bj league

The bj league (日本プロバスケットボールリーグ, Nihon Puro Basukettobōru Rīgu, also referred to as the Basketball Japan League) was a professional basketball league in Japan that began in November 2005 as a six-team league. The league was operated as a competitor to the established Japan Super League which was run by the Japan Basketball Association, the official governing body of basketball in Japan. Over the next ten years the league saw continual expansion, with at least one new team joining every season, reaching 24 teams divided into two conferences in its final season in 2015–16. Turkish Airlines was the major sponsor of the 2014–15 and 2015–16 seasons.[1]

Bj league
Sportbasketball
Founded2005
Inaugural season2005–06
Ceased2016
Replaced byB.League
Owner(s)Basketball Japan League Co., Ltd.
CommissionerToshimitsu Kawachi
No. of teams24
Country Japan
ContinentFIBA Asia
Last
champion(s)		Ryukyu Golden Kings (4th title)
Most titlesRyukyu Golden Kings (4 titles)
TV partner(s)BS Fuji, Gaora
Sponsor(s)Turkish Airlines (2014–2016)
Level on pyramid1

The bj league operated on the American sports franchise system. This was in contrast to the Japan Super League and its successor, the National Basketball League, which was a corporate league composed primarily of company teams and other clubs affiliated with the JBA. There was no system of promotion and relegation between the two leagues. This division in the administration of the sport resulted in FIBA suspending the JBA from November 2014 until August 2015. As a condition of lifting the suspension, the bj league merged with the NBL and the National Basketball Development League to form the B.League.[2]

History

The formation of the league commenced in August 2004 with an announcement by Niigata Albirex BB and Saitama Broncos that they were withdrawing their membership of the Japan Basketball Association, and the establishment of an intermediary corporation later the same month that was tasked with forming a new league. In November 2004 the formation of the bj league was officially announced, with four newly-formed clubs (Oita Heat Devils, Osaka Deinonychus, Sendai 89ers and Tokyo Apache) to join the Niigata and Saitama teams. In May 2005 the owners of the Osaka franchise faced financial difficulty and transferred their licence to the club's intended main sponsor, who instead formed Osaka Evessa. In October 2005, three weeks prior to the start of the league's first season, the league announced its first expansion, with the Takamatsu Five Arrows and Toyama Grouses to join the 2006–07 season.

The 2005–06 season was a 40-match season, with each club playing 8 matches against each other. The inaugural game occurred on November 5, 2005 at Ariake Coliseum between the Tokyo Apache and Niigata Albirex. The Apache, led by Joe Bryant won in overtime by a score of 93-90 with Darin Maki scoring the first every basket in the opening seconds. Osaka and Niigata dominated the first season of the league with 31 and 29 wins respectively; Osaka became inaugural league champions by defeating Niigata 74–64 in the championship match.

The inclusion of the Takamatsu and Toyama teams saw the league separate into 4-team Eastern and Western conferences in the 2006–07 season. Each team again played 40 matches; eight against each of the teams in their conference and four against each of the teams in the opposing conference. However, teams were ranked in a single standings table, meaning three Western Conference teams (Osaka, Takamatsu and Tokyo) and Niigata competed in the semi-finals. Osaka claimed a second championship by defeating 94–78 in the final. The season also saw the league hold its first all-star match and announce that a further two expansion teams, Rizing Fukuoka and Ryukyu Golden Kings, would join the following season.

Teams

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

Former teams

Defunct teams

Expansion

The bj league had 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
SeasonChampionsRunners-up
2005–06Osaka EvessaNiigata Albirex BB
2006–07Takamatsu Five Arrows
2007–08Tokyo Apache
2008–09Ryukyu Golden Kings
2009–10Hamamatsu Higashimikawa PhoenixOsaka Evessa
2010–11Ryukyu Golden Kings
2011–12Ryukyu Golden KingsHamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix
2012–13Yokohama B-CorsairsRizing Fukuoka
2013–14Ryukyu Golden KingsAkita Northern Happinets
2014–15Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix
2015–16Ryukyu Golden KingsToyama Grouses

