National Basketball League (Japan)
The National Basketball League (NBL) is a professional basketball league in Japan. It exists alongside the bj league, which is Japan's other basketball competition. There is no system of promotion and relegation between bj-league and the NBL.
In 2012 the Japan Basketball Association (JBA) announced its intention to establish the National Basketball League as the top-flight professional league in Japan to replace its predecessor, the Japan Basketball League. Below the NBL is the National Basketball Development League (NBDL), which is the successor to the former JBL 2 division. The first NBL season started in Autumn 2013, with Toshiba defeating Wakayama to take the inaugural title in May 2014. [1]
The JBA was suspended by FIBA in November 2014 for failing to address the fragmentation of the sport into competing leagues. As a condition of FIBA lifting the suspension in August 2015, the NBL and NBDL will merge with the bj-league to form the B.League. The new league will commence in October 2016.[2]
Teams
The 2014-15 season saw the Hiroshima Dragonflies enter the league as an expansion team[3] and the Tsukuba Robots transfer from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference. The league abandoned the two-conference system for the 2015-16 season; teams will play five matches against each other for a total 55-game regular season.[4] The Wakayama Trians, which withdrew from the 2014-15 season in January 2015 due to financial difficulty,[5] were refused entry into the 2015-2016 season.[6]
Current teams
- Aisin Seahorses Mikawa (Aichi Prefecture)
- Chiba Jets (Chiba Prefecture)
- Hiroshima Dragonflies (Hiroshima Prefecture)
- Hitachi SunRockers Tokyo (Tokyo, and Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture)
- Kumamoto Volters (Kumamoto Prefecture)
- Levanga Hokkaido (Hokkaido Prefecture)
- Link Tochigi Brex (Tochigi Prefecture)
- Mitsubishi Diamond Dolphins Nagoya (Aichi Prefecture)
- Nishinomiya Storks (Hyogo Prefecture)
- Toshiba Brave Thunders Kanagawa (Kanagawa Prefecture)
- Toyota Alvark Tokyo (Tokyo)
- Tsukuba Robots (Ibaraki Prefecture)
Former teams
- Wakayama Trians (Wakayama Prefecture)
Playoff champions
| Season | Champions | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | Toshiba Brave Thunders Kanagawa | Wakayama Trians |
| 2014–15 | Aisin Seahorses Mikawa | Toyota Alvark Tokyo |
All-star game
| Season | Date | Arena | Host City | Result | MVP (Team) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | December 29, 2013 | Ōta Gymnasium | Ōta, Tokyo | WEST 114-106 EAST | Michael Parker (Wakayama Trians) |
| 2014–15 | January 17, 2015 | WEST 127-114 EAST | Amath M'Baye (Mitsubishi Diamond Dolphins Nagoya) | ||
| 2015–16 | January 17, 2016 | Todoroki Arena | Kawasaki, Kanagawa | WEST 152-145 EAST (2 OT) | Davante Gardner (Nishinomiya Storks)[7] |
References
- ↑ Brave Thunders cap dominant season with first NBL championship
- ↑ Nagatsuka, Kaz (29 August 2015). "JPBL finalizes division placements for 2016-17". The Japan Times. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
- ↑ Hiroshima Dragonflies triumph in NBL regular season debut
- ↑ "2015-2016 レギュラーシーズン開催概要及び日程発表のお知らせ" [Outline and schedule of 2015-2016 regular season] (in Japanese). 1 June 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
- ↑ "Financial Wors Force Trians to Quit NBL". 7 January 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
- ↑ "和歌山トライアンズ 2015-2016シーズン参入審議否決について" [About the refusal of entry of the Wakayama Trians to the 2015-2016 season]. Japan Basketball League. 30 April 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
- ↑ Nagatsuka, Kaz (January 17, 2016). "Gardner leads West past East in NBL All-Star Game". The Japan Times.
External links
- Official NBL website (Japanese)
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