| 2023 MPBL season | |
| League: | Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League |
| Sport: | Basketball |
| Duration: | Regular season: March 11 – October 3, 2023 Playoffs: October 6 – November 17, 2023 Finals: November 25 – December 2, 2023 |
| No Of Games: | 405 (regular season) 28 (playoffs) |
| No Of Teams: | 29 |
| Tv: | Cignal TV (One PH, One Sports+, Media Pilipinas TV, Cignal Play, Pilipinas Live) |
| Season: | Regular season |
| Mvp: | Justine Baltazar (Pampanga) |
| Mvp Link: | MPBL Most Valuable Player award |
| Top Seed: | Pampanga Giant Lanterns |
| Playoffs: | Playoffs |
| Playoffs Link: | 2023 MPBL playoffs |
| Conf1: | North Division |
| Conf1 Champ: | Pampanga Giant Lanterns |
| Conf1 Runner-Up: | San Juan Knights |
| Conf2: | South Division |
| Conf2 Champ: | Bacoor City Strikers |
| Conf2 Runner-Up: | Batangas City Embassy Chill |
| Finals: | Finals |
| Finals Link: | 2023 MPBL finals |
| Finals Champ: | Pampanga Giant Lanterns |
| Finals Runner-Up: | Bacoor City Strikers |
| Finals Mvp: | Justine Baltazar (Pampanga) |
| Finals Mvp Link: | MPBL Finals Most Valuable Player award |
| Seasonslist: | List of MPBL seasons |
| Seasonslistnames: | MPBL |
| Prevseason Link: | 2022 MPBL season |
| Prevseason Year: | 2022 |
| Nextseason Link: | 2024 MPBL season |
| Nextseason Year: | 2024 |
The 2023 MPBL season was the fifth season of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) and the second as a professional league. The regular season began on March 11, 2023 with the opening ceremonies at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena. The 2023 MPBL All-Star Game was held at Bataan People's Center in Balanga, Bataan on September 16. 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.[1] The playoffs then began on October 6 and ended on December 2 when the Pampanga Giant Lanterns defeated the Bacoor City Strikers in three games in the 2023 MPBL finals.[2]
This season featured 29 teams, which included two expansion teams: the Negros Muscovados and the Quezon Huskers.
OKBet continued to be the league's title sponsor throughout the regular season.[3]
This season featured two new expansion teams. After competing in the 2021 Invitational, the Negros Muscovados marked their full-time arrival this season. The Quezon Huskers also made their league debut, giving every province in the Calabarzon region at least one team. 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 to 29.
Every returning team is allocated to its previous division, with both Negros and Quezon being placed in the South Division. The Rizal Golden Coolers were realigned back to the North Division.
| Expansion team | ||
| Returning team | ||
| Team switched divisions | ||
| New arena |
| North Division | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Arena | Capacity | ||
| Bataan People's Center | align=center | 4,000 | ||
| Baliwag Star Arena | align=center | 5,000 | ||
| align=center | 3,000 | |||
| colspan="2" | ||||
| align=center | 3,000 | |||
| align=center | 7,000 | |||
| Nueva Ecija Coliseum | align=center | 3,000 | ||
| align=center | 3,000 | |||
| align=center | 3,500 | |||
| align=center | 12,000 | |||
| align=center | 3,000 | |||
| colspan="2" | ||||
| align=center | 7,400 | |||
| One Arena | align=center style="background:#FFCFFF;" | N/A | ||
| align=center | 6,000 | |||
| WES Arena | align=center style="background:#FFCFFF;" | N/A | ||
| South Division | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Arena | Capacity | ||
| colspan="2" | ||||
| Strike Gymansium | align=center | 1,500 | ||
| Batangas City Sports Coliseum | align=center | 2,500 | ||
| align=center | 4,000 | |||
| colspan="2" | ||||
| Lagao Gymnasium | align=center | 6,000 | ||
| Passi City Arena | align=center | 2,000 | ||
| Imus City Sports Complex | align=center | 1,000 | ||
| align=center | 5,700 | |||
| Laguna Sports Complex | align=center | 2,500 | ||
| Sentrong Pangkabataan | align=center style="background:#FFCFFF;" | N/A | ||
| Muntinlupa Sports Center | align=center | 3,000 | ||
| align=center | 8,000 | |||
| align=center style="background:#FFCFFF;" | 8,000 | |||
| colspan="2" | ||||
| Mayor Vitaliano D. Agan Coliseum | align=center | 12,000 | ||
| Off-season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach | |
| Bacolod City of Smiles | Alexander Angeles | Monel Kallos | |
| Bulacan Kuyas | Kerwin McCoy | Alvin Grey | |
| Bacoor City Strikers | Willie Generalao | Alexander Angeles | |
| Bicol Volcanoes | Monel Kallos | Vis Valencia | |
| Marlon Martin | Jesus Ramon Pido | ||
