The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) is opening its fifth season on Saturday, and with a new year of hoops comes a fresh take on rules.
First, the pro league, founded by eight-division world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, is now opening its arms to more Filipino players with foreign blood. When the MPBL started in 2017, the league touted its vision of prioritizing homegrown, full-blooded Filipinos.
“During our inaugural season, we’re allowing only one Fil-foreign [player] na may limit na height,” commissioner Kenneth Duremdes recalled the league’s first iteration of the rule in an interview on Power and Play hosted by Noli Eala.
In that rule, a team can only have one Fil-foreigner on the roster. That player also had to be 6-foot-5 or under. In 2021, they scrapped the height limit. This 2023, they’re pushing the envelope further as they will now allow teams to get a total of two Fil-foreigners. Fans hope this will elevate the level of play, especially for a league that hopes to make its mark internationally.
“Nag-decide kami this season, dinagdagan na namin ng isa. Dalawang Fil-foreign na ang allowed, wala nang limit sa height,” Duremdes explained.
Imports, or players from other countries with no Filipino blood, however, are still out of the equation—for now. The 1998 PBA MVP elaborated that the biggest hurdle for allowing imports is maintaining parity among the teams.
“’Yung idea na magkaroon tayo ng foreign import, titingnan pa natin dahil ‘yung economic side. Siyempre, ‘yung teams natin, ‘yung iba hindi naman kaya maka-afford to hire foreign imports,” the commissioner said.
The MPBL is also introducing this season a challenge system similar to that of the NBA. This was actually planned for last season’s playoffs, but it had to be pushed back. For Season 5, it’s all systems go, according to Duremdes.
“Ngayong season, itutuloy na natin. Hopefully, magandang addition siya sa rules natin.”