The Star Magic All-Star Games 2023 is a wrap!
With pride and a healthy sense of competition, the Kapamilya talents once more put on a show that demonstrated their skills and prowess in the field of sports.
Just like in previous editions, long-time and new Kapamilya artists came to support each other and simply to enjoy and have fun.
The Star Magic All-Star Games 2023 was staged at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, on Sunday, May 21, 2023.
Did you miss the action? Here are some highlights from the Star Magic All-Star Games.
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CROWD DRAWERS
With long-time and established Kapamilya stars at the stadium, it was bedlam all throughout the games.
The mere appearance of Daniel Padilla as he joined his team on the hard court sent his fans screaming, some leaving their seats to get closer and take pictures with him.
Same thing happened when Joshua Garcia, in black sweatshirt, casually strolled in to watch the volleyball game between the Star Magic Lady Setters and Star Magic Lady Spikers.
The Unbreak My Heart and Ang Mga Kaibigan ni Mama Susan actor looked relaxed as he watched the game intently on the sidelines.
The presence of actress Kathryn Bernardo and It's Showtime co-host Vice Ganda to cheer for their basketball teams also stirred quite a frenzy.
The DonBelle pair of Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano led the Star Magic All-Stars basketball team; he played, she watched.
The deafening screams of fans the moment they entered the court proved the supremacy of their love team in showbiz today.
Donny merely touching the ball would set off roars of cheers from fans.
Belle, the team's muse by the way, looked stunning in a red jersey identical to Star Magic All-Stars' uniform paired with a sparkling skirt.
Daniel Padilla’s hot shooting night
Daniel had a slow start, missing his first few shots before waxing hot toward the three-point territory in the game pitting his team the Star Magic All-Stars against It’s Showtime,
Fans inside the arena loved every bit of it, erupting with cheers every time he would score from long distance.
He would eventually build a lead in the second half, but was hampered in the final quarter by tight guarding of team It’s Showtime, thus allowing Ion Perez to rally his team in the final minutes and eventually steal the game.
Daniel finished with 24 points on 7-of-14 shooting to lead the charge for the losing Star Magic All-Stars squad.
NEW BREED OF STARS
The sports event throughout all its stagings is also one of the ways Star Magic exposes its new and upcoming stars to the public.
Clearly crowd darlings, the young stars Seth Fedelin, Loisa Andalio, Francine Diaz, the BGYO boys, BINI members, and Alexa Ilacad received some of the loudest cheers inside the arena.
Alexa and Francine, in particular, captivated their fans as muses at the event's opening ceremony.
COMPETITIVE KAPAMILYA STARS
All the games were hard-fought, with opposing teams slugging it out from start to finish.
But get this: They were all in the spirit of camaraderie, fitness, sportsmanship, and good clean fun!
In badminton, JM Yosures and Karen Bordador ruled the beginners' level, while Ashley Colet and Maxine Trinidad nabbed the championship in the standard and intermediate level.
Presenting them the awards were ABS-CBN executive Junjun Santiago (L) and Daniel Padilla's talent manager Luz Bagalacsa.
Neil Coleta and Chico Alicaya were declared champions at the competitive level, but faced tough challengers in Poppert Bernadas and PJ Endrinal, and Gello Marquez and Marlo Mortel.
Talking about heart, young actor Ashton Salvador endured a shoulder injury, and yet he still bagged the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the Star Magic Mixed Rookies basketball game.
Ashton sustained the injury in a collision with Elyson de Dios after a hard drive to the basket.
The much-anticipated volleyball game didn't disappoint as well, and the Star Magic Lady Setters and Star Magic Lady Spikers went back and forth to outpoint each other.
The match ended with the Star Magic Lady Spikers emerging on top.
Young actress Analain Salvador was named MVP and Best Hitter to cap off her impressive showing.
COMIC RELIEF
The annual Star Magic All-Star games also provided entertainment.
Supplying the laughs in this edition were Jhaiho and Brenda Mage during the volleyball games.
Meanwhile, the It's Showtime basketball team delighted fans with their individual and group dance numbers during the introduction.
Ryan Bang was up to his old comic tricks while sticking closely to his defensive assignment, even guarding Daniel Padilla who was about to shoot a free throw.
He was obviously amused after hitting a triple at the top of the key over a defender's outstretched arm.
"Threeeeee! Ryan Bang!" boomed from the PA system as the crowd went wild.
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GUEST PRO ATHLETES
Professional athletes were deployed as boosters by Star Magic to various teams.
For volleyball, professional players Aby Maraño (L) and Grethcel Soltones joined the Star Magic Lady Setters as reinforcements.
Rachel Daquis (L) and Gel Cayuna teamed up to bolster the line-up of the Star Magic Lady Spikers.
Moving on to basketball, PBA veteran superstars LA Tenorio and Arwind Santos coached the Star Magic All-Stars and It's Showtime teams, respectively.
Needless to say, these professional athletes provided added attraction to the event.
THE FANS
Holding the Star Magic All-Star Games post-COVID-19 and at a huge venue at that such as the Mall of Asia Arena could prove to be challenging.
Would the fans pay for the tickets and watch?
Hah! Event marshals had their hands full containing the eager crowd who came in droves to support their favorite Kapamilya stars—who all were game enough to have their photos taken and exchange pleasantries with their fans.
Cardiac finish
The match between the Star Magic All-Stars and It’s Showtime had everyone inside the venue on the edge of their seats.
Among the Star Magic All-Stars were Zanjoe Marudo, Daniel Padilla, Donny Pangilinan, and Gerald Anderson.
Donning the black jerseys for It’s Showtime were Ryan Bang, JC de Vera, Ion Perez, and Vhong Navarro, among others.
The game was intense and heated, with players from both squads playing hard-nosed basketball from the get-go.
Gerald and Daniel stood out for the Star Magic All-Stars that seemed poise to turn the game into a blowout after building a lead to start the second half.
However, costly turnovers, botched plays, and unnecessary fouls on the side of Star Magic All-Stars allowed It’s Showtime to narrow the score entering the final minutes of the ballgame.
It didn’t help that Star Magic All-Stars’ outside shooting suddenly turned cold in the final canto of the fourth quarter.
It’s Showtime, meanwhile, opted for high-percentage shots by driving more to the basket and getting fouls, and scoring points from the foul line.
In the end, It’s Showtime showed more poise to grind out a hard-earned 80-77 win at the final buzzer.
Ion Perez led the It’s Showtime squad with 25 points, seven rebounds and three assists enough to take home MVP honors.