bj league
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| Sport | basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2005 |
| Inaugural season | 2005–06 |
| Owner(s) | Basketball Japan League Co.,Ltd. |
| Commissioner | Toshimitsu Kawachi |
| No. of teams | 24 |
| Country |  Japan |
| Continent | FIBA Asia (Asia) |
| Most recent champion(s) | Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix (3rd title) |
| Most titles | Osaka Evessa Ryukyu Golden Kings Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix (3 titles each) |
| TV partner(s) | BS Fuji, Gaora |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Official website | bj-league.com |
The bj league (Basketball Japan League) is a professional basketball league in Japan that began on November 5, 2005. The 22-team league is divided into two conferences, the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. It had its inaugural All-Star game in 2006. Turkish Airlines has been the major sponsor since the 2014–15 season.[1]
The bj league operates on the American sports franchise system. Alongside the bj league there is the National Basketball League, which is a corporate league composed of company teams and other clubs that are affiliated with the Japan Basketball Association, the official governing body of basketball in Japan. There is no promotion and relegation between the bj league and the NBL. FIBA suspended the JBA from November 2014 until August 2015. As a condition of lifting the suspension, the bj league will merge with the NBL and the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) to form the B.League.[2]
Contents
Teams
Eastern Conference
- Akita Northern Happinets (Akita Prefecture)
- Aomori Wat's (Aomori Prefecture)
- Fukushima Firebonds (Fukushima Prefecture)
- Gunma CraneThunders (Gunma Prefecture)
- Iwate Big Bulls (Iwate Prefecture)
- Niigata Albirex BB (Niigata, Niigata Prefecture)
- Saitama Broncos (Saitama Prefecture)
- Sendai 89ERS (Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture)
- Shinshu Brave Warriors (Nagano Prefecture)
- Tokyo Cinq Rêves (Tokyo)
- Toyama Grouses (Toyama Prefecture)
- Yokohama B-Corsairs (Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture)
Western Conference
- Bambitious Nara (Nara Prefecture)
- Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix (Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, and Higashimikawa Area, Aichi Prefecture)
- Hiroshima Lightning (Hiroshima Prefecture)
- Kanazawa Samuraiz (Ishikawa Prefecture)
- Kyoto Hannaryz (Kyoto Prefecture)
- Oita Heat Devils (Beppu, Ōita Prefecture)
- Osaka Evessa (Osaka Prefecture)
- Rizing Fukuoka (Fukuoka Prefecture)
- Ryukyu Golden Kings (Okinawa Prefecture)
- Shiga Lakestars (Shiga Prefecture)
- Shimane Susanoo Magic (Shimane Prefecture)
- Takamatsu Five Arrows (Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture)
Former teams
- Chiba Jets (Chiba Prefecture) (Joined the NBL for the 2013–14 season)
Defunct teams
Expansion
The bj league has rapidly expanded since its inauguration as a six-team league in 2005.[3] The league expanded to 22 teams for the 2014–15 season with the addition of the Fukushima Firebonds.[4] For its final season the number increased to 24 with the addition of Kanazawa Samuraiz and Hiroshima Lightning.
Playoff champions
| Season | Champions | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2005–06 | Osaka Evessa | Niigata Albirex BB |
| 2006–07 | Osaka Evessa | Takamatsu Five Arrows |
| 2007–08 | Osaka Evessa | Tokyo Apache |
| 2008–09 | Ryukyu Golden Kings | Tokyo Apache |
| 2009–10 | Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix | Osaka Evessa |
| 2010–11 | Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix | Ryukyu Golden Kings |
| 2011–12 | Ryukyu Golden Kings | Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix |
| 2012–13 | Yokohama B-Corsairs | Rizing Fukuoka |
| 2013–14 | Ryukyu Golden Kings | Akita Northern Happinets |
| 2014–15 | Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix | Akita Northern Happinets |
All-star game
Awards
Season MVP
| Season | Recipient | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2005–06 | Lynn Washington | Osaka Evessa |
| 2006–07 | David Palmer | Osaka Evessa |
| 2007–08 | Lynn Washington | Osaka Evessa |
| 2008–09 | Jeff Newton | Ryukyu Golden Kings |
| 2009–10 | Wendell White | Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix |
| 2010–11 | Jeffrey Parmer | Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix |
| 2011–12 | Justin Burrell[5] | Yokohama B-Corsairs |
| 2012–13 | Anthony McHenry | Ryukyu Golden Kings |
| 2013–14 | Masashi Joho | Toyama Grouses |
| 2014–15 | Kejuan Johnson | Sendai 89ers |
Best 5
| Season | Guard | Forward | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | Yuki Togashi (Akita Northern Happinets) |
Masashi Joho (Toyama Grouses) |
Ira Brown (Toyama Grouses) |
Reggie Warren (Rizing Fukuoka) |
Anthony McHenry (Ryukyu Golden Kings) |
| 2014–15 | Shigehiro Taguchi (Akita Northern Happinets) |
Kejuan Johnson (Sendai 89ers) |
Scootie Randall (Iwate Big Bulls) |
Richard Roby (Akita Northern Happinets) |
Reggie Warren (Rizing Fukuoka) |
References
- ↑ Turkish Airlines becomes top sponsor
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ JBA vacillates as clock ticks on possible FIBA suspension
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ American Justin Burrell wins MVP in Japan pro league – ESPN
External links
- (Japanese) bj league Official Web site
- (Japanese) bjtv
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