PBA mulls bringing All-Stars to Dubai
DUBAI—The PBA’s return to this modern Middle East city has revived previous plans of staging the annual All-Star Weekend.
PBA commissioner Willie Marcial hinted at the possibility of returning here sometime in 2027 or in Season 51, albeit with a larger delegation that will bring in the league’s marquee names for the midseason classic.
Barangay Ginebra and San Miguel Beer were playing at press time on Sunday at Coca-Cola Arena in the league’s first official game since 2019 and hosted by Far Eastern Private School, a Filipino school owned by the Al Ansari family.
“We had talks to them [about holding future games in Dubai] and we might [come back and] play the All-Star Game here,” Marcial said.
Marcial had tinkered in the past with the idea of staging the All-Star festivities here, which would veer away from the regular visits to the provinces.
Since 2005, all but two All-Stars were held outside of Metro Manila, with the most recent being the 2024 edition in Bacolod City, which ended in a tie on Robert Bolick’s five-point play in the final seconds.
Last season’s supposed edition in Davao City was canceled, citing “security concerns,” but the PBA confirmed that the All-Star Weekend will return around March 2026 in Candon, Ilocos Sur, one of the league’s regular out-of-town venues.
There’s no doubt that Filipinos based in the United Arab Emirates’ most populous city will welcome future stagings with open arms.
“We had internal discussions with the commissioner to first see that it’s attainable,” said Far Eastern’s Hamdan Al Ansari. “But we’d be more than happy to see something like this happening in Dubai more frequently, especially being part of the PBA’s 50th season.”
Sunday marked the 12th official PBA game in Dubai, with Ginebra appearing for the seventh time and San Miguel having played in the last visit in 2019 against NLEx.
