21–0
(1.000)
2022 Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines 2022 Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards 22 21 9 teams departed [6]
2023 Pampanga Giant Lanterns 26–2
(.929)
2023 Pampanga Giant Lanterns Bacoor City Strikers 2023 Pampanga Giant Lanterns 29 28[e] 2 expansion teams joined; 5 teams returned [7][8]
2024 San Juan Knights[f] 26–2
(.929)
2024 To be determined 2024 To be determined 29[g] 28 3 expansion teams joined; 1 team returned; 3 teams departed; 1 team withdrew [10]

Notes

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  1. ^ The 2018 season had no division alignment, thus there were no division champions.
  2. ^ The San Juan Knights and Davao Occidental Tigers tied for best record in the 2019–20 season. San Juan won the head-to-head matchup, thus winning the tiebreaker.
  3. ^ The NavotasRizal game was not resumed for player safety. The game was later cancelled, thus both teams only played 29 games.
  4. ^ The 2020–21 season, originally scheduled for June 12, 2020, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5]
  5. ^ The LagunaManila game was postponed due to volcanic smog. It was later cancelled, thus both teams only played 27 games.
  6. ^ The San Juan Knights and Pampanga Giant Lanterns tied for best record in the 2024 season. San Juan won the head-to-head matchup, thus winning the tiebreaker.
  7. ^ The 2024 season initially featured 30 competing teams. One expansion team, the Tarlac United Force, was pulled out by the league due to the team's failure to comply with financial obligations.[9]

References

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  1. ^ "Chooks-to-Go MPBL officially turns pro". Tiebreaker Times. December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  2. ^ "Batangas holds off Muntinlupa to win inaugural MPBL championship". ABS-CBN News. April 19, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  3. ^ "San Juan is MPBL champ as late Clarito basket breaks Tigers' hearts". Spin.ph. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  4. ^ "Davao Occidental bags MPBL Lakan Cup crown; Mark Yee is finals MVP". GMA News Online. March 21, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  5. ^ Tupas, Cedelf (June 1, 2020). "MPBL cancels 2020–2021 season". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  6. ^ "Nueva Ecija finishes off Zamboanga in Game 4 to lift MPBL trophy". Spin.ph. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  7. ^ "MPBL welcomes Quezon Province, Negros Muscovados". Manila Bulletin. January 30, 2023. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  8. ^ "Pampanga sweeps Bacoor to win MPBL title on the road". Philippine Star. December 2, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  9. ^ Sayson, Homer D. (April 18, 2024). "MPBL expels expansion team Tarlac for 'unfulfilled financial obligations'". Spin.ph. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  10. ^ "MPBL welcomes unlimited pros, expands with two new franchises". Tiebreaker Times. February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.