Philippines MPBL | 10/12 12:00 | - | Batang Kankaloo v Manila Stars | L | 67-66 | |
Philippines MPBL | 10/05 10:00 | - | Manila Stars v Batang Kankaloo | L | 78-79 | |
Philippines MPBL | 10/01 12:00 | - | Manila Stars v Pangasinan Heatwaves | W | 82-77 | |
Philippines MPBL | 09/28 12:00 | - | Manila Stars v Zamboanga Master Sardines | W | 86-78 | |
Philippines MPBL | 09/16 12:00 | - | Manila Stars v Bacolod City of Smiles | W | 123-76 | |
Philippines MPBL | 09/02 12:00 | - | Manila Stars v Pangasinan Heatwaves | - | View | |
Philippines MPBL | 08/26 10:00 | - | Pampanga Giant Lanterns v Manila Stars | L | 92-63 | |
Philippines MPBL | 08/19 12:00 | - | Manila Stars v San Juan Knights | L | 78-80 | |
Philippines MPBL | 08/15 10:00 | - | Negros Muscovados v Manila Stars | W | 68-93 | |
Philippines MPBL | 08/09 10:00 | - | Manila Stars v Mindoro Tamaraws | L | 77-78 | |
Philippines MPBL | 08/06 12:00 | - | Batangas City v Manila Stars | W | 76-86 | |
Philippines MPBL | 07/31 08:00 | - | Manila Stars v Marikina Shoemasters | W | 91-76 |
The Manila Batang Sampaloc, officially referred to as Manila SV Batang Sampaloc SGA, are a Filipino professional basketball team based in the Manila district of Sampaloc. The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's North Division. They are the lone representative of Metro Manila's Capital District and play their home games at San Andres Sports Complex in the district of Malate.
The team was founded as an expansion team for the 2018–19 MPBL season as the Manila Stars. The team also competed in the Pilipinas Super League since 2022 under the name Manila CityStars.
The nation's capital joined the MPBL for the 2018–19 season, and in its first season, made an instant impact. Led by the duo of Chris Bitoon and Aris Dionisio, the team finished 20–5, tying with San Juan and Davao Occidental for the league's third-best record, as the Stars clinch the fourth seed in the 2019 playoffs. After getting past Caloocan in the First Round, they met with the league-leading Bataan Risers in the North Division Semifinals. Although Bataan won game 1, Manila pushed through the next two games to finish the upset and advance to the North Division Finals against San Juan. The series went in a similar way but in the opposite manner, as Manila won game 1 but with San Juan winning the next two to advance to the National Finals and eventually win the championship. At the end of the season, Dionisio won MPBL Defensive Player of the Year. He and Bitoon were also selected to the All-MPBL First Team and declared all-stars.
Manila came back stronger for the 2019–20 season, finishing 25–5, clinching the second seed in the 2020 playoffs. The team first beat Pasig in the First Round, but feel short in the Division Semifinals against Makati. Once again, Manila won game 1, yet Makati won the rest of the series. Dionisio became a two-time all-star while he and Bitoon both made the All-MPBL Second Team.
For the 2021 Invitational, Manila tapped Cholo Villanueva as their head coach, but only finished third in Group D, failing to make the playoffs. Villanueva would later depart for the Batangas City Embassy Chill. Following the departures of both Bitoon and Dionisio, Manila spent the next two seasons missing the playoffs, finishing 6–15 and 4–23 in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, respectively.
In the 2024 season, the team gained the backing of the Strong Group Athletics organization, and would later be renamed as the Manila Batang Sampaloc, or officially, the Manila SV Batang Sampaloc SGA. Their 2024 campaign is noted for their acquisition of four-time PBA champion Greg Slaughter among other ex-PBA players. With their new acquisitions, the team finished the season 20–8 for their best output since 2020 and once again claiming a top-4 position. Slaughter and Rabeh Al-Hussaini were declared all-stars in the 2024 MPBL All-Star Game.
However, despite that, Manila fell short in the playoffs, losing to the Caloocan Batang Kankaloo in a division quarterfinals sweep, with both games being separated by one point. After the series, the organization stated that they are unsure if they will return for the 2025 MPBL season, citing financial difficulties and "uneven officiating".
The Stars came to the PSL for the 2022 DUMPER Cup during the MPBL's off-season. Finishing 9–6 in the conference, Manila tied with Boracay and Bulacan for seventh. The team managed to settle for eighth but lost to the San Juan Kings in the quarterfinals.