| Renniel Cabrera | Jinino Manansala | ||
| Iloilo United Royals | Eric Gonzales | Manu Inigo | |
| Vis Valencia | |||
| Maximino Dayandante, Jr. | Tylon Darjuan | ||
| Vincent Salvador | Jack Azcueta | ||
| Ogie Gumatay | |||
| Alvin Grey | Teng Torcuator | ||
| Valenzuela XUR Homes Realty Inc. | Jhon Velasquez | ||
| Mid-season | |||
| Bacolod City of Smiles | Monel Kallos | Vincent Salvador | |
| Ricky Dandan | Alex Callueng | ||
| Bicol Volcanoes | Vis Valencia | Jason Santiago | |
| Jerry Codinera Joseph Mabagos | |||
| Ronnie Dojillo | Robert Sison | ||
| Jesus Ramon Pido | |||
| Manu Inigo | MC Abolucion | ||
| Tylon Darjuan Bam Ledesma | Bam Ledesma Bimbot Anquilo | ||
| Jack Azcueta | Aldrin Morante | ||
| Negros Pau Muscovados | Rolando Aledron, Jr. | Bonnie Garcia | |
| Teng Torcuator Weng Adina | Weng Adina Egay Macaraya | ||
| Randy Alcantara | |||
| Jhon Velasquez | |||
| Vic Ycasiano | |||
See main article: 2023 MPBL Preseason Invitational.
This season was preceded by the 2023 MPBL Preseason Invitational, which used a similar format to the 2021 Invitational, but downsized because of the smaller eight-team pool. The tournament ran for one week from February 21–27, 2023 at the Lagao Gymnasium in General Santos, the home arena of the GenSan Warriors.
The tournament was won by the Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines after beating the Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards in the final game with a score of 88–80, with Dexter Maiquez winning MVP honors.[4]
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.
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.
Each team plays every team once. Number of asterisks after each score denotes number of overtimes played.
See main article: 2023 MPBL playoffs. The 2023 MPBL playoffs began on October 6, 2023.
Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its division, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. Teams with homecourt advantage, the higher-seeded team, are shown in italics.
|}
See main article: 2023 MPBL All-Star Game. The 2023 MPBL All-Star Game, the league's fourth overall, took place on September 16, 2023 at the Bataan People's Center in Balanga, Bataan, the home arena of the Bataan Risers. The North Division finally won against the South Division after three seasons, with a score of 99–91, with All-Star MVP honors going to Justine Baltazar.
| Category | Player | Team | Statistic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 17.7 | |||
| Rebounds per game | 16.9 | |||
| Assists per game | 8.3 | |||
| Steals per game | 2.3 | |||
| Blocks per game | 1.5 | |||
| Fouls per game | Jamil Gabawan Ryan Ongteco | 3.2 | ||
| Minutes per game | 31.3 | |||
| FG% | 54.4% | |||
| FT% | Rafael Are | 83.1% | ||
| 3FG% | Rodel Vaygan | 43.7% |
| Category | Team | Statistic | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 88.9 | ||
| Rebounds per game | 55.8 | ||
| Assists per game | 25.7 | ||
| Steals per game | 10.4 | ||
| Blocks per game | 3.9 | ||
| Turnovers per game | Bicol Volcanoes | 17.8 |
Most of the league's individual awards were given out on November 28, 2023 before game 2 of the National Finals series at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in San Fernando, Pampanga.[9] The Finals Most Valuable Player and Coach of the Year were awarded at the conclusion of the national finals on December 2, 2023 at Strike Gymnasium in Bacoor, Cavite.[10]
Two new awards were introduced this season, those being the Most Improved Player and the Impact Player of the Year.
| Award | Recipient | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player | Pampanga Giant Lanterns | ||
| Finals Most Valuable Player | Pampanga Giant Lanterns | ||
| Defensive Player of the Year | Pasig City MCW Sports | ||
| Rookie of the Year | Adrian Nocum | San Juan Knights | |
| Homegrown Player of the Year | Cris Masaglang | GenSan Warriors | |
| Most Improved Player | Jhan Nermal | Bacoor City Strikers | |
| Impact Player of the Year | Poypoy Actub | Imus SV Squad | |
| Coach of the Year | Pampanga Giant Lanterns | ||
| Executive of the Year | Manuel Carlos Ilagan Jr. | Bataan Risers | |
| Sportsmanship award | Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards |
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This is the first season in which the league awarded the Player of the Week award during the playoffs, during which it is called the Playoffs Performer of the Week. It is only given out during the first two rounds of the playoffs.
