The Philippines’ biggest basketball show has begun.
“Fighting” Senator Manny Pacquiao, kicked off the second season of his Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) ? the Datu Cup ? on June 12, Independence Day.
From only 10 teams in its inaugural season, the MPBL now has 26 teams, just 4 fewer than the NBA.
The single round-robin elimination means the Datu Cup could last 8 months, making it perhaps the longest single basketball tournament in Philippine basketball history. An NBA season also lasts 8 months.
Besides retired PBA veterans, the MPBL has celebrities such as actors Gerald Anderson and Xian Lim playing for Marikina and Mandaluyong, respectively. Mandaluyong also has on its roster rising basketball star Ray Parks Jr., son of the late PBA star import Bobby Parks.
Basketball fans are happy with the MPBL as shown by the big crowds that watch the free games live, trumping even the regular PBA games.
Arnold Vegafria, MPBL’s production and marketing chief, said the league has been a dream of Pacquiao to help in grassroots development by showcasing local players, while also giving an opportunity to collegiate players or former professionals who fail to earn a spot in the PBA.
Will Filipinos’ love for basketball also help Pacquiao achieve his political dreams? Abangan.
