MPBL brings National Finals to Dubai

Sports

THE Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) is going international again as it will be staging the first two games of its sixth season’s National Finals in Dubai, UAE, on Dec. 1 and 3.

The National Finals will pit the league’s champions in the North Division and South Division. All games will be held at the Al Nasr Club’s Rashid Bin Hamdan Indoor Hall at 7 p.m. in Dubai (11 p.m. Philippine time).

Filipinos in the Middle East will also get the chance to see Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao in the flesh. Pacquiao, the founder and CEO of MPBL, will play in an exhibition game against an All-Star selection from the world-renowned tourism and business destination.

Joining Pacquiao in the MPBL selection will be league commissioner Kenneth Duremdes, other league officials, and delegation members.

It was in 2019 when MPBL also held games in Dubai Batangas, Davao Occidental and Imus saw action at the Hamdan Sports Complex.

The MPBL’s sixth season is already in its semifinal round.

In the North Division semis, the San Juan Knights are battling the Caloocan Batang Kankaloo while the Pampanga Giant Lanterns and the Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards.

The semifinal duels in the South Division feature the Quezon Huskers against the Parañaque Patriots and the Batangas Rum Masters versus the South Cotabato Warriors.(CCM)