| Week | Player | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | ||||
| align=center | March 11–18, 2023 | Jerick Nacpil (Bulacan Kuyas) | ||
| align=center | March 20–26, 2023 | Jimboy Estrada (Imus SV Squad) | ||
| align=center | March 27 – April 1, 2023 | Shane Menina (Pasig City MCW Sports) | ||
| align=center | April 3–4, 2023 | colspan="2" | ||
| align=center | April 13–15, 2023 | Troy Mallillin (Rizal Golden Coolers) | ||
| align=center | April 17–22, 2023 | Laurenz Victoria (Pasay Voyagers) | ||
| align=center | April 24–29, 2023 | Agem Miranda (Oriental Mindoro Disiplinados) | ||
| align=center | May 1–6, 2023 | Justine Baltazar (Pampanga Giant Lanterns) | ||
| align=center | May 8–13, 2023 | Justine Baltazar (Pampanga Giant Lanterns) | ||
| align=center | May 15–20, 2023 | Justine Baltazar (Pampanga Giant Lanterns) | ||
| align=center | May 22–27, 2023 | Jhan Nermal (Bacoor City Strikers) | ||
| align=center | May 29 – June 3, 2023 | Jeff Viernes (Sarangani Marlins) | ||
| align=center | June 5–10, 2023 | Justine Baltazar (Pampanga Giant Lanterns) | ||
| align=center | June 12–17, 2023 | Jhan Nermal (Bacoor City Strikers) | ||
| align=center | June 19–24, 2023 | Jaymar Gimpayan (Imus SV Squad) | ||
| align=center | June 26 – July 1, 2023 | Justine Baltazar (Pampanga Giant Lanterns) | ||
| align=center | July 3–8, 2023 | Ryan Costelo (Pasig City MCW Sports) | ||
| align=center | July 10–15, 2023 | Omar Larupay (Iloilo United Royals) | ||
| align=center | July 17–22, 2023 | Justine Baltazar (Pampanga Giant Lanterns) | ||
| align=center | July 24–29, 2023 | Mark Sarangay (Bacolod Maskaras) | ||
| align=center | Keith Agovida (Makati OKBet Kings) | |||
| align=center | August 7–12, 2023 | Poypoy Actub (Imus SV Squad) | ||
| align=center | August 14–19, 2023 | Yves Sazon (Bataan Risers) | ||
| align=center | August 21–24, 2023 | colspan="2" | ||
| align=center | September 11–14, 2023 | Ian Melencio (Muntinlupa Cagers) | ||
| align=center | September 18–23, 2023 | Rodel Gravera (Quezon Huskers) | ||
| align=center | September 25–30, 2023 | colspan="2" | ||
| Playoffs | ||||
| align=center | October 6–7, 2023 | Gabby Espinas (Caloocan Batang Kankaloo) | ||
| align=center | October 9–14, 2023 | Robbie Manalang (Pasig City MCW Sports) | ||
| align=center | October 16–21, 2023 | Ian Melencio (Muntinlupa Cagers) | ||
| align=center | October 24–28, 2023 | Orlan Wamar Jr. (San Juan Knights) | ||
| align=center | November 3–4, 2023 | Michael Calisaan (San Juan Knights) | ||
The league's youth-oriented counterpart, the Junior MPBL, began its inaugural 2023 season on July 9, 2023 at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.[13] The following tournaments took place during the 2023 professional season.
| Age Group | Division | Champion | Series | Runner-up | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14-Under | North | Mindoro Junior Disiplinados | align=center | 2–1 | Quezon City 828 Junior Giants |
| South | Cavite City Aces Solar | align=center | 2–1 | Leyte XUR Homes | |
| Overall | Cavite City Aces Solar | align=center | 2–0 | Mindoro Junior Disiplinados | |
| 16-Under | North | Quezon City 828 Junior Giants | align=center | 2–1 | Pampanga Giant Lanterns |
| South | Davao Red Cubs | align=center | 2–1 | Bauan Cafe Uno | |
| Overall | Davao Red Cubs | align=center | 2–0 | Quezon City 828 Junior Giants | |
| 18-Under | North | Mandaluyong Junior Microsmith | align=center | 2–1 | Rizal Switch Fiber |
| South | Davao Red Cubs | align=center | 2–0 | Bauan Cafe Uno | |
| Overall | Mandaluyong Junior Microsmith | align=center | 2–1 | Davao Red Cubs |
This season marked the second year of Cignal TV's ongoing television broadcast rights with the league. Carrying over from the previous season, games were also 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 saw 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.