All-star game
SeasonDateArenaHost CityResultMVP (Team)
2006–07January 27, 2007Ginowan Municipal GymnasiumGinowan City, Okinawa PrefectureEAST 126–97 WESTJerod Ward (Toyama Grouses)
2007–08December 29, 2007Toki MesseNiigata City, Niigata PrefectureEAST 121–94 WESTNaoto Kosuge (Niigata Albirex BB)
2008–09January 25, 2009Beppu Beacon PlazaBeppu, Ōita PrefectureEAST 117–96 WESTBobby St. Preux (Sendai 89ERS)
2009–10January 31, 2010Sekisui Heim Super ArenaRifu, Miyagi PrefectureWEST 105–102 EASTMichael Parker (Rizing Fukuoka)
2010–11January 23, 2011Osaka Prefectural GymnasiumOsaka, Osaka PrefectureWEST 110–109 EASTLynn Washington (Osaka Evessa)
2011–12January 15, 2012Saitama Super ArenaSaitama, Saitama PrefectureWEST 120–93 EASTLynn Washington (Osaka Evessa)
2012–13January 20, 2013Ariake ColiseumKoto Ward, TokyoWEST 128–119 EASTMichael Parker (Shimane Susanoo Magic)
2013–14January 26, 2014Akita Municipal GymnasiumAkita, Akita PrefectureEAST 98–91 WESTYuki Togashi (Akita Northern Happinets)
2014–15February 1, 2015ALSOK Gunma ArenaGunma, Gunma PrefectureWEST 105–94 EASTTerrance Woodbury (Shiga Lakestars)
2015–16January 26, 2016Xebio Arena SendaiSendai, Miyagi PrefectureEAST 115–108 WESTLe'Bryan Nash (Fukushima Firebonds)

Awards

Season MVP
SeasonRecipientTeam
2005–06Lynn WashingtonOsaka Evessa
2006–07David Palmer
2007–08Lynn Washington
2008–09Jeff NewtonRyukyu Golden Kings
2009–10Wendell WhiteHamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix
2010–11Jeffrey Parmer
2011–12Justin Burrell[5]Yokohama B-Corsairs
2012–13Anthony McHenryRyukyu Golden Kings
2013–14Masashi JohoToyama Grouses
2014–15Kejuan JohnsonSendai 89ers
2015–16Wendell White

Best 5
SeasonGuardForwardCenter
2005–06Matt Lottich
(Osaka Evessa)		Yukinori Suzuki
(Oita Heat Devils)		Michael Jackson
(Sendai 89ERS)		William Pippen
(Tokyo Apache)		Nick Davis
(Niigata Albirex BB)
2006–07Kohei Aoki
(Tokyo Apache)		Rasheed Sparks
(Takamatsu Five Arrows)		Lynn Washington
(Osaka Evessa)		Andy Ellis
(Oita Heat Devils)		Nick Davis
(Niigata Albirex BB)
2007–08Mikey Marshall
(Osaka Evessa)		Naoto Takushi
(Ryukyu Golden Kings)		Reggie Warren
(Takamatsu Five Arrows)		Andy Ellis
(Oita Heat Devils)		Patrick Whearty
(Sendai 89ERS)
2008–09Michael Gardener
(Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix)		Naoto Takushi
(Ryukyu Golden Kings)		Bobby St. Preux
(Sendai 89ERS)		Lynn Washington
(Osaka Evessa)		Jeff Newton
(Ryukyu Golden Kings)
2009–10Kohei Aoki
(Tokyo Apache)		Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
(Kyoto Hannaryz)		Michael Parker
(Rizing Fukuoka)		Wendell White
(Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix)		Julius Ashby
(Tokyo Apache)
2010–11Wayne Arnold
(Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix)		Takumi Ishizaki
(Shimane Susanoo Magic)		Jeffrey Parmer
(Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix)		Michael Parker
(Rizing Fukuoka)		Anthony McHenry
(Ryukyu Golden Kings)
2011–12Jermaine Dixon
(Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix)		Masashi Joho
(Toyama Grouses)		Kevin Palmer
(Rizing Fukuoka)		Justin Burrell
(Yokohama B-Corsairs)		Atsuya Ohta
(Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix)
2012–13Narito Namizato
(Ryukyu Golden Kings)		Draelon Burns
(Yokohama B-Corsairs)		Anthony McHenry
(Ryukyu Golden Kings)		Chris Holm
(Niigata Albirex BB)		Jeral Davis
(Shimane Susanoo Magic)
SeasonGuardForward/Center
2013–14Yuki Togashi
(Akita Northern Happinets)		Masashi Joho
(Toyama Grouses)		Ira Brown
(Toyama Grouses)		Reggie Warren
(Rizing Fukuoka)		Anthony McHenry
(Ryukyu Golden Kings)
2014–15Shigehiro Taguchi
(Akita Northern Happinets)		Kejuan Johnson
(Sendai 89ers)		Scootie Randall
(Iwate Big Bulls)		Richard Roby
(Akita Northern Happinets)		Reggie Warren
(Rizing Fukuoka)
2015–16Ryuichi Kishimoto
(Ryukyu Golden Kings)		Masashi Joho
(Toyama Grouses)		Le'Bryan Nash
(Fukushima Firebonds)		Wendell White
(Sendai 89ers)		Josh Davis
(Shimane Susanoo Magic)

References
  1. Turkish Airlines becomes top sponsor
  2. Nagatsuka, Kaz (29 August 2015). "JPBL finalizes division placements for 2016–17". The Japan Times. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  3. JBA vacillates as clock ticks on possible FIBA suspension
  4. Odeven, Ed (2 October 2014). "Key questions entering 10th season". Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  5. American Justin Burrell wins MVP in Japan pro league – ESPN

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