The up-and-coming B-League is aiming for second place in the world behind the NBA

After making great strides on and off the court, Japan’s B-League basketball competition has set the lofty goal of being second only to the NBA in viewership, revenue and quality of play.

In the groundbreaking 2023/24 season, viewership in Japan’s top two divisions rose to around 4.52 million, a 40 percent increase from the previous year. It began shortly after the men’s national team captivated the country by co-hosting the 2023 FIBA ​​World Cup.

The business volume of the B-League and its clubs totaled 58.8 billion yen ($394 million), tripling since the inaugural 2016-17 season, which followed the chaotic merger of two different leagues.

“Basketball is like a ‘composite art’ that encompasses the game itself, entertaining the fans and staging the event,” said B-League Chairman Shinji Shimada. “The fact that the quality reached a level where first-time visitors felt like it was fun to watch was great.”

“During our (recent) league reform, we asked clubs to ensure attendance at matches while expanding the scope of their business. Every club has done everything in the last five years to attract fans and improve the quality of the product, which has laid the foundation (for the latest figures).

The 53-year-old believes star signings and newly built venues will further boost competition in the new season, which ended on October 3.

“I believe we can offer the highest quality games ever,” he said. “Ticket sales for the opening games were higher than last season and the continuity (of support) from fans exceeded all expectations. I assume that the league will develop even stronger than last season.”

Japanese striker Yuta Watanabe’s move to the Chiba Jets after six seasons in the NBA was undoubtedly the biggest incentive for the new season, as the club saw an increase in membership and games sold out in advance. Other teams and their hometowns will also benefit from larger crowds when Chiba plays away.

The league’s rise in status is also reflected in other international signings: Johannes Thiemann, world champion with Germany, is moving to the Gunma Crane Thunders and Brazilian Cristiano Felicio, who played six seasons in the NBA, chose Sendai 89ERS as his next club.

“They will help raise the level of Japanese players,” Watanabe said, while Shimada pointed out that the presence of former NBA players “will attract more top foreign players.”

New specialized venues are also designed to improve the experience of visiting fans: Chiba is opening the LaLa Arena Tokyo-Bay, which hosts around 11,000 spectators, and Nagasaki Velca welcomes around 6,000 spectators to its new Happiness Arena.

Another structural change will be the introduction of the new top-tier B-League Premier in 2026, which will include clubs that meet arena size, attendance and revenue criteria. 22 of them were approved on Thursday.

The league is targeting seven million viewers and 80 billion yen in revenue by the 2028-29 season, while sending five players to the NBA by 2030. Shimada, who set three goals for himself during the startup, is confident that the project is on the right track.

“They were clubs that realized regional revitalization, made profits and contributed to the strengthening of the Japanese national team,” he said. “As a result, we were able to convince municipalities to build arenas and convince club owners to bring in financially strong companies.”

“The Japanese national team has performed well and we are where we are thanks to a combination of many miracles. I think this is a Japanese basketball miracle.”

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