2018–2020: Beginnings in Angeles Pampanga first joined the
Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as one of sixteen expansion teams for the
2018–19 season. The team first played their first two seasons in
Angeles City. The team tied with the
Caloocan Supremos for the 8th seed in the playoffs, as both teams share a record of 11–14. The latter got ahead of Pampanga due to the head-to-head tiebreaker, causing the Lanterns to miss the playoffs. Playoff hopes for Pampanga didn't stop there, as in the
2019–20 season, the team moved up to 4th with a record of 21–9, giving them their first playoff appearance. In the
playoffs, the team first met with their Central Luzon neighbor
Bataan Risers in the First Round, in which Pampanga beat in two games. Afterwards, they met the defending champion
San Juan Knights in the division semifinals, where San Juan would beat Pampanga in two games.
2022–present: Move to San Fernando The
2022 season saw the team move to
San Fernando. That season also saw Pampanga finish 4th, with a record of 14–7. Once again, the team met Bataan in the First Round, but this time, Bataan won game 2 in overtime to force a third game. Even then, Pampanga beat Bataan in game 3 to once again advance to the division semifinals. They then met another Central Luzon neighbor, this time being the undefeated
Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards, in which Nueva Ecija would sweep Pampanga out of the playoffs once again.
Archie Concepcion would also win the Homegrown Player of the Year award that season.
2022–2024: The Justine Baltazar era In between the 2022 and 2023 MPBL seasons, the Pampanga Giant Lanterns franchise made its way to the
Pilipinas Super League for the 2022 DUMPER Cup. It was at that time in which homegrown big man
Justine Baltazar made his arrival to the team in December. The team finished with a 10–5 record, ending up in a three-way tie between them, Santa Rosa, and
Caloocan. In the head-to-head tiebreaker, Pampanga finished ahead of both teams, claiming the 4th seed in the playoffs. Pampanga beat Santa Rosa and undefeated
San Juan on their way to the finals against the
Davao Occidental Tigers. Pampanga went on to beat Davao Occidental in two games to clinch their first-ever championship in franchise history. Following their PSL championship, the team made its way back to the MPBL for the
2023 season. In May, the team acquired former
Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters player
Encho Serrano, which helped the team catapult to a league-leading 26–2 record, only losing to
Batangas City and
Makati during the regular season. The 26 wins is tied for the most regular season wins in a single season in the MPBL, together with San Juan and
Davao Occidental in 2020. In time for the division quarterfinals, nine-time
PBA champion
Arwind Santos joined the Giant Lanterns. The team continued their dominance from the regular season by not losing a single game en route to the
2023 MPBL finals against the
Bacoor City Strikers. In three games, they would go to win their first MPBL title on December 2, 2023. The Pampanga Giant Lanterns became the first MPBL team to go undefeated throughout the playoffs, winning nine straight games. Throughout their playoff run, Pampanga also clinched the first series sweeps in both the division finals and national finals. The team then took part in the
2024 Preseason Invitational, with
Jeff Viernes joining the preseason squad. After a sweep in the group stage, the Giant Lanterns would make the finals against the
South Cotabato Warriors, which they would win 93–75, making them the first Luzon-based Invitational champions. On August 16, 2024, the Giant Lanterns broke the record for most regular season wins in a single season with their 22nd straight win, surpassing that of the
2022 Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards. ==Team identity==