UAAP esports: Ateneo, La Salle crowned NBA2K, Mobile Legends champs

MANILA, Philippines — Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) and De La Salle University (DLSU) emerged victorious in the NBA2K and Mobile Legends Bang Bang events of the UAAP Season 87 Esports tournament held Friday at the Quantum Skyview Deck of Gateway Mall 2 in Quezon City.

In the NBA2K25 finals, ADMU successfully defended its crown with a commanding 2-0 sweep over the University of Santo Tomas. The Blue Eagles, led by eGilas Pilipinas head coach Nite Alparas, showcased their adaptability and championship experience despite a major format shift from Pro-Am to "Play Now”.

“All of our sacrifices from the last two months led to this — we got the back-to-back championships again. We basically had to start from scratch, but I saw how much they wanted to win. The team effort was really there,” said Alparas.

Graduating BS Information Technology Entrepreneurship student Paolo Medina capped off his collegiate career with another gold medal, teaming up with fellow veterans Justine Lagac and Luis Jovallenos.

Jovallenos delivered a clutch overtime win in Game 1 using the Washington Wizards, while Medina sealed the title in Game 2 with a 69-59 victory using the San Antonio Spurs.

“It means the world to me knowing that I did it with my teammates. I feel like this feeling of winning is way more satisfying than it was when I did last year, knowing that I did it with the efforts of my team behind me, knowing that Luis came up clutch in Game 1 in that overtime thriller,” said Medina.

ADMU's road to the finals included a dominant semifinal sweep over Adamson University, while UST edged out DLSU in a grueling three-game series to earn their finals berth.

Meanwhile, in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang tournament, La Salle completed a stunning comeback to dethrone National University with a 2-1 reverse sweep in the grand finals.

The team had suffered a 1-2 loss at the hands of NU during the group stages but swept both University of the Philippines and University of the East, 2-0, to proceed to the semifinals. There, the Green Archers defeated the other group's top seed, UST, 2-0, to set up a rematch with NU, which dominated Far Eastern University, 2-0, to earn their grand finals spot.

After dropping Game 1, La Salle rallied behind Gabriel Sanchez’s (Claude) game-changing Blazing Duet and Ryu Godoy’s (Gatotkaca) timely initiation to even the series. In the decider, Joshua Tating (Suyou) and Aaron Lim (Kimmy) led the charge, with Lim delivering four straight kills in the 15th minute to clinch the title.

Lim, a former Echo standout, was named Finals Most Valuable Player after averaging five kills and four assists with just one death across the series. 

He said, “I’m happy with the MVP award, but I wouldn’t have gotten it without my teammates. It was a team effort."

The MLBB event marked the end of Season 87's esports events, with La Salle leading the other schools with two first place finishes in Valorant and Mobile Legends Bang Bang. It was the only school to see podium finishes in all three events (finishing in third in the NBA2K event).