FIBA, basketball's world governing body, on Wednesday announced the formation of a task force to lay a new foundation for the sport in Japan, and former J. League chairman Saburo Kawabuchi was appointed co-chairman.
The move signaled the willingness of the Japan 2024 Task Force, which was unveiled at a Tokyo hotel during a news conference, to think outside the box — outside the sport, literally, for leadership.
In recent weeks, pressure has grown for the Japan Basketball Association to work with sports, government and business leaders to meet targets set by FIBA — including a blueprint to merge the JBA-backed 13-team NBL and the independent 22-team bj-league which was not fulfilled before an Oct. 31 deadline, which led to FIBA suspending the JBA on Nov. 25.