Pro Basketball in Japan B.League
Pro basketball in japan is now the B.League after the merger of the National Basketball League (NBL) and the bj league. The new B.League began in 2016.
Japanese Pro Basketball Bリーグ
Marshall Hughes
Tochigi Brex, Basketball in Japan
A few years ago, pro basketball in Japan was a mess, with too many teams in too many leagues (and too few fans), with little cooperation between the various factions.
Finally, in late 2014, FIBA (basically the basketball version of soccer's FIFA) said "assez c'est assez" (enough is enough) and suspended participation of Japanese basketball in all international competitions. The main reason given was the failure of the Japan Basketball Association to merge the National Basketball League (NBL), which had been around for decades, and the bj league, which was formed in 2005.
Japan's basketball bigwigs started to cooperate, and out of the ruins came the B.League, the merging of the two leagues. The B. League has three divisions, with 18 teams each in Division 1 and Division 2, and nine teams in the semi-professional Division 3. (See bottom for listing of teams). Division 1, the top division, and Division 2 are divided into Eastern, Western and Central conferences with six teams in each conference.
Basketball in Japan
Each Division 1 team can have three foreigners. Anybody who was born in and finished elementary school in Japan is considered to be Japanese for the purposes of this rule. Also, each team can have one naturalized player.
Only two foreigners are allowed to be on the floor at one time, and foreigners are allowed only to play a combined six quarters a game. Phew!
Like the J-League, Japan's pro soccer league, and European soccer leagues, there are promotions and relegations (demotions) at the end of each year. These are between the top two divisions. Basically three teams are promoted and three teams are relegated each season. This number, however, is not set in stone.
The first game of the new B. League was played on September 22, 2016, at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium, with an interesting twist.
The floor of the gym is covered by LED screens, giving the game a feel of watching a video game.
The B.League got a huge boost at the beginning of the 2016-17 season when telecommunications giant Softbank became a sponsor of the league - a very large sponsor.
Softbank reportedly planned to spend billions of yen to support the league in its inaugural season.
Some media reports put the amount north of ¥3 billion yen ($2.62 million US dollars). For its investment, Softbank got exclusive rights to webcast all B.League games to smartphones, tablets and PC users.
If you decide to watch a game, two of the more notable players (as of the 2016-17 season) are Tochigi Brex' Yuta Tabuse, the first Japan-born Japanese to play in the NBA, and Levanga Hokkaido's 46-year-old Takehiko Orimo. Tabuse played four games for the Phoenix Suns of the NBA in the 2004-05 season.
Division 1 Teams (Top Division) 2017
East Conference
Team
Location
Arena
Previous League
Akita Northern Happinets
Akita
CNA Arena Akita
bj-league
Alvark Tokyo
Fuchu, Tokyo
Yoyogi National Gymnasium
NBL
Chiba Jets
Funabashi, Chiba
Funabashi Arena
NBL
Levanga Hokkaido
Sapporo, Hokkaido
Hokkaido Kitayell
NBL
Link Tochigi Brex
Utsunomiya, Tochigi
Brex Arena Utsunomiya
NBL
Sendai 89ers
Sendai, Miyagi
Kamei Arena Sendai
bj-league
Central Conference
Team
Location
Arena
Previous League
Hitachi SunRockers Tokyo-Shibuya
Tokyo
Aoyama Gakuin University Gymnasium
NBL
Niigata Albirex BB
Nagaoka, Niigata
City Hall Plaza
Ao-re Nagaoka
bj-league
SAN-EN NeoPhoenix
Toyohashi, Aichi
Toyohashi City General Gymnasium
bj-league
Toshiba Kawasaki Brave Thunders
Kawasaki, Kanagawa
Kawasaki Todoroki Arena
NBL
Toyama Grouses
Toyama, Toyama
Toyama City Gymnasium
bj-league
Yokohama B-Corsairs
Yokohama, Kanagawa
Yokohama International Swimming Pool
bj-league
West Conference
Team
Location
Arena
Previous League
Kyoto Hannaryz
Kyoto
Hannaryz Arena (Kyoto Municipal Gymnasium)
bj-league
Nagoya Diamond Dolphins
Nagoya, Aichi
Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium
NBL
Osaka Evessa
Osaka, Osaka
Fumin Kyosai Super Arena
bj-league
Ryukyu Golden Kings
Okinawa, Okinawa
Okinawa City Gymnasium
bj-league
SeaHorses Mikawa
Kariya, Aichi
Wing Arena Kariya
NBL
Shiga Lakestars
Otsu, Shiga
Ukaruchan Arena
bj-league
Division 2 Teams 2017
East Conference
Aomori Wat's (Aomori), Cyberdyne Ibaraki Robots (Tsukuba), Fukushima Firebonds (Koriyama), Gunma Crane Thunders (Maebashi), Iwate Big Bulls (Morioka), Passlab Yamagata Wyverns (Yamagata)
Central Conference
Bambitious Nara (Nara), Earth Friends Tokyo Z (Ota, Tokyo), Nishinomiya Storks (Nishinomiya), Shinshu Brave Warriors (Chikuma), Tokyo Excellence (Itabashi, Tokyo), Toyotsu Fighting Eagles Nagoya (Nagoya)
West Conference
Ehime Orange Vikings (Matsuyama), Hiroshima Dragonflies (Hiroshima), Kagawa Five Arrows (Takamatsu), Kagoshima Rebnise (Kagoshima), Kumamoto Volters (Kumamoto), Shimane Susanoo Magic (Matsue)
Third Division
Aisin AW Areions (Anjo), Kanazawa Samuraiz (Kanazawa), Otsuka Corporation Alphas (Tokyo), Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka (Fukuoka), Saitama Broncos (Tokorozawa), Tokio Marine Nichido Big Blue (Nerima, Tokyo), Tokyo Cinq Rêves (Chofu, Tokyo), Tokyo Hachioji Trains (Hachioji, Tokyo), Toyoda Gosei Scorpions (Kiyosu)
Kagoshima Rebnise, Basketball in Japan
