Inconsistent level of B. League officiating a cause for real concern
Rising attendance figures across the nation and increased media attention were two byproducts of the merger that created the B. League, when the disbanded NBL, NBDL and bj-league joined forces to make this a possibility. And it was necessary to move the sports in the ...
Size of B. League will present challenges from the outset
There is no one-size-fits-all formula — no magic pill exists — for the Japan Basketball Association to create a new men's pro hoop circuit that will become an instant success. The sheer size of the B. League, the 45-team, three-division league is a real cause ...
46 teams have submitted documents for new hoop circuit
All 47 clubs of the NBL, NBDL and bj-league, including expansion teams for the 2015-16 season, are scheduled to join the new men's basketball league in Japan in 2016. The Japan 2024 Task Force made the announcement in Tokyo on Tuesday. With six teams, including ...
Japan 2024 Task Force establishes league office for new men's pro hoop circuit
Led by co-chairman Saburo Kawabuchi, the Japan 2024 Task Force, declared it will establish a bigger, better men's professional basketball league with a broader vision. And so, Japanese basketball clubs were asked to burn the bridges behind them, accepting rigid qualifications to join it. On ...
Moving 2020 hoops to Saitama latest blow for game
The IOC's decision last week to allow the organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to move the basketball competition out to Saitama Super Arena puts an end to any hope the sport ever had of becoming high profile in Japan. The original plans had called ...
Kanazawa to coach NBDL's Yamagata team
The well-traveled Atsushi Kanazawa will lead the Passlab Yamagata Wyverns in the NBDL, the JBL2's successor, next season, it was announced on Thursday. "It is a great honor to be in charge of a new team," Kanazawa was quoted as saying in published reports. The NBDL's ...
Time for FIBA to suspend JBA, force necessary changes to be made
The Japan Basketball Association has changed its alleged goal so many times, it's difficult to remember the original target. Nearly a decade ago, there was real talk about a JBA-backed pro league. Here's what bj-league commissioner Toshimitsu Kawachi told the Foreign Sportswriters Association of Japan in ...
In the National Basketball Development League's title game on Sunday, the Tokyo Excellence defeated the Toyota Tsusho Fighting Eagles 93-77. Shooting guard Yusuke Karino led the Excellence (31-3 overall) with 33 points on 13-for-19 shooting in Gifu. Takaki Ishida, who played for the Chiba Jets ...
Tokyo Excellence shooting for NBDL championship
The Tokyo Excellence, who are in their first season in the National Basketball Development League (formerly the JBL2), have posted a splendid 29-3 record to date. The club is aiming to win the championship in the four-team playoffs this weekend. "It's unbelievable, because we are ...
