The 2023 MPBL All-Star Game was an exhibition game played on September 16, 2023, during the 2023 season of the

Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) is a men's regional professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 30 teams. Founded in 2017 by eight-division boxing world champion and then-Senator Manny Pacquiao, the MPBL is ...

(MPBL). It was the fourth edition of the

MPBL All-Star Game The MPBL All-Star Game is an exhibition game hosted by the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League and showcases 30 of the league's star players. It is the main event of the greater MPBL All-Star Day, held during the latter part of the regular se ...

, which took place at the Bataan People's Center in Balanga,

Bataan Bataan (, , , ; ) , officially the Province of Bataan, is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the entire Bataan Peninsula ...

, the home arena of the

Bataan Risers The 1Bataan Risers, more commonly known as the Bataan Risers, are a Filipino professional basketball team based in the province of Bataan. The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's North ...

. The North Division won against the South Division for the first time with a score of 99–91.

Justine Baltazar Justine Sagaya Baltazar (born February 19, 1997), nicknamed "Balti", is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Converge FiberXers of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He is listed at 6 feet 9 ½ inches (2.07 m). Baltazar ...

was declared the All-Star Game MVP.

All-Star Game

Coaches

The two coaches of each division's highest-ranked team up to that point coached the all-star rosters of their respective divisions. On September 1, 2023, it was revealed that Governor Dennis Pineda of the

Pampanga Giant Lanterns The Pampanga Giant Lanterns (shortened as PGL and also known as Pampanga Giant Lanterns – AMG3 Construction for sponsorship reasons) are a Filipino professional basketball team based in San Fernando, Pampanga. The team competes in the Maha ...

would coach the North All-Stars, and Alex Angeles of the Bacoor City Strikers would coach the South All-Stars.

Lineups

The South Division reserves were announced on September 9, 2023. Former MVP John Wilson of the GenSan Warriors earned his second all-star selection alongside Marco Balagtas of the Muntinlupa Cagers, the latter joined teammate and first-time all-star JL Delos Santos. CJ Catapusan and Renzo Navarro both made their all-star debuts for

Iloilo Iloilo ( ; ), officially the Province of Iloilo (; ; ; ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital and largest city is Iloilo City, the regional center of Western Visayas and politically independen ...

while

Lucena Lucena (, American Spanish: , European Spanish: ), officially known as the City of Lucena (), is a highly urbanized city situated in the Calabarzon region (Region IV-A) of the Philippines. The city is the largest urban center and capital of ...

mayor Mark Alcala earned his first selection for

Quezon Quezon, officially the Province of Quezon () and historically known as Tayabas, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon Regions of the Philippines, region on Luzon. Lucena, a highly urbanized ci ...

. Bacoor City's James Kwekuteye,

Batangas City Batangas, sometimes called Batangas City and officially called the City of Batangas (), is a component city and capital of the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 351,437 people. Batangas City ...

's Mark Neil Cruz,

Imus Imus (), officially the City of Imus (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and ''de jure'' Capital city, capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 cens ...

's Jimboy Estrada, and Zamboanga's Joseph Gabayni also earned their first all-star selections. The South Division starters were announced on September 10, 2023.

Kyt Jimenez Krystoffe "Kyt" Mauricio Jimenez (born March 21, 1997) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Sarangani Gripper Motorcycle Tire of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). Born in Saudi Arabia, Jimenez played college bas ...

of the GenSan Warriors and reigning MVP

Jaycee Marcelino Jaycee Carlos Marcelino (born October 19, 1995) is a Filipino basketball player for the Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). He was drafted 17th overall pick in the 2nd round of the 2019 PBA draft. E ...

of the

Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines The Zamboanga Sikat (stylized as Zamboanga SiKAT), alternatively known as Sikat Zamboanga, is a Filipino professional basketball team based in Zamboanga City. The team currently competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a ...

started for the second straight season after earning their second all-star selections. Starters that also made their first appearance in the All-Star Game include Bacoor City's Michael Cañete,

Jeckster Apinan Jeckster Apinan is a Filipino professional player for the Batangas City Tanduay Rum Masters of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). He was born and raised in Roxas City, Capiz. He played college ball for JRU Heavy Bombers before e ...

