2023 MPBL Season

The 2023 MPBL season is the ongoing fifth season of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) and the second as a professional league. The regular season began on March 11, 2023 and will end on September 30, 2023. The playoffs are set to begin in October 2023.

The league took two breaks during the regular season, during Holy Week and during the Philippines' co-hosting of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

This season features 29 teams, with five teams returning to the league alongside two expansion teams: the Negros Muscovados and the Quezon Huskers.

The opening ceremonies took place at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena, Quezon. The 2023 MPBL All-Star Game will be held at Bataan People's Center in Balanga, Bataan.

This season also marks the second year of OKBet's partnership as title sponsor of the league.

Teams

Team changes

This season featured two expansion teams: the Negros Muscovados making its first regular season appearance after competing in the 2021 Invitational, and the Quezon Huskers making its first league appearance altogether. Five teams also made their return to the league, which includes the Bicol Volcanoes, Bulacan Kuyas, Iloilo United Royals, Parañaque Patriots and Pasay Voyagers. This increased the total number of teams from 22 teams in 2022 to 29 teams in 2023.

Every returning team is allocated to its previous division, while both Negros and Quezon are placed in the South Division. The Rizal Golden Coolers were realigned back to the North Division.

Arenas

; Notes
# The arena was used during the 2023 Preseason Invitational.

Name changes

* The Batangas City Embassy Chill temporarily changed its name to Batangas City Tanduay Rum Masters during the 2023 Preseason Invitational.
* The Imus City Bandera changed its name to Imus SV Squad before the 2023 Preseason Invitational.
* The Bacolod Bingo Plus changed its name to Bacolod City of Smiles before the start of the season. The team is alternatively known as the Bacolod Maskaras.
* The Caloocan Excellence changed its name to Caloocan Batang Kankaloo before the start of the season.
* The Laguna Heroes Krah Asia changed its name to Laguna Krah Asia before the start of the season.
* The Makati × MNL Kingpin changed its name to Makati OKBet Kings before the start of the season.
* The Mindoro Tams changed its name to Oriental Mindoro Disiplinados before the start of the season, then later changed to Mindoro Disiplinados in June 2023.
* The Quezon City MG changed its name to Quezon City Gaz N Go before the start of the season, then later changed to Quezon City Toda Aksyon in June 2023.
* The Negros Muscovados changed its name to Negros Pau Muscovados on March 30, 2023.

Coaching changes

Pre-season

The 2023 MPBL Preseason Invitational served as the pre-season pocket tournament for the 2023 season. It is also the second tournament under the Invitational label after the 2021 Invitational, using a similar format. The tournament was held at Lagao Gym in General Santos, home arena of the GenSan Warriors, from February 21–27.

A total of eight teams competed in the tournament. These include seven MPBL teams, as well as ''Bulalakaw'', a local team based in General Santos, as the league’s first-ever guest team.

Format

The format for the 2023 Preseason Invitational was:
* The eight teams are divided into two groups of four teams each. The top two teams in each group advanced to a single-elimination playoffs.
* All series in the playoffs are single game series; the team must win the match for them to stay and advance.
* The prize money is as follows: ₱3 million for the champion, ₱500,000 for the runner-up, ₱300,000 for the third-place team, ₱200,000 for the fourth-place team, and ₱100,000 for all non-playoff teams.

Groups

All eight participating teams were split into two groups. The groupings were as follows:

Elimination round

The elimination round games were played from February 21–24. Teams play against the other teams within their group once, for a total of three elimination games. The top two teams per group would advance to the Semifinals; tiebreaker rules are used should there be any ties.

Group A

Each team plays every team once. Number of asterisks after each score denotes number of overtimes played.

Group B

Each team plays every team once. Number of asterisks after each score denotes number of overtimes played.

Playoffs

The playoffs were played on February 25 and 27. The top two teams from each group advanced to the playoffs, which used a single-elimination format. The top teams in each group played the second-placed teams in the other group.

The losing teams from both semifinal matches play in a third-place match, while the winning teams advance to the pre-season finals.

Bracket

Opening ceremony

The opening ceremony was held on March 11, 2023 at Quezon Convention Center in Lucena, Quezon. Rapper Andrew E. and singer Marcelito Pomoy were both among the performers to kick off the regular season. Like previous seasons, a muse contest followed wherein some teams took part in.

The first game was between the Rizal Golden Coolers and the Bataan Risers, while the first home game featured the two expansion teams this season, with the Quezon Huskers hosting the Negros Muscovados.

Regular season

Format

The 29 teams play in a single round-robin format, playing one game against all other teams in the league for a total of 28 games. In each gameday, a series of games is played in a designated home arena, with the home team usually playing in the final game.

The top eight teams in each division will advance to a four-round, single-elimination playoffs, playing in best-of-three series in the first three rounds, and a best-of-five series in the National Finals, with homecourt advantage alternating between the higher seeds of each series in the first two rounds.

Standings

North Division

South Division

Results

Not all games are in home–away format. Each team plays every team once. Number of asterisks after each score denotes number of overtimes played. Dates are subject to change.

Playoffs

The 2023 MPBL playoffs are set to begin in October 2023.

All-Star Game

The 2023 MPBL All-Star Game, the league's fourth overall, will take place on September 16, 2023 at the Bataan People's Center in Balanga, Bataan, the home arena of the Bataan Risers.

Lineups

The two coaches of each division's top-seeded team at that point will coach the all-star rosters of their respective divisions. On September 1, 2023, it was revealed that Governor Dennis Pineda of the Pampanga Giant Lanterns will coach the North All-Stars, and Alex Angeles of the Bacoor City Strikers will coach the South All-Stars.

