Metropolitan Basketball Association
Encyclopedia
The Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA) or Metroball was a professional
basketball
league in the Philippines
founded in 1998.
The MBA overtook the Philippine Basketball Association
's (PBA) plans on regionalization when the league adopted a home-and-away format where teams, instead of representing companies, represented a particular city, province or island in the country. The league brought basketball closer to the people, and it raided the PBA for talent.
The MBA is widely viewed as broadcast giant ABS-CBN's attempt to undermine the PBA after failing to snatch its broadcast rights in 1998. Metroball allowed foreigners to play for their teams, not requiring Philippine passports of them, nor requiring those foreigners to have Filipino blood. All the league required is that these players be born in the Philippines. As a direct result of this practice, the MBA and its foreign-born players began attracting attention away from the PBA, forcing the PBA to escalate their own players' salaries and practically rendering the PBA draft useless through a "direct hiring" process. This allowed PBA teams like Talk 'N Text and Tanduay to negotiate directly with MBA players or MBA prospects (like Asi Taulava and Sonny Alvarado) for their services.
However, the league folded on 2002 due to extremely high expenses on funding a regional basketball league, and most especially when broadcast partner ABS-CBN
withdrew funding for the league. Several players went to the semi-professional Philippine Basketball League
en route to the PBA.
. The teams are grouped into two conferences: Northern (Luzon
and Metro Manila
) and Southern (Visayas
/Mindanao
).
The MBA had adopted several methods of determining its champion. The season concludes with the MBA National Finals, where the Northern Conference champion faces the Southern Conference champion to decide the MBA Championship and also the All-Star Game was the oldest competition in the league and others like Three-point shootout and Slam Dunk Contest.
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
league in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
founded in 1998.
The MBA overtook the Philippine Basketball Association
Philippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...
's (PBA) plans on regionalization when the league adopted a home-and-away format where teams, instead of representing companies, represented a particular city, province or island in the country. The league brought basketball closer to the people, and it raided the PBA for talent.
The MBA is widely viewed as broadcast giant ABS-CBN's attempt to undermine the PBA after failing to snatch its broadcast rights in 1998. Metroball allowed foreigners to play for their teams, not requiring Philippine passports of them, nor requiring those foreigners to have Filipino blood. All the league required is that these players be born in the Philippines. As a direct result of this practice, the MBA and its foreign-born players began attracting attention away from the PBA, forcing the PBA to escalate their own players' salaries and practically rendering the PBA draft useless through a "direct hiring" process. This allowed PBA teams like Talk 'N Text and Tanduay to negotiate directly with MBA players or MBA prospects (like Asi Taulava and Sonny Alvarado) for their services.
However, the league folded on 2002 due to extremely high expenses on funding a regional basketball league, and most especially when broadcast partner ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN
ABS–CBN Corporation is a Philippine-based media conglomerate. It is the Philippines' largest media and entertainment conglomerate. The corporation was the merger of Alto Broadcasting System which at that time owned by James Lindenberg and Antonio Quirino, and the Chronicle Broadcasting Network ...
withdrew funding for the league. Several players went to the semi-professional Philippine Basketball League
Philippine Basketball League
The Philippine Basketball League is a commercial semi-professional basketball league in the Philippines. The league is composed of several commercial teams with several collegiate and provincial stars.-History:...
en route to the PBA.
Season format
The MBA has a season similarly styled to that of the National Basketball AssociationNational Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
. The teams are grouped into two conferences: Northern (Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
and Metro Manila
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila , the National Capital Region , or simply Metro Manila, is the metropolitan region encompassing the City of Manila and its surrounding areas in the Philippines...
) and Southern (Visayas
Visayas
The Visayas or Visayan Islands and locally known as Kabisay-an gid, is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Mindanao and Luzon. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are considered the northeast...
/Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
).
The MBA had adopted several methods of determining its champion. The season concludes with the MBA National Finals, where the Northern Conference champion faces the Southern Conference champion to decide the MBA Championship and also the All-Star Game was the oldest competition in the league and others like Three-point shootout and Slam Dunk Contest.
Northern Conference
- Batangas BladesBatangas BladesThe Batangas Blades is a former professional basketball team of the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998-2002....
(1998-2002; team merged with Manila in 2001) - Laguna LakersLaguna LakersThe Laguna Lakers was a former professional basketball team in the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998-2001. The team was owned by Bert Lina, owner of the Federal Express franchise in the Philippines...
