Metropolitan Basketball Association

Last updated

Metropolitan Basketball Association
MBAlogo.svg
Sport Basketball
FoundedMarch 7, 1998;26 years ago (1998-03-07)
CeasedJuly 26, 2002;22 years ago (2002-07-26)
Commissioner Ramon Fernandez (first)
Chito Loyzaga (last)
No. of teams16 (total)
CountryPhilippines
Last
champion(s)
RCPI-Negros Slashers
(1st title)
Most titles5 teams
(1 title each)
TV partner(s) ABS-CBN
NBN

The Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA), also shortened as Metroball, was a professional basketball league in the Philippines that ran for five seasons from 1998 until 2002.

Contents

The MBA was established to rival the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The MBA contained between 8 and 15 teams which represented cities and provinces who played at home and away. Initially, the league was divided into two conferences: the Northern Conference for teams based in Luzon and the Southern Conference for teams based in Visayas and Mindanao. At the end of each season, the champions of each conference faced each other at the MBA National Finals to determine the league champion. Later, the MBA allowed companies to sponsor teams and attach their brand to the teams' names—and by the final season, used a three-conference format. The MBA's rules also differed slightly from the basic rules of basketball.

Each of the five seasons had a different champion: the Pampanga Dragons, Manila Metrostars, San Juan Knights, Batangas Blades, and Negros Slashers. The Negros Slashers had the most finals appearances, with four. The Northern Conference produced the most champions, with four, while the Southern Conference produced only one. A total of sixteen teams have competed in the MBA.

MBA games were broadcast on ABS-CBN Corporation's television networks. ABS-CBN also provided funding for the league. The MBA folded in 2002 due to high costs of maintaining the league and ABS-CBN withdrawing its funding.

History

The MBA played its first game on March 7, 1998 at the Don Narciso Ramos Sports Complex in Lingayen, Pangasinan. [1] The MBA was widely viewed as broadcast giant ABS-CBN's attempt to undermine the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) after failing to snatch its broadcast rights in 1998, even as far as raid the PBA for talent in order to compete.

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 was 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.

The league then folded on July 26, 2002, due to the high expenses in funding a regional basketball league, with ABS-CBN also withdrawing the funding for the league. Several players went to the semi-professional Philippine Basketball League en route to the PBA.

Format

The MBA had a format similar to that of North America's National Basketball Association (NBA). The teams were divided into two conferences: the Northern Conference composed of Luzon-based teams, and the Southern Conference composed of Visayas- and Mindanao-based teams. The season concluded with the MBA National Finals, where the champions of both conferences face off to determine the season champions.

After the league adapted a semi-commercial format, in which teams are sponsored by companies, several methods were used to in determining the champion. In their final season, they have adapted a three-conference format, similar with the PBA.

Teams

Location of the teams. MBA teams.PNG
Location of the teams.

Northern Conference

Southern Conference

Teams19981999200020012002
Batangas Blades / LBC-Batangas BladesGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg
Cagayan de Oro Nuggets/Amigos / Casino CDO AmigosGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg
Cebu Gems / Cebuana Lhuillier GemsGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg
Davao Eagles / Professional Davao EaglesGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg
Iloilo Volts/MegavoltzGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg
Laguna Lakers / FedEx-Laguna LakersGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg
Manila MetrostarsGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg
Negros Slashers / RCPI-Negros SlashersGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg
Nueva Ecija PatriotsGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg
Gilbey's-Olongapo VolunteersGreen check.svg
Pampanga Dragons/StarsGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg
Pangasinan Presidents / Osaka Pangasinan WavesGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg
Pasig Blue Pirates/Pasig-Rizal PiratesGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg
San Juan Knights / Andok's-San Juan KnightsGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg
SocSarGen Marlins / Taguig MarlinsGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg
Surigao Miners/WarriorsGreen check.svgGreen check.svg

Coaches

Venues

Rules

The MBA had a set of its unique rules compared to the PBA:

  1. The shot clock was reduced to 23 seconds, as opposed to the PBA's 24 seconds.
  2. The time limit for a team to advance the ball over the center line was reduced to eight seconds, as opposed to PBA's 10 seconds. The PBA later adopted the 8-second limit in 2004, two years after the MBA disbanded.
  3. Free-three - An option to trade a player's two free throws for a free three (one attempt at the three-point arc above the free throw line, worth three points if successfully made) at the last two minutes of the fourth quarter. This option was later made available any time during the game by 1999.
  4. One-for-one situation - There were two penalty situations in the MBA, first is if the team fouls of the opposing team reaches five fouls, the fouled player needed to shoot the first free throw before getting the second. Two free throws were only given to a player if the opposing team incurred seven team fouls.
  5. Blitz Three - Any field goal converted within five seconds of a change of possession will be worth three points. A red siren is installed at the backboard to indicate the Blitz Period. (introduced in 2001)
  6. Foreigners were allowed to play in the league, provided that the player is born in the Philippines.

MBA Most Valuable Players

SeasonPlayerTeamCollege
1998 John Ferriols Negros USJ-R
1999 Alex Compton Manila Cornell
2000 Rommel Adducul Manila SSC-R
2001 Eddie Laure LBC-Batangas Adamson

MBA Champions

Teams in bold won the MBA National Championship.

SeasonNorthern ConferenceSouthern ConferenceSeries
1998 Pampanga Dragons Negros Slashers 4-1
1999 Manila Metrostars Cebu Gems 4-2
2000 San Juan Knights Negros Slashers 4-2
2001 LBC-Batangas Blades Negros Slashers 3-1
2002 LBC-Batangas Blades RCPI-Negros Slashers 0-3

Commissioners

Rivalries

Trivia

MBA on ABS-CBN

Metropolitan Basketball Association
Country of originPhilippines
Original languagesFilipino
English
Production
Camera setup Multiple-camera setup
Running time150 minutes+
Production companies ABS-CBN Sports
ABS-CBN Regional Network Group
Original release
Network Studio 23 (now S+A)
Sarimanok News Network (now ABS-CBN News Channel)
PTV/NBN
The Filipino Channel
(Internationally)
ReleaseMarch 7, 1998 (1998-03-07) 
December 19, 2001 (2001-12-19)

The MBA on ABS-CBN was a branding for presentation of the Metropolitan Basketball Association games by the ABS-CBN Sports. [7] The MBA on ABS-CBN premiered on March 7, 1998, when the league inaugurated its first season, [8] and ended on December 19, 2001. After that, the NBN officially take over the coverage in 2002. [9]

Commentators

Play-by-play

Color

Courtside reporters

See also

References

  1. "Basketball rivalry goes from court to court". Manila Standard.
  2. "Pampanga Dragons crowned first MBA champs". Philippine Headline News Online.
  3. "Manila is 1999 MBA champion". Philippine Headline News Online.
  4. "San Juan bags national title". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  5. "Blades capture MBA crown". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  6. "RCPI Negros sweeps LBC". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Velasco, Bill (August 25, 2014). "Remembering the MBA". Philstar.com. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  8. Villaruel, Emmanuel B. (July 15, 2020). "Resiliency in Adversity". Philstar.com. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  9. "MBA eyes NBN 4 for '02". Philstar.com. October 25, 2001. Retrieved August 23, 2024.