Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) awarded UAE-based company DJMC Events with a 10-year contract to officially launch MPBL UAE as it expands its operations following its breakthrough success last year in Dubai.
The success is anchored with its ongoing partnership with The Filipino Times as the longest-running Filipino newspaper in the UAE ensured the participation of thousands of Filipinos during the one-day league. This time, MPBL UAE is expected to see action in the hard court stretching from 2020-2030.
MPBL founder Manny Pacquiao said: “This is a giant step for all of us at MPBL. We’ve seen tremendous growth of the league in the Philippines and we’re happy to go out of our comfort zone and impart the same vision that we have for Filipino cagers now based in UAE and other parts of Middle East. Truly, MPBL is the league of all Filipinos.”
Patterned from its mother league, the MPBL UAE International will have at least 7 teams from all of the Emirates—Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm Al Quwain—represented by former professional, amateur and collegiate stars in the Philippines who are playing in various local leagues.
David John, DJMC Events Managing Director, said: “There’s a big yet untapped market of Filipino basketball fans here in Dubai and the UAE. With over 700,000 Filipinos, we are optimistic that we can make Dubai as the biggest hub of basketball action in the Middle East. We can and we will achieve that thru MPBL UAE.”
Among those expected to see action are crafty guard Arnold Booker, a former teammate of two-time pro league MVP James Yap at University of the East in the UAAP, and Perpetual Help stalwart Chris Elopre, who played alongside current Barangay Ginebra star Scottie Thompson back in the NCAA.
MPBL Commissioner Kenneth Duremdes said: “Since we started in 2017, MPBL has become the premier basketball league of homegrown talents in the Philippines. But this time, we will have equally talented Filipino players who are now making a living in UAE and Middle East but still has that competitive fire.”
Both Booker and Elopre, along with other top Filipino cagers based in UAE, suited up for Dubai All Stars who split their two-game showdown with the MPBL Executives, bannered by Philippine Senator Manny Pacquiao, during the MPBL Dubai Invasion at the sprawling Hamdan Sports Complex last September 2019.
Dunstan Rozario, Chairman of DJMC Events, said: “It’s been known across the world that basketball is a religion for Filipinos. That’s why we’re happy that the previous MPBL stint here in Dubai is not just a one-act show. The league is here to stay with the MPBL UAE.”
