Makati Skyscrapers

{{short description|Professional basketball team in Metro Manila, Philippines}} {{for|the list of skyscrapers in the city of Makati|List of tallest buildings in Makati}} {{Use Philippine English|date=January 2023}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}} {{infobox basketball club | name = Makati Skyscrapers | current = | logo = | logo_size = 100px | league = [[Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League|MPBL]] (2018–2023) [[Filbasket]] (2021–2022) [[Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3]] | founded = 2018 | dissolved = 2023 | 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]] | colors = '''Makati Skyscrapers/Super Crunch''' {{color box|#{{MPBL color|Makati Super Crunch|1}}}} {{color box|#{{MPBL color|Makati Super Crunch|3}}}} {{color box|white}} '''Makati × MNL Kingpin''' {{color box|#{{MPBL color|Makati × MNL Kingpin|1}}}} {{color box|#{{MPBL color|Makati × MNL Kingpin|3}}}} '''Makati OKBet Kings''' {{color box|#{{MPBL color|Makati OKBet Kings|1}}}} {{color box|#{{MPBL color|Makati OKBet Kings|3}}}} | sponsor = | coach = | championship = | pattern l= |body l= |patterns l= |shorts l= |title l= | pattern d= |body d= |patterns d= |shorts d= |title d= }}

The '''Makati Skyscrapers''' were a Philippine professional [[basketball]] team based in [[Makati]]. The team last competed in the [[Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League]] (MPBL) from 2018 to 2023 and played its home games at [[Makati Coliseum]].

The team began play in the [[2018–19 MPBL season|2018–19 season]] and has since gone under multiple names under a title sponsor. In the 2023 season, the team was acquired owned and sponsored by sports betting platform and former MPBL title sponsor OKBet.<ref name="MakatiOKBet">{{cite news |last1=Ramos |first1=Gerry |title=OKBet renews ties with MPBL, acquires rights to Makati Kings |url=https://www.spin.ph/basketball/pba/okbet-renews-ties-with-mpbl-acquires-rights-of-makati-kings-a793-20230217 |date=February 17, 2023 |website=Tiebreaker Times |access-date=February 24, 2023}}</ref>

The team also competed in [[Filbasket]] as the '''AFP–FSD Makati Cavaliers''', and in the [[Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3]].

==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 MPBL season|2018–19 season]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/04/11/18/makati-squad-expands-mpbl-roster-of-teams-to-16|title=Makati squad expands MPBL roster of teams to 16|date=April 11, 2018|work=ABS-CBN|access-date=May 28, 2018}}</ref><ref name="makati">{{Cite news|url=https://www.philstar.com/pang-masa/pm-sports/2018/04/12/1805151/makati-pang-16th-member-team-ng-mpbl|title=Makati pang-16th member team ng MPBL|trans-title=Makati 16th member of MPBL|date=April 12, 2018|work=Philstar|access-date=May 28, 2018|language=fil}}</ref> 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 MPBL season|2019–20 season]], finishing 22–8 and claiming the North Division's third seed. In the playoffs, the team first swept [[Bulacan Kuyas|Bulacan]] in the First Round and beat [[Manila Stars|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 (sport)|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.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Li |first1=Matthew |title=Makati Super Crunch owner says pandemic forced him to cut contracts |url=https://tiebreakertimes.com.ph/tbt/makati-super-crunch-owner-says-pandemic-forced-him-to-cut-contracts/203048 |access-date=March 11, 2021 |work=Tiebreaker Times |date=March 10, 2021}}</ref>

The fallout of Makati continued on as the team failed to make the playoffs of the [[2021 MPBL Invitational|2021 Invitational]], and as the [[2022 MPBL season|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.

Prior to the [[2023 MPBL season|2023 season]], gaming company and MPBL title sponsor OKBet acquired the franchise of the team.<ref name="MakatiOKBet"></ref> 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 Giant Lanterns|Pampanga]], [[Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards|Nueva Ecija]], and [[Batangas City Embassy Chill|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,<ref>{{cite news |title=Super Crunch in tie-up with Makati team |url=https://www.bworldonline.com/mpbl-super-crunch-in-tie-up-with-makati-team/ |accessdate=January 4, 2019 |work=BusinessWorld |date=November 8, 2018}}</ref> 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 MPBL playoffs|2020 playoffs]]. Since then, the team has yet to return to Makati Coliseum.

==Personnel==  ===Head coaches=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! colspan="6" style="{{MPBL color cell|Makati Super Crunch}}" | Makati Skyscrapers head coaches |- ! style="{{MPBL color cell2|Makati Super Crunch}}" | # ! style="{{MPBL color cell2|Makati Super Crunch}}" | Name ! style="{{MPBL color cell2|Makati Super Crunch}}" | Start ! style="{{MPBL color cell2|Makati Super Crunch}}" | End ! style="{{MPBL color cell2|Makati Super Crunch}}" class="unsortable" | Achievements ! style="{{MPBL color cell2|Makati Super Crunch}}" class="unsortable" | Ref. |- | align=center | 1 || {{sortname|Pocholo|Villanueva}} | [[2018–19 MPBL season|2018]] || [[2019–20 MPBL season|2019]] | align=center | — | |- | align=center | 2 || {{sortname|Beaujing|Acot}} | [[2019–20 MPBL season|2019]] || [[2019–20 MPBL season|2021]] | align=center | — | |- | align=center | 3 || {{sortname|Jocas|Castillo}} | [[2021 MPBL Invitational|2021]] || [[2021 MPBL Invitational|2021]] | align=center | — | |- | align=center | 4 || {{sortname|Vis|Valencia}} | [[2022 MPBL season|2022]] || [[2022 MPBL season|2022]] | align=center | — | |- | align=center | 5 || {{sortname|Don|Dulay}} | [[2023 MPBL season|2023]] || [[2023 MPBL season|2023]] | align=center | — | |- |}