(1998-2001; team abandoned the league after their owners FedExAir21 ExpressThe Barako Bull Energy is a Philippine Basketball Association team that began in 2002.Barako Bull is owned by Energy Food and Drinks Inc., a subsidiary of the Linaheim Corporate Services, owners of the defunct Laguna Lakers of the Metropolitan Basketball Association...
joined the PBA in 2002) - Manila MetrostarsManila MetrostarsThe Manila Metrostars was a former professional basketball team in the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998-2001. The team was the 1999 MBA National Champions and holds the MBA record of winning 22 consecutive games during the said season. The team was merged with the Batangas...
(1998-2001; team merged with Batangas in 2001) - Nueva Ecija PatriotsNueva Ecija PatriotsThe Nueva Ecija Patriots was a former professional basketball team in the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1999–2001. 2002 PBA MVP Willie Miller was familiar for his initial years with the team when he played for the Patriots from 1999-2000...
(1999-2001) - Olongapo VolunteersOlongapo VolunteersThe Olongapo Volunteers was a former professional basketball team in the Metropolitan Basketball Association in 2002. The Volunteers enjoyed success in their only season in the league, making the semifinals of the tournament.-History:...
(2002) - Pampanga Dragons (1998-2000)
- Pampanga Stars (2002)
- Pangasinan Waves (also known as Presidents) (1998-1999; 2002)
- Pasig-Rizal Pirates(1998-2000) (also known as Pasig Blue Pirates in 1998)
- San Juan KnightsSan Juan KnightsThe San Juan Knights was a professional basketball team in the Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1999 to 2001. The team enjoyed considerable success, winning the MBA National Championship in 2000. The team was owned by former San Juan mayor, and now Philippine Senator Jinggoy Estrada...
(1999-2001)
Southern Conference
- CebuCebu CityThe City of Cebu is the capital city of Cebu and is the second largest city in the Philippines, the second most significant metropolitan centre in the Philippines and known as the oldest settlement established by the Spaniards in the country.The city is located on the eastern shore of Cebu and was...
Gems (1998-2002) - DavaoDavaoDavao refers to several closely related places in Mindanao in the Philippines. The term is used most often to refer to the city.*Davao Region, an administrative region*Davao del Norte province*Davao del Sur province*Davao Oriental province...
Eagles (1998-2002) - Cagayan de Oro Nuggets/Amigos (1998-2000; 2002)
- IloiloIloiloIloilo is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Iloilo occupies the southeast portion of Panay Island and is bordered by Antique Province to the west and Capiz Province and the Jintotolo Channel to the north. Just off Iloilo's southeast coast is Guimaras Province,...
Volts/Megavoltz (1998-2000) - Negros SlashersNegros SlashersThe Negros Slashers also known as the RCPI-Negros Slashers was a former professional basketball team in the Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998 to 2002. The team enjoyed considerable success, winning the MBA National Championship in 2002, the last season of the said league...
(Bacolod CityBacolod CityThe City of Bacolod , is a highly urbanized midsize Philippine city. It is the capital of the Negros Occidental province. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. It is currently ranked as the 17th most populous city in...
) (1998-2002) - SoCSarGenSOCCSKSARGENSOCCSKSARGEN is a region of the Philippines, located in central Mindanao, and is officially designated as Region XII. The name is an acronym that stands for the region's four provinces and one of its cities: South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City...
Marlins (1998-2001; team renamed as the Socsargen Taguig Marlins in 2001 when the team played its home games in Taguig) - SurigaoSurigao CityThe City of Surigao The City of Surigao The City of Surigao (Filipino Pronunciation: (sů-rēh-GAŮ) ( Filipino: Lungsod ng Surigao; Surigaonon: Siyudad nan Surigao) located at the northeasternmost tip of Mindanao Island in the Philippines and the capital of the province of Surigao del Norte,...
