The 2024–25 B1 League season was the ninth season of the B1 League, the top Japanese professional basketball league, since its establishment in 2015. The regular season began on 5 October 2024.[1]
| 2024–25 B1 League season | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | B1 League | ||||||
| Season | 2024–25 | ||||||
| Duration | 5 October 2024 – 4 May 2025 (Regular season) 9 May 2024 – 27 May 2025 (Playoffs) | ||||||
| Games played | 60 | ||||||
| Teams | 24 | ||||||
| B1 Regular season | |||||||
| Top seed | Utsunomiya Brex | ||||||
| Season MVP |  D. J. Newbill (Utsunomiya) | ||||||
| B1 Finals | |||||||
| Champions | Utsunomiya Brex | ||||||
| Finals MVP | D. J. Newbill (Utsunomiya) | ||||||
| Statistical leaders | |||||||
| |||||||
← 2023–24 2025–26 → | |||||||
The Hiroshima Dragonflies were the defending champions, having won their first B1 League title after defeating the Ryukyu Golden Kings in the 2024 finals.[2] Utsunomiya Brex won the title, after defeating the Ryukyu Golden Kings in three games in the finals.[3] As champions, they qualified for the 2025 Basketball Champions League Asia and the 2025–26 East Asia Super League. D. J. Newbill stood out individually this season, winning both the season MVP and finals MVP awards.
Teams
edit
Chūkyō
Greater Tokyo
Location of teams within Aichi Prefecture, Chūkyō region
Team changes
edit| Promoted from 2023–24 B2 League |
Relegated from 2023–24 B1 League |
|---|---|
| Shiga Lakes Koshigaya Alphas |
Shinshu Brave Warriors Toyama Grouses |
Coaching changes
editIn-season
edit- On 24 January 2025, Utsunomiya Brex named Zico Coronel the interim head coach after Kevin Braswell was hospitalized. The team announced the death of Braswell on 24 February 2025.[4]
- On 15 April 2025, Sun Rockers Shibuya terminated the contract of head coach Luka Pavićević. Kyle Bailey was announced as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.[5]
Foreign players
editThis is the full list of international players competing in the 2024–25 season.[6]
Regular season
editStandings
editCentral Division
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | PCT | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San-en NeoPhoenix | 59 | 47 | 12 | 5355 | 4691 | +664 | .797 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 2 | Alvark Tokyo | 60 | 44 | 16 | 4566 | 4211 | +355 | .733 | |
| 3 | SeaHorses Mikawa | 60 | 39 | 21 | 4903 | 4562 | +341 | .650 | Wildcard |
| 4 | Nagoya Diamond Dolphins | 60 | 35 | 25 | 4928 | 4765 | +163 | .583 | |
| 5 | Fighting Eagles Nagoya | 60 | 30 | 30 | 4689 | 4756 | −67 | .500 | |
| 6 | Sun Rockers Shibuya | 60 | 30 | 30 | 4356 | 4252 | +104 | .500 | |
| 7 | Yokohama B-Corsairs | 60 | 24 | 36 | 4513 | 4770 | −257 | .400 | |
| 8 | Kawasaki Brave Thunders | 60 | 18 | 42 | 4725 | 5195 | −470 | .300 |
Source: B.League
East Division
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | PCT | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utsunomiya Brex | 60 | 48 | 12 | 5074 | 4507 | +567 | .800 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 2 | Chiba Jets | 60 | 42 | 18 | 4913 | 4567 | +346 | .700 | |
| 3 | Gunma Crane Thunders | 60 | 39 | 21 | 4649 | 4294 | +355 | .650 | Wildcard |
| 4 | Akita Northern Happinets | 60 | 28 | 32 | 4377 | 4473 | −96 | .467 | |
| 5 | Levanga Hokkaido | 60 | 21 | 39 | 4529 | 4795 | −266 | .350 | |
| 6 | Koshigaya Alphas | 60 | 19 | 41 | 4485 | 4835 | −350 | .317 | |
| 7 | Ibaraki Robots | 60 | 15 | 45 | 4354 | 4775 | −421 | .250 | |
| 8 | Sendai 89ers | 60 | 11 | 49 | 4350 | 4954 | −604 | .183 |
Source: B.League
West Division
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | PCT | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryukyu Golden Kings | 60 | 46 | 14 | 5129 | 4581 | +548 | .767 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 2 | Shimane Susanoo Magic | 60 | 37 | 23 | 4785 | 4518 | +267 | .617 | |
| 3 | Kyoto Hannaryz | 60 | 33 | 27 | 4920 | 4800 | +120 | .550 | |
