A controversial goaltending violation by Rhinwill Yambing of the Batangas City Tanduay Athletics handed the Cebu Greats an improbable 84-83 victory in the Sports Plus MPBL Season 2026 at the Pasay City Astrodome on Wednesday, April 22.
With 3.7 seconds left, Batangas seemed poised for victory after Ced Ablaza made the first free throw to give his team an 83-81 lead. However, Ablaza missed the second free throw, and Cebu Greats power forward Simon Camacho grabbed the rebound. Camacho quickly passed the ball to Paul Desiderio, who launched a desperation heave from midcourt while under pressure from Ablaza.
As the ball was about to hit the rim, Yambing reached in and blocked the shot, with the buzzer sounding simultaneously. Video replays showed that the ball had no chance of going in, even without the interference. However, because Yambing committed a goaltending violation, the officials counted Desiderio's three-point shot, giving Cebu a miraculous win.
Social media erupted with negative comments, with many accusing Yambing of intentional wrongdoing and some even linking the league to gambling syndicates. However, these allegations lack evidence and appear to be baseless speculation.
The public awaits an official statement from the Batangas team management regarding the incident. Meanwhile, Yambing has yet to explain his actions. This early in the 2026 MPBL season, many more events may overshadow this issue, but it will certainly go down in history as one of the most controversial goaltending calls in the league.
