Japan men's basketball league makes pitch for season opening

Japan men's basketball league makes pitch for season opening

TOKYO, Japan - Members of the men's basketball "bj League" pose at a press conference in Tokyo on Sept. 25, 2014, a week ahead of the opening of the Japanese basketball league's new season on Oct. 4.

Phoenix win bj-league title

Phoenix win bj-league title

TOKYO, Japan - Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix forward Jeffrey Parmer (R) advances to the basket during the bj-league final against the Ryukyu Golden Kings at Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo on May 22, 2011. The Phoenix beat the Golden Kings 82-68. Parmer was named MVP.

Osaka wins 2nd straight basketball bj league title

Osaka wins 2nd straight basketball bj league title

TOKYO, Japan - Osaka Evessa team members celebrate after beating the Takamatsu Five Arrows 94-78 in Tokyo to win their second consecutive bj league title on April 22. Osaka, the top finisher in the regular season, led 70-63 after the third quarter and outscored Takamatsu by nine in the last quarter of the playoff final at Ariake Colosseum.

Osaka wins 2nd straight basketball bj league title

Osaka wins 2nd straight basketball bj league title

TOKYO, Japan - Osaka Evessa team members celebrate after beating the Takamatsu Five Arrows 94-78 in Tokyo to win their second consecutive bj league title on April 22. Osaka, the top finisher in the regular season, led 70-63 after the third quarter and outscored Takamatsu by nine in the last quarter of the playoff final at Ariake Colosseum. (Kyodo)

Japan basketball community leaders strike pose with single league in sight

Japan basketball community leaders strike pose with single league in sight

Saburo Kawabuchi (C), chairman of the Japan Basketball Association, poses after a press conference in Tokyo on July 27, 2015, together with Toshimitsu Kawachi (L), commissioner of the bj-League, and Mikiya Horii, vice chairman of the National Basketball League. The two leagues have agreed to merge in 2016 under Kawabuchi's initiative after the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) barred the domestic basketball community from participation in international competitions last November for being split. The sanction was lifted in June. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Final bj-league basketball season to start in October

Final bj-league basketball season to start in October

Players representing the Japanese men's professional basketball teams attend a press meeting in Tokyo on Sept. 17, 2015, before the start of the final Turkish Airlines bj-league basketball season on Oct. 2. The new "B. League" will start in the fall of 2016 by merging the bj-league and the Japan Professional Basketball League. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Phoenix win bj-league title

Phoenix win bj-league title

TOKYO, Japan - Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix forward Jeffrey Parmer (R) advances to the basket during the bj-league final against the Ryukyu Golden Kings at Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo on May 22, 2011. The Phoenix beat the Golden Kings 82-68. Parmer was named MVP. (Kyodo)

Japan men's basketball league makes pitch for season opening

Japan men's basketball league makes pitch for season opening

TOKYO, Japan - Members of the men's basketball "bj League" pose at a press conference in Tokyo on Sept. 25, 2014, a week ahead of the opening of the Japanese basketball league's new season on Oct. 4. (Kyodo)

Yokohama, Akita players in bj-league game

Yokohama, Akita players in bj-league game

YOKOHAMA, Japan - Yokohama B-Corsairs guard Marcus Simmons (10) dribbles while Akita Northern Happinets guard Ryosuke Mizumachi (2) stays in front of him during a bj-league game in Yokohama on Jan. 29, 2012. Yokohama won 79-72. (Kyodo)

12 teams to join top division in Japan's reformed pro basketball league

12 teams to join top division in Japan's reformed pro basketball league

Saburo Kawabuchi (2nd from L), president of the Japan Basketball Association, attends a press conference in Tokyo on July 30, 2015, in which he announced the first batch of 12 teams that will play in the top division of Japan's new men's professional basketball league from next year. Six teams are to join from the National Basketball League and the other six from the Basketball Japan League or bj league. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

12 teams to join top division in Japan's reformed pro basketball league

12 teams to join top division in Japan's reformed pro basketball league

Saburo Kawabuchi (C), president of the Japan Basketball Association, speaks during a press conference in Tokyo on July 30, 2015, in announcing the first batch of 12 teams that will play in the top division of Japan's new men's professional basketball league from next year. Six teams are to join from the National Basketball League and the other six from the Basketball Japan League or bj league. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo