Third-seeded Hayata lost the opening game before seizing control by winning the next three en route to winning an Olympic medal in Paris.
NBA forward Rui Hachimura is back on the national basketball team for the first time since the Tokyo Olympics, helping raise hopes of success in Paris.
The Ryukyu Golden Kings are one of the premier teams in the B.League, whose EASL involvement and several new arenas are helping raise its overall profile.
Reigning champion Ryukyu eliminated the Chiba Jets and Hiroshima held off the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins to set the stage for the B.League Finals in Yokohama.
Chiba beat the Utsunomiya Brex in 2OT and Ryukyu edged the Alvark Tokyo to join the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins and the Hiroshima Dragonflies in the B.League...
Days after winning the East Asia Super League final, the Chiba Jets dominated the final three quarters of the All Japan Basketball Championship final.
Tournament MVP Yuki Togashi led the Jets with 24 points in a back-and-forth East Asia Super League championship match against the Seoul SK Knights.
With Basketball World Cup victories over Finland, Venezuela and Cape Verde, Japan elevated its profile as a much-improved team on the global stage.
Only three players return from Japan's 2019 Basketball World Cup roster, plus impressions of Golden Boot winner Hinata Miyazawa and hurdler Shunsuke Izumiya.
Luka Doncic led Slovenia with 23 points in a final tuneup for the FIBA Basketball World Cup. The dazzling playmaker also handed out seven assists.
In a back-and-forth duel with Chiba, Ryukyu finished strong in the second overtime to move within one win of its first B.League Finals title.
Veteran point guard Yuki Togashi, who had a pair of 30-point games in March, is recognized for leading the Jets' high-octane offense.