Sports

[JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK] B.League Forges Ahead with Ambitious Goals

Developing five B.League players and sending them to the NBA by 2030 is one of the league's top objectives over the next several years.

Published

2 days ago

June 30, 2024

Ed Odeven

B.League chairman Shinji Shimada displays a poster to highlight the league's long-term goals at a news conference in Tokyo on June 27, 2024. (B.LEAGUE)

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The B.League is entering its ninth season. It's not an old league, but it already has a considerable amount of history ― accomplishments celebrated by the fans and chronicled by the media.

When the first game of the 2024-25 campaign tips off on October 3, the league will take another step closer to being in business for a decade.

At the same time, the decision by the late FIBA secretary general Patrick Baumann and other top global basketball officials to force a merger of the bj-league and the NBL (the successor to the JBL) in 2016 continues to look like a stroke of genius. Clearly, suspending the Japan Basketball Association in November 2014 from participation in global basketball activities was a necessary step to create a sense of urgency within the JBA.

It worked.

Furthermore, as this reporter has observed and heard from watching countless games and speaking to hundreds of players and coaches and fans in Japan since the merger, it was the right thing to do. It improved the game in all aspects of operations and governance. In addition, it planted the seeds for the possibility of unified leadership within the Japan Basketball Association and a new era of cooperation and a commitment to visionary goals.

*The Hiroshima Dragonflies celebrate after winning the B.League Finals on May 28 at Yokohama Arena. In the decisive Game 3, Hiroshima defeated the Ryukyu Golden Kings 65-50. (B.LEAGUE)*

B.League Outlines Big Goals

Shinji Shimada, the B.League chairman, outlined key future objectives for the ambitious hoop circuit at a news conference on Thursday, June 27 in Tokyo.

One of the bolder objectives is something that Japanese basketball fans will have no trouble rooting for. Shimada said the B.League wants to develop five players who'll go from the B.League into the NBA by 2030.

As the B.League revamps its business operations, it is raising the bar for revenue goals and attendance figures (a target of of 7 million for the 2028-29 season). Teams in B1 (first division) and B2 (second division) had a combined attendance of more than 4.5 million for games during the 2023-24 season.

Name recognition and reputation as a top-quality league are connected goals as well, according to Shimada.

The rebranded top division will be known as B.Premier starting in the 2026-27 season. B2 and B3 will become B.League One and B.League Next, respectively.

Setting Sights on Greater Global Recognition

Recognizing the success of the NBA as the world's premier basketball league and also the popularity of teams and leagues in Europe, Shimada said the B.League refuses to settle for mediocrity. Instead, ambition is at the heart of the league's goals.

"There are many perspectives, but at least in terms of the size of the league, we have already jumped to second place after the NBA this year," Shimada was quoted as saying by Sports Hochi on Thursday. "The scale of business of the top clubs is almost on par with the top clubs in Europe, [and] the competitiveness is also increasing considerably.

"By 2050, the most popular basketball leagues in the world will be the NBA and the B.League, both in name and reality."

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Author: Ed Odeven

Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.