The air inside One Arena Cainta was heavy—you could smell the mix of floor wax and stale popcorn—but the energy was high as Basilan and Marikina officially moved into the circle of early leaders for the 2026 SportsPlus Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League season. It’s early, sure, but watching these teams fight it out feels like a statement, or maybe just a sign that this season is going to be a long, grueling grind.
Basilan Steel didn’t really have much trouble, truth be told. They cruised to a 99-86 victory over Valenzuela City in the second game of the triple-bill. John Wilson was absolutely everywhere on the court. Finishing with 27 points, seven rebounds, and two assists, the 2021 league MVP snagged the SportsPlus Best Player honors without breaking much of a sweat. He looked like a man on a mission, honestly.
Meanwhile, Marikina BigZ Burger had a rougher start against Sarangani. They looked a bit sluggish early on, but then they just caught fire in the fourth quarter. They pulled away late to finalize a 75-66 win. It wasn’t the cleanest game, actually—plenty of missed rotations—but they found a way to close the door when it mattered. I mean, they needed that run. Badly.
These teams are now sitting right up there with the Meycauayan Marilao Gems, who started the day by handling Zamboanga SiKat, 94-76. The whole leaderboard is getting crowded already, with San Juan, Caloocan, Cebu, Gensan, Bulacan, Mindoro, and Batangas all claiming spots in this massive 28-team tournament structure. It’s hard to keep track of everyone, honestly, especially with the games coming so fast at the start of the season.
Twenty-eight teams.
That is a lot of basketball to cover. The league has always been about that gritty, provincial pride, and seeing these teams jockey for position in the opening weeks is always—well, it is always a reminder of why people follow the league so closely. We saw Caloocan and Biñan gearing up to host the opener, and now the momentum is just building from there. Not sure who will sustain this pace, but for now, Basilan and Marikina are looking like the ones to watch, or maybe they just got lucky with the schedule. Regardless, they’re winning games.