I have no idea what Starhorse Shipping Lines is as a basketball entity. Sure, they’re obviously a shipping company, but in the hoops scene, I don’t know where they stand. What I do know is they have an MPBL team stacked with former pros and college standouts like Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Jervy Cruz, and now they’re eyeing a spot in the PBA.
PBA expansion has been a hot topic among fans for a while. On paper, more teams mean more jobs for players, which is great. But let’s be real—half the league is still title-less. Rain or Shine and Meralco have been around for years and only have THREE championships between them. In a league that holds two to three conferences per season, that’s a wild imbalance. Fan attendance and TV ratings often take a hit depending on which teams are playing. A matchup between two teams with zero championship pedigree? That’s a tough sell.
Now, there’s talk that Starhorse is knocking on the PBA’s door because Terrafirma might be on the way out. If true, that’s interesting. Expansion itself is tricky, but replacing a farm team with an independent squad? That’s a win. Starhorse could blend their MPBL talent with Terrafirma’s young core, giving them a fighting chance.
Of course, we’ve seen veteran players move to the MPBL before—Vic Manuel being the latest example. And honestly, it makes sense. Older players get a solid paycheck while balancing other commitments.
So, is the PBA ready to expand from 12 to 14 teams?
If it means more independent franchises, then yes.
But if it means more farm teams, then NO.
This season alone, we’ve seen how San Miguel and Ginebra gutted Terrafirma, and Magnolia did the same to NorthPort by snatching Zav Lucero. Meanwhile, Converge made some solid moves—tanking for Justine Baltazar, keeping Alec Stockton, and grabbing Jordan Heading. Stockton, in particular, was a smart hold. They convinced him that leaving wouldn’t help his growth, and now they have a legit piece for the future.
But here’s where it gets even more interesting. Converge’s next steps are a mystery because they have Delta Pineda and Strong Group Athletics (SGA) in one camp. SGA alone could be a competitive PBA team. But how does that work when Jacob Lao is the driving force behind Converge’s ties with Charles Tiu, Rajko Toroman, and Heading?
And this brings me back to Starhorse. The SGA-Delta Pineda setup is one of the few ways to counter SMC’s dominance—combining two companies to build a serious contender. Will Starhorse follow that blueprint and aggressively chase top free agents?
Will they genuinely compete for titles, or will they just feed talent to the SMC or MVP groups?
Are they the team that finally makes the PBA look more balanced? Or are they just another cog in the machine, making things even murkier?