The South Division reserves were announced on September 9, 2023. Former MVP John Wilson of the GenSan Warriors earned his second all-star selection alongside Marco Balagtas of the Muntinlupa Cagers, who will join teammate and first-time all-star JL Delos Santos. CJ Catapusan and Renzo Navarro will both make their all-star debuts for Iloilo while Lucena mayor Mark Alcala will also make his all-star debut for Quezon. Bacoor City's James Kwekuteye, Batangas City's Mark Cruz, Imus's Jimboy Estrada, and Zamboanga's Joseph Gabayni also earned their first all-star selections.

The South Division starters were announced on September 10, 2023. Kyt Jimenez of the GenSan Warriors and reigning MVP Jaycee Marcelino of the Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines are set to start for the second straight season after earning their second all-star selections. Starters that will also make their first appearance in the All-Star Game include Bacoor City's Michael Cañete, Batangas City's Jeckster Apinan, and Imus's Poypoy Actub.

The North Division reserves were announced on September 11, 2023. Troy Mallillin of the Rizal Golden Coolers will make his second all-star appearance alongside teammate Jboy Gob, who will make his first all-star appearance. Representing the hosting Bataan Risers will be first-time all-star Yves Sazon. All joining the All-Star Game for the first time are Bulacan's Rence Alcoriza, Makati's Emman Calo, Marikina's Felipe Chavez, Nueva Ecija's Roi Sumang, Pasig City's Jason Ballesteros and Ryan Costello, and San Juan's Adrian Nocum.

The North Division starters were announced on September 12, 2023. Robby Celiz of the Makati OKBet Kings and Will McAloney of the Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards will make their second all-star appearance, with the former also earning his first starter selection. The Pampanga duo of Justine Baltazar and Encho Serrano will make their all-star debuts and will be joined by another first-time all-star in San Juan's Orlan Wamar Jr.

Game

Pre-game events

Before the game itself, a series of events will precede it, all returning from the previous edition. These include the Executives' Game, Three-Point Shootout, and Slam Dunk Showdown.

Three-Point Shooutout

; Notes
* Player highlighted in gold and bold text is the event's defending champion.
* Players highlighted in green are contestants from the hosting team.

Slam Dunk Showdown

; Notes
* Players highlighted in green are contestants from the hosting team.

Records and milestones

Records

* May 30, 2023 – Justine Baltazar of the Pampanga Giant Lanterns broke the single-game rebounding record, with 27 rebounds against the Bataan Risers.
* June 3, 2023:
** Jeff Viernes of the Sarangani Marlins broke the single-game scoring record, with 50 points against the Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards, beating the previous record held by John Wilson in 2019.
** Sarangani won 134–123, putting an end to Nueva Ecija's 32-game regular season winning streak, which began at the start of the 2022 season. The 257 total points scored between the two teams is also the most such in a single game.
* August 2, 2023 – Poypoy Actub of the Imus SV Squad broke the single-game dunking record, with 7 dunks against the Bulacan Kuyas.

Milestones

* March 11, 2023 – James Castro becomes the 14th player to reach 1,000 MPBL career points.
* March 20, 2023 – Chito Jaime becomes the 15th player to reach 1,000 MPBL career points.
* March 25, 2023 – Allan Mangahas becomes the 16th player to reach 1,000 MPBL career points.
* March 27, 2023 – Alwyn Alday becomes the 17th player to reach 1,000 MPBL career points.
* March 30, 2023 – Felix Apreku becomes the second player to reach 1,000 MPBL career rebounds.
* May 22, 2023 – Mark Montuano becomes the 18th player to reach 1,000 MPBL career points.
* May 27, 2023 – Chris Bitoon becomes the 19th player to reach 1,000 MPBL career points.
* May 30, 2023 – Dhon Reverente becomes the 20th player to reach 1,000 MPBL career points.
* June 7, 2023:
** Paul Sanga becomes the 21st player to reach 1,000 MPBL career points.
** Reil Cervantes becomes the 22nd player to reach 1,000 MPBL career points.
** James Martinez becomes the 23rd player to reach 1,000 MPBL career points.
* June 26, 2023 – Dhon Reverente becomes the second player to reach 1,000 MPBL career points and rebounds.
* July 5, 2023 – Jeff Viernes becomes the 24th player to reach 1,000 MPBL career points.
* August 18, 2023 – Robin Roño becomes the 25th player to reach 1,000 MPBL career points.

Statistics

Individual statistical leaders

Team statistical leaders

Awards

Notable events

* July 9, 2023 – The MPBL's youth division, the Junior MPBL, commenced with the opening ceremonies at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan. This is then followed by a series of games between the Quezon City 828 Junior Giants and Malabon Fisher Mall BBSD.
* August 8, 2023 – The Bataan–Laguna game was forfeited in Bataan's favor, marking the first time in league history that a game was forfeited in its entirety. ''(The Basilan–Davao Occidental playoff game in 2021 was classified as "defaulted".)''

Media

This season marks the second year of Cignal TV's ongoing television broadcast rights with the league. Carrying over from the previous season, games are still broadcast on One PH and One Sports+, the latter was only used for the Invitational tournament. Since April 13, Media Pilipinas TV (MPTV) began broadcasting all games.

This season sees an expansion of the league's streaming portfolio. Cignal's Pilipinas Live began streaming games in June 2023, while Bola.TV began in August 2023. The league continued to broadcast its games on Facebook, YouTube, and Cignal Play.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2023 MPBL season

Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League
2023–24 in Philippine basketball leagues
Current basketball seasons