Miners/Warriors (1999-2000)
MBA Most Valuable Players
| Season | Player | Team | College |
| 1998 | John Ferriols John Ferriols Hubert John B. Ferriols , better known simply as John Ferriols, is a Filipino professional basketball player for the B-Meg Llamados in the Philippine Basketball Association.... |
Negros Negros Slashers The Negros Slashers also known as the RCPI-Negros Slashers was a former professional basketball team in the Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998 to 2002. The team enjoyed considerable success, winning the MBA National Championship in 2002, the last season of the said league... |
USJ-R University of San Jose - Recoletos The University of San Jose – Recoletos is a Catholic private university founded in 1947 in Cebu City, Philippines by the Order of Augustinian Recollects... |
| 1999 | Alex Compton Alex Compton Alexander M. Compton is a retired Filipino born-American basketball player who had stints in noted Philippine basketball leagues either as player or assistant coach and is now the national tournament director of the Nokia National Basketball Training Center Developmental League, the grassroots... |
Manila Manila Metrostars The Manila Metrostars was a former professional basketball team in the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998-2001. The team was the 1999 MBA National Champions and holds the MBA record of winning 22 consecutive games during the said season. The team was merged with the Batangas... |
Cornell Cornell University Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions... |
| 2000 | Rommel Adducul Rommel Adducul Romel Adducul is a professional basketball player from the Philippines who currently plays in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Powerade Tigers.... |
Manila Manila Metrostars The Manila Metrostars was a former professional basketball team in the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998-2001. The team was the 1999 MBA National Champions and holds the MBA record of winning 22 consecutive games during the said season. The team was merged with the Batangas... |
SSC-R San Sebastian College - Recoletos San Sebastian College – Recoletos de Manila or commonly known by their nickname Bastê, is a Catholic institution of higher learning in the Philippines... |
| 2001 | Eddie Laure Eddie Laure Eddie B. Laure is a Filipino professional basketball player. He last played in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Powerade Tigers. Known by many as The Dominator, he is a former MBA MVP... |
LBC-Batangas Batangas Blades The Batangas Blades is a former professional basketball team of the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998-2002.... |
Adamson Adamson University Adamson University is a private university Catholic university in Manila, Philippines, founded on June 30, 1932 by Greek immigrant George Lucas Adamson as the Adamson School of Industrial Chemistry... |
MBA Champions
Teams in bold won the MBA National Championship.| Season | Northern Conference | Southern Conference | Series |
| 1998 | Pampanga Dragons | Negros Slashers Negros Slashers The Negros Slashers also known as the RCPI-Negros Slashers was a former professional basketball team in the Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998 to 2002. The team enjoyed considerable success, winning the MBA National Championship in 2002, the last season of the said league... |
4-1 |
| 1999 | Manila Metrostars Manila Metrostars The Manila Metrostars was a former professional basketball team in the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998-2001. The team was the 1999 MBA National Champions and holds the MBA record of winning 22 consecutive games during the said season. The team was merged with the Batangas... |
Cebu Gems | 4-2 |
| 2000 | San Juan Knights San Juan Knights The San Juan Knights was a professional basketball team in the Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1999 to 2001. The team enjoyed considerable success, winning the MBA National Championship in 2000. The team was owned by former San Juan mayor, and now Philippine Senator Jinggoy Estrada... |
Negros Slashers Negros Slashers The Negros Slashers also known as the RCPI-Negros Slashers was a former professional basketball team in the Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998 to 2002. The team enjoyed considerable success, winning the MBA National Championship in 2002, the last season of the said league... |
4-2 |
| 2001 | LBC-Batangas Blades Batangas Blades The Batangas Blades is a former professional basketball team of the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998-2002.... |
Negros Slashers Negros Slashers The Negros Slashers also known as the RCPI-Negros Slashers was a former professional basketball team in the Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998 to 2002. The team enjoyed considerable success, winning the MBA National Championship in 2002, the last season of the said league... |
3-1 |
| 2002 | LBC-Batangas Blades Batangas Blades The Batangas Blades is a former professional basketball team of the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998-2002.... |
RCPI-Negros Slashers Negros Slashers The Negros Slashers also known as the RCPI-Negros Slashers was a former professional basketball team in the Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998 to 2002. The team enjoyed considerable success, winning the MBA National Championship in 2002, the last season of the said league... |
0-3 |
Commissioners
- Ramon FernandezRamón FernándezRamon S. Fernandez is generally regarded as the greatest basketball player produced by the Philippine Basketball Association. Fernandez won four Most Valuable Player awards and a record of 19 PBA championships bagged...
(1998-1999) - Gregorio "Ogie" Narvasa IIOgie NarvasaGregorio Y. Narvasa II, also known as Ogie Narvasa, is a Filipino lawyer. He is the son of Andres Narvasa, a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, and Janina Yuseco...
