MANILA – After being cancelled three years ago due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Passi City, Iloilo will finally be hosting the PBA All-Star Weekend this March.
According to PBA commissioner Willie Marcial, the all-star festivity this PBA season, which will be held at the newly-constructed City of Passi Arena, is scheduled between March 8 to 15.
“It will happen at the tail-end of the 2022-2023 PBA Governors’ Cup elimination round,” Marcial said. “We are still finalizing the dates but it will be between March 8 to 15, we are also finalizing the activities to be held and the All-Star format.”
This marks the return of the PBA’s annual festivity, which features skills challenge, three-point shootout, slam dunk competition and the All-Star Games, after it was not held the last three years due to COVID-19.
The last PBA All-Star Game was held in 2019 with the North All-Stars defeating the South All-Stars, 185-170, in Calasiao, Pangasinan where Japeth Aguilar and Arwind Santos were named co-MVPs.
The Rookies/Sophomores also defeated Juniors, 141-140, on a game-winner by Javee Mocon while Rey Guevarra, Terrence Romeo, and Beau Belga captured the Slam Dunk Contest, Three-Point Shootout, and Obstacle Challenge respectively.
The PBA has awarded the PBA All-Star hosting rights to the Passi City in 2020 and the city’s local government units did all the preparation to make the annual PBA festivity memorable.
Following the cancellation of the event due to the pandemic, Marcial has said that they will still consider the city to host the All-Star activities when the league decides to bring it back.
Passi City has hosted a PBA match before. It was the 2018 PBA Governors’ Cup showdown between Talk ‘N Text KaTropa and Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. The former won 110-104.
Iloilo City, on the other hand, has been host to PBA’s All-Star festivities twice. The 2000 and 2018 editions were both played at the University of San Agustin Gym./PN