, and

's Poypoy Actub. The North Division reserves were announced on September 11, 2023. Troy Mallillin of the

Rizal Golden Coolers The Rizal Golden Coolers (also known as the Rizal Xentromall Golden Coolers for sponsorship reasons) are a Filipino professional basketball team based in the province of Rizal (province), Rizal. The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Bask ...

made his second all-star appearance alongside teammate Jboy Gob, who made his first all-star appearance. Representing the hosting

was first-time all-star Yves Sazon. All joining the All-Star Game for the first time were

Bulacan Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan (; ; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on ...

's Rence Alcoriza,

Makati Makati ( ; ), officially the City of Makati (), is a highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines, known for being one of the leading financial centers in the country. As of 2013, the city has the highest concent ...

's Emman Calo,

Marikina Marikina (), officially the City of Marikina (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 4 ...

's Felipe Chavez,

Nueva Ecija Nueva Ecija, officially the Province of Nueva Ecija ( ; ; ; ), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Palayan, while Cabanatuan, its former capital, is the largest Local gove ...

Roi Sumang Shej Roi R. Sumang (born December 12, 1990) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Zamboanga Sikat of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). Early life He is the eldest of six children of Jess and Sheila Sumang. He grew ...

Pasig City Pasig, officially the City of Pasig (), is a highly-urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 803,159 people. It is located along the eastern border of Metro Mani ...

Jason Ballesteros Jason Ballesteros (born October 7, 1985) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Biñan Tatak Gel of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) and the Pilipinas Super League (PSL). He was drafted seventh by the Meralco Bolts i ...

and Ryan Costello, and

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

's Adrian Nocum. The North Division starters were announced on September 12, 2023. Robby Celiz of the

Makati OKBet Kings The Makati Super Crunch was a Filipino professional basketball team based in Makati. The team last competed in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) from 2018 to 2023 and played its home games at Makati Coliseum. The team began pla ...

and

Will McAloney William Bill McAloney Jr. (born September 1, 1993) is a Filipino-Canadian professional basketball player for the Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). In his collegiate career, he played for Emilio Ag ...

of the

Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards The Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards (shortened as NERV) are a Filipino professional basketball team based in Palayan, Nueva Ecija. The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's North Division. The ...

made their second all-star appearance, with the former also earning his first starter selection. The

Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga (; ; ), is a province in Central Luzon in the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac to the north, Nueva Ecija to the northeast, Bulacan to the east, ...

duo of

and Encho Serrano made their all-star debuts alongside

's Orlan Wamar Jr. The South Division replacements were announced on September 15, 2023. Jhan Nermal of the Bacoor City Strikers started in place of injured teammate Michael Cañete.

's CJ Catapusan opted out for personal reasons and was replaced by teammate Josh Flores as a reserve.

Muntinlupa Muntinlupa (), officially the City of Muntinlupa (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population o ...

's John Amores took the reserve spot of JL Delos Santos due to the latter's collegiate commitments with

José Rizal University José Rizal University (formerly José Rizal College or JRC), also referred to by its acronym JRU, is a private non-sectarian, non-stock coeducational basic and higher education institution located in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. ...

. ;Notes

Game

Pre-game events

Executives' Game

MPBL founder

Manny Pacquiao Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. ( ; ; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician, businessman, and professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He previously serv ...

won his second Executives' Game MVP award as the South Executives defeated the North Executives, 114–63.

Three-Point Shooutout

; Notes * Player highlighted in gold is the event's defending champion. * Players highlighted in green are contestants from the hosting team.

Slam Dunk Showdown

; Notes * Players highlighted in green are contestants from the hosting team.

References

{{2023 MPBL season by team

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that showcases the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or division, bu ...

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

September 2023 sports events in the Philippines Sports in Bataan