Kumamoto ready to stake claim on upcoming B2 season
A week before the B. League's top flight gets underway, the second division opens its 2018-19 campaign on Sept. 28. The promoted Hachioji Bee Trains play host to the Earthfriends Tokyo Z and the Ehime Orange Vikings face the visiting Hiroshima Dragonflies in the evening's ...
Kei Hirata earns second shot with Thunder Girls
Passion is something that younger and older generations can both detect immediately. After all, it's either there or it isn't. When elementary school students encouraged Kei Hirata to return to cheerleading overseas, their support inspired her. She decided to pursue her passion once again. Now, almost a ...
Diamond Dolphins star Justin Burrell helps Overseas Elite capture summer hoop crown
Who says lounging on the beach, camping in the mountains or holding a block party should be the only plans for summer fun? Playing basketball can be a serious summer activity (ask any Rucker Park alumni), but it can also be a lot of fun. ...
Namizato, White make return; ex-NBA swingman Childress on move to San-en
Familiar faces are returning to Japan pro basketball as some teams make moves to shake up their rosters. Nearly one-fourth of the way through the inaugural B. League season, a 60-game campaign, the Shiga Lakestars and Sendai 89ers are among the teams adding veterans to ...
Tohoku Cup offers fans early treat
An annual tradition is growing. The Tohoku Cup, now in its fifth year, is a preseason event set up to help teams get prepared for the upcoming season. It has become a key testing ground for players as they get ready for the long grind of ...
Fate of stats from former leagues uncertain
Should statistical records from the bj-league, the JBL and its successor (NBL), the JBL2 and its successor (NBDL) be kept handy and recited frequently for the B. League? Or should the accomplishments of players and teams in Japan's men's basketball circuits be stored away and ...
Dynamic scorer Nash to play for Milwaukee Bucks in Las Vegas Summer League
After a banner rookie season in the bj-league, forward Le'Bryan Nash continues his quest to secure a job in the NBA. Next stop: The NBA's Las Vegas Summer League. The 201-cm Nash gave the Fukushima Firebonds a bj-league best 26.6 ponts per game this past season, ...
Fukushima brings in Moriyama as new coach
It didn't take long for the Fukushima Firebonds to fill their coaching vacancy. Less than a week after original bench boss Hiroki Fujita's departure was made public on May 27, the Firebonds named his replacement. Tomohiro Moriyama was hired to guide the team for its ...
Coaching moves already underway
The annual coaching carousel changes the landscape of who's in charge. With the conclusion of the bj-league's 11th and final season on May 15, when the Ryukyu Golden Kings captured their record fourth title, a number of teams have switched — or plan to switch ...
Rookie sensation Nash raising profile with Firebonds
Fukushima Firebonds forward Le'Bryan Nash has been the league's premier scorer this season. His professional basketball career started with 30-plus points in each of his first four games in October, followed by a 47-point outburst in game No. 5. On Jan. 24, Nash earned All-Star Game ...
Nash's 42-point night ignites Fukushima
Rookie forward Le'Bryan Nash scored a game-high 42 points and the Fukushima Firebonds snapped a four-game losing streak on Saturday, beating the visiting Sendai 89ers 94-93. As a result, Fukushima also halted Sendai's 10-game winning streak. Nash, an Oklahoma State product, made 17 of 28 shots ...
Aomori surges late to defeat rival Fukushima
The growing rivalry between the Aomori Wat's and Fukushima Firebonds reached another level over the weekend, when fourth-quarter offensive fireworks intensified in both games. In the series finale on Sunday, Aomori used a 30-point fourth quarter to close out a hard-fought 84-79 home win over ...
