Makati OKBet Kings
| Makati OKBet Kings | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | MPBL (2018–2023) Filbasket (2021–2022) Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 (formerly) |
| Founded | 2018 |
| History | Makati Skyscrapers 2018 Makati Super Crunch 2018–2021 Makati FSD Blazers 2021 Makati × MNL Kingpin 2022 Makati OKBet Kings 2023 |
| Arena | Makati Coliseum |
| Location | Makati |
| Team colors | |
| Main sponsor | OKBet Gaming |
The Makati OKBet Kings were a Filipino professional basketball team based in Makati. The team last competed in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) and played their home games at Makati Coliseum.
The team began play in the 2018–19 season as the Makati Skyscrapers and has since gone under multiple names. The team also competed in Filbasket as the AFP–FSD Makati Cavaliers, and in the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3. In the 2023 season, the team was acquired owned and sponsored by sports betting platform and former MPBL title sponsor OKBet.[1] The 2023 season would also be the team's last active to date.
History
2018–2020: Initial success
On April 10, 2018, the City Government of Makati launched the Makati Skyscrapers as one of 16 expansion teams for the MPBL's 2018–19 season.[2][3] Out of those 16 expansion teams, Makati was the team with the best record, finishing 21–4, only behind the league-leading Bataan Risers. This success, however, cannot be matched in the playoffs, as the second-seeded team in the North were swept by the seventh-seeded Quezon City Capitals in the First Round.
The team was able to continue their winning prowess in the 2019–20 season, finishing 22–8 and claiming the North Division's third seed. In the playoffs, the team first swept Bulacan in the First Round and beat Manila in a close series in the Division Semifinals.
Makati made its first appearance in the Division Finals, and were challenged to face against the defending champion San Juan Knights. After losing to San Juan in game 1 as the visiting team, the team was set to host game 2 at home. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, game 2 would be moved to San Juan to be played Behind closed doors. Still, Makati persevered and forced a game 3 by a close margin. Later on, the league suspended play as the pandemic continuously affected the country, forcing the Division Finals to be halted after game 2.
2021–2022: Abrupt fallout
One year later, the league continued play under a bio-secure bubble at the Subic Bay Gymnasium. The pandemic brought a financial crisis to the Makati team, which led to a major scuffle as core players decided to not play for the team in the deciding game 3. By game 3, Makati only fielded a five-man roster, which caused San Juan to eliminate Makati by a wide 77-point margin.[4]
The fallout of Makati continued on as the team failed to make the playoffs of the 2021 Invitational, and as the 2022 season came around, the team only captured two wins in the 21-game season, making them the worst team in the North Division and missing the playoffs for the first time.
2023: Returning to the winning column
Prior to the 2023 season, gaming company and MPBL title sponsor OKBet acquired the franchise of the team.[1] The team was completely rebuilt as the team went back to where they were three years ago, once again claiming the third seed in the North with a record of 21–7, which includes wins against Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, and Batangas City.
In the First Round, the team will once again face against the San Juan Knights, the team that last eliminated them in 2021.
Team identity
The team first went by the Makati Skyscrapers in its inaugural season, alluding to the numerous tall buildings across the city. Mid-season, the team's name was changed to the Makati Super Crunch as part of a sponsorship with Prifood Corporation,[5] and has since then taken on the name of its title sponsor.
For most of its time, Makati has used a color scheme that uses black as the primary color. In 2023, blue was made the primary color in its uniforms.
Home arenas
Unlike other Metro Manila-based teams, the Makati franchise has had a rough history with playing within its home locality. In the 2018–19 season, the team played all of its home games at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
In the 2019–20 season, the team began using the Makati Coliseum on a regular basis, but concerns regarding the venue forced the team to play elsewhere during the 2020 playoffs. Since then, the team has yet to return to Makati Coliseum.
Current roster
Head coaches
| # | Name | Term | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pocholo Villanueva | 2018–2019 | |
| 2 | Beaujing Acot | 2019–2021 | |
| 3 | Jocas Castillo | 2021 | |
| 4 | Vis Valencia | 2022 | |
| 5 | Don Dulay | 2023 |
Notable players
| Makati OKBet Kings notable players | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Position | Tenure | Awards | All-Star |
| Cedric Ablaza | 2018–2020 | — | 2 (2019, 2020) | |
| Jeckster Apinan | 2018–2020 | 1x All-MPBL First Team (2020) | — | |
| Carlos Morales | 2018–2023 | — | 1 (2022) | |
| Emman Calo | 2023 | — | 1 (2023) | |
| Robby Celiz | 2023 | 1x All-MPBL Second Team (2023) | 1 (2023) | |
Season-by-season records
| League champions | |
| Division champions | |
| Qualified for playoffs | |
| Best regular season record |
| Season | Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Finish | GP | W | L | PCT | GB | Stage | Results | ||
| Makati Super Crunch | ||||||||||
| 2018–19 Datu Cup |
North | 2nd | 25 | 21 | 4 | .840 | 2 | First Round | lost vs. Quezon City, 0–2 | |
| 2019–20 Lakan Season |
North | 3rd | 30 | 22 | 8 | .733 | 4 | First Round Division Semifinals Division Finals |
won vs. Bulacan, 2–0 won vs. Manila, 2–1 lost vs. San Juan, 1–2 | |
| Makati × MNL Kingpin | ||||||||||
| 2022 Mumbaki Cup |
North | 11th | 21 | 2 | 19 | .095 | 19 | Did not qualify | ||
| Makati OKBet Kings | ||||||||||
| 2023 | North | 3rd | 28 | 21 | 7 | .750 | 5 | First Round | lost vs. San Juan, 0–2 | |
| 2024 | Did not participate | |||||||||
| Total elimination round | 104 | 66 | 38 | .635 | 3 playoff appearances | |||||
| Total playoffs | 12 | 5 | 7 | .417 | 0 Finals appearances | |||||
| Total franchise | 116 | 71 | 45 | .612 | 0 championships | |||||
References
- ^ a b Ramos, Gerry (February 17, 2023). "OKBet renews ties with MPBL, acquires rights to Makati Kings". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
- ^ "Makati squad expands MPBL roster of teams to 16". ABS-CBN. April 11, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
- ^ "Makati pang-16th member team ng MPBL" [Makati 16th member of MPBL]. Philstar (in Filipino). April 12, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
- ^ Li, Matthew (March 10, 2021). "Makati Super Crunch owner says pandemic forced him to cut contracts". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
- ^ "Super Crunch in tie-up with Makati team". BusinessWorld. November 8, 2018. Retrieved January 4, 2019.