Although nearly a month passed since FIBA's Oct. 31 deadline for the Japan Basketball Association to present a merger plan for the bj-league and the NBL, among other demands, basketball's world governing body delivered the expected news.
On Wednesday, the JBA, one of FIBA's 214 national federations, was suspended from all FIBA and FIBA Asia-related activities. The length of the ban has not been announced.
As a result, all Japan national teams are barred from playing in FIBA-sanctioned competitions, including the women's national team, which captured its first FIBA Asia title in 43 years in 2013. This could have a profound negative impact on Olympic qualifying and preparation for it.