===Notable players=== {| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" |- ! colspan="5" style="{{MPBL color cell|Makati OKBet Kings}};"|Makati Skyscrapers notable players |- ! style="{{MPBL color cell2|Makati Super Crunch}};"|Player ! style="{{MPBL color cell2|Makati Super Crunch}};"|Position ! style="{{MPBL color cell2|Makati Super Crunch}};"|Tenure ! style="{{MPBL color cell2|Makati Super Crunch}};"|Awards ! style="{{MPBL color cell2|Makati Super Crunch}};"|All-Star |- | Cedric Ablaza || || 2018–2020 || — || align=left | 2 ([[2019 MPBL All-Star Game|2019]], [[2020 MPBL All-Star Game|2020]]) |- | [[Jeckster Apinan]] || || 2018–2020 || align=left | 1x All-MPBL First Team ([[2019–20 MPBL season|2020]]) || — |- | Carlos Morales || || 2018–2023 || — || align=left | 1 ([[2022 MPBL All-Star Game|2022]]) |- | Emman Calo || || 2023 || — || align=left | 1 ([[2023 MPBL All-Star Game|2023]]) |- | [[Robby Celiz]] || || 2023 || align=left | 1x All-MPBL Second Team ([[2023 MPBL season|2023]]) || align=left | 1 ([[2023 MPBL All-Star Game|2023]]) |}

==Season-by-season records== {|class="wikitable" |style="background:#FFFFCF; width:2em"| || '''League champions''' |- |style="background:#CFCFFF; width:2em"| || Division champions |- |style="background:#CFFFCF; width:2em"| || Qualified for playoffs |- |style="background:#FFCFCF; width:2em"| || Best regular season record |}

{|class=wikitable style="width:100%; text-align:center" ! rowspan="2" | Season ! colspan="7" | Regular season ! colspan="2" | Playoffs |- ! Division ! Finish ! GP ! W ! L ! PCT ! GB ! Stage ! Results |- | colspan=10 style="{{box-shadow border|a|#{{MPBL color|Makati Super Crunch|3}}|2px}}; background-color:#{{MPBL color|Makati Super Crunch|1}};"|'''Makati Super Crunch''' |- |[[2018-19 MPBL season|2018–19]] ''Datu Cup'' || North || bgcolor="CFFFCF" | 2nd || 25 || 21 || 4 || {{Winning percentage|21|4}} || 2 || First Round || {{nowrap|lost vs. Quezon City, 0–2}} |- |[[2019–20 MPBL season|2019–20]] ''Lakan Season'' || North || bgcolor="CFFFCF" | 3rd || 30 || 22 || 8 || {{Winning percentage|22|8}} || 4 || First Round {{nowrap|Division Semifinals}} Division Finals || '''won vs. Bulacan, 2–0''' '''won vs. Manila, 2–1''' lost vs. San Juan, 1–2 |- | colspan=10 style="{{box-shadow border|a|#{{MPBL color|Makati × MNL Kingpin|3}}|2px}}; background-color:#{{MPBL color|Makati × MNL Kingpin|1}};"|'''Makati × MNL Kingpin''' |- |[[2022 MPBL season|2022]] || North || 11th || 21 || 2 || 19 || {{Winning percentage|2|19}} || 19 || colspan="2" | ''Did not qualify'' |- | colspan=10 style="{{box-shadow border|a|#{{MPBL color|Makati OKBet Kings|3}}|2px}}; background-color:#{{MPBL color|Makati OKBet Kings|1}};"|'''Makati OKBet Kings''' |- |[[2023 MPBL season|2023]] || North || bgcolor="CFFFCF" | 3rd || 28 || 21 || 7 || {{Winning percentage|21|7}} || 5 || First Round || lost vs. San Juan, 0–2 |- | colspan=11 | Did not participate from [[2024 MPBL season|2024]] to [[2026 MPBL season|2026]] |- ! colspan="3" |Total elimination round !! {{Sum|66|38}} !! 66 !! 38 !! {{Winning percentage|66|38}} !! rowspan="3" | !! colspan="2" | 3 playoff appearances |- ! colspan="3" |Total playoffs !! {{Sum|5|7}} !! 5 !! 7 !! {{Winning percentage|5|7}} !! colspan="2" | 0 Finals appearances |- ! colspan="3" |Total franchise !! {{Sum|71|45}} !! 71 !! 45 !! {{Winning percentage|71|45}} !! colspan="2" | 0 championships |}

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [https://www.facebook.com/makatiokbetkings Makati OKBet Kings Facebook Page]

{{Makati OKBet Kings}} {{navboxes|list= {{MPBL former teams}} {{Metro Manila Sports}} }}

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