(2000-2001) - Severino "Butch" Antonio (2001)
- Joaquin "Chito" LoyzagaChito LoyzagaJoaquin C. Loyzaga is a former Filipino basketball player. He played college ball for San Beda College before eventually going on to play professional basketball in the Philippine Basketball Association, where he became a many-time member of the All-Defensive team. Loyzaga played for Tanduay,...
(2002)
Rivalries
- Manila-Cebu - Seen as a rivalry of two basketball hotbeds in the Philippines. Both teams played the first MBA game on March 6, 1998 in Pangasinan with Metrostars defeating the Gems. Manila and Cebu also entangled in a regular season match in August 1999 which saw Manila escape with a nail-biting win that preserved their record 23-game winning streak. Manila later defeated Cebu in the 1999 MBA National Finals. Cebu bounced back, defeating Manila to win the 2000 MBA Interconference tournament.
- Negros-Cebu - A rivalry of both teams from the Visayas region, and also in the MBA Visayas Division. The Slashers defeated the Gems 4-3 in the 1998 MBA Southern Conference Finals, after Negros trailed 1-3 in the series. The Gems bounced back in the 1999 Southern Conference semis by defeating the Slashers. A game during the series was halted and restarted a week later, due to physical play and fan behavior. Negros bounced back in 2000, defeating Cebu in the Southern finals.
- Davao-Cebu - A Southern Conference rivalry, had a game in 1998 halted due to physical play while fans pelted the court with debris.
- Pasig-San Juan - A Northern Conference rivalry between both nearby Metro Manila cities. Probably the most intense rivalry in MBA history, with games being halted with fights from both players on the court and rival fans in attendance. Pasig-Rizal defeated San Juan to win the 1999 MBA Northern Conference Two title and also eliminated the Knights in the 1999 Northern Conference semifinals.
Trivia
- The Manila Metrostars set a league record in 1999 by winning 22 consecutive games only to be halted by the Negros Slashers during the elimination round, en route to a 26-4 record and the MBA National Championship. The record was also seen by many as the most in Philippine professional basketball history, breaking the PBA's Crispa Redmanizers' record of 21 consecutive victories in 1983.
- Felix Belano of the Davao Eagles is the only player to record a quadruple-double in MBA history (if a player records a double-figure numbers in four categories such as points, rebounds, assists, blocks or steals) during a game against the Nueva Ecija Patriots in 1999. Belano later had a stint with the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals of the PBA.
- Peter Martin made the first shot in the history of the MBA when his ManilaManilaManila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
Metrostars they faced the CebuCebuCebu is a province in the Philippines, consisting of Cebu Island and 167 surrounding islands. It is located to the east of Negros, to the west of Leyte and Bohol islands...
Gems in the opening of the league in 1998.
- The SoCSarGenSOCCSKSARGENSOCCSKSARGEN is a region of the Philippines, located in central Mindanao, and is officially designated as Region XII. The name is an acronym that stands for the region's four provinces and one of its cities: South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City...
Marlins became the first team to register a win in the first double-header of the league in 1998. Max Delantes led the way for the Marlins.
- Stephen Padilla holds the record for most 3-point shots made with 10 as he scores 40 points with a 10/10 from the 3 point arc in 2001.
- John Ferriols was the first MVP of the tournament while Alex ComptonAlex ComptonAlexander M. Compton is a retired Filipino born-American basketball player who had stints in noted Philippine basketball leagues either as player or assistant coach and is now the national tournament director of the Nokia National Basketball Training Center Developmental League, the grassroots...
was the first American player to be named MVP of the MBA in 1999.
- In 1999, the Manila MetrostarsManila MetrostarsThe Manila Metrostars was a former professional basketball team in the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998-2001. The team was the 1999 MBA National Champions and holds the MBA record of winning 22 consecutive games during the said season. The team was merged with the Batangas...
became the first MBA team to banner a team in the Southeast Asian GamesSoutheast Asian GamesThe Southeast Asian Games , is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia...
in BruneiBruneiBrunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
. they made it after winning the national championship over the Cebu Gems. Coach Louie AlasLouie AlasFrancisco Luis "Louie" Alas is a multi-titled Filipino basketball head coach. He is currently the head coach of the Letran Knights in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and will soon coach the Philippine Patriots in the Asean Basketball League...
led the RP Team to win the Gold Medal by beating ThailandThailandThailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. majority of the line-up were players from the Metrostars led by Adducul and Camaso and recruited some players from other teams.