| 4 | Osaka Evessa | 60 | 29 | 31 | 4917 | 5023 | −106 | .483 | |
| 5 | Hiroshima Dragonflies | 60 | 28 | 32 | 4813 | 4982 | −169 | .467 | |
| 6 | Nagasaki Velca | 60 | 26 | 34 | 4548 | 4697 | −149 | .433 | |
| 7 | Saga Ballooners | 60 | 22 | 38 | 4588 | 4745 | −157 | .367 | |
| 8 | Shiga Lakes | 59 | 8 | 51 | 4546 | 5264 | −718 | .136 |
Source: B.League
Canceled games
edit- 5 January: Shiga Lakes vs. San-en NeoPhoenix was abandoned after Javier Carter suffered a medical emergency on the court.[7]
Statistics
editIndividual statistic leaders
edit| Category | Player | Team | Statistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game |  Brock Motum | Shiga Lakes | 21.4 |
| Rebounds per game | Thomas Welsh | Levanga Hokkaido | 13.6 |
| Assists per game |  Ryusei Sasaki | San-en NeoPhoenix | 6.5 |
| Steals per game | Aaron Henry | Fighting Eagles Nagoya | 2.4 |
| Blocks per game |  Sacha Killeya-Jones | Kawasaki Brave Thunders | 2.0 |
| FG% | Scott Eatherton | Nagoya Diamond Dolphins | 60.5% |
| 3FG% | Makoto Hiejima | Utsunomiya Brex | 44.3% |
| FT% | Ryusei Shinoyama | Kawasaki Brave Thunders | 91.7% |
Team statistic leaders
edit| Category | Team | Statistic |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | San-en NeoPhoenix | 90.8 |
| Rebounds per game | Ryukyu Golden Kings | 34.5 |
| Assists per game | San-en NeoPhoenix | 22.6 |
| Steals per game | Akita Northern Happinets | 8.2 |
| Blocks per game | San-en NeoPhoenix | 3.9 |
| FG% | Kyoto Hannaryz | 47.3% |
| 3FG% | San-en NeoPhoenix | 35.7% |
| FT% | Ryukyu Golden Kings | 77.9% |
Playoffs
editBracket
editAll matches in the playoffs are in a best-of-three series. Teams in bold advanced to the next round.
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Utsunomiya Brex | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | SeaHorses Mikawa | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Utsunomiya Brex | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Chiba Jets | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Alvark Tokyo | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Chiba Jets | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Utsunomiya Brex | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Ryukyu Golden Kings | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | San-en NeoPhoenix | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Gunma Crane Thunders | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | San-en NeoPhoenix | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Ryukyu Golden Kings | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Ryukyu Golden Kings | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Shimane Susanoo Magic | 0 | ||||||||||||
Quarter-finals
edit(1) Utsunomiya Brex vs. (8) SeaHorses Mikawa
edit10 May 2025 |
| Utsunomiya Brex | 93–81 | SeaHorses Mikawa |
| Scoring by quarter: 19–14, 24–18, 22–22, 28–27 | ||
| Pts: Edwards 20 Rebs: Fotu 7 Asts: Newbill 7 |
Pts: Gardner 20 Rebs: Layman 8 Asts: Nagano 5 | |
| Utsunomiya leads series, 1–0 | ||
(2) San-en NeoPhoenix vs. (7) Gunma Crane Thunders
edit10 May 2025 |
| San-en NeoPhoenix | 83–80 | Gunma Crane Thunders |
| Scoring by quarter: 29–25, 19–21, 20–13, 15–21 | ||
| Pts: Nwaba 17 Rebs: Nwaba 10 Asts: Sasaki 8 |
Pts: McKinney-Jones 23 Rebs: Parker 8 Asts: Tsuji 5 | |
| San-en leads series, 1–0 | ||
11 May 2025 |
| San-en NeoPhoenix | 93–84 | Gunma Crane Thunders |
| Scoring by quarter: 25–22, 25–10, 18–24, 25–28 | ||
| Pts: Nwaba 26 Rebs: Nwaba 8 Asts: Nwaba, Oura, Sasaki 4 |
Pts: Fujii 22 Rebs: McKinney-Jones 6 Asts: Fujii 9 | |
| San-en won series, 2–0 | ||
(3) Ryukyu Golden Kings vs. (6) Shimane Susanoo Magic
edit9 May 2025 |
| Ryukyu Golden Kings | 79–71 | Shimane Susanoo Magic |
| Scoring by quarter: 16–19, 22–22, 22–13, 19–17 | ||
| Pts: Law 15 Rebs: Aluma, Cooley 9 Asts: Law 5 |
Pts: Tsuyama 21 Rebs: Kay 8 Asts: Kay, Tsuyama 4 | |
| Ryukyu leads series, 1–0 | ||
10 May 2025 |
| Ryukyu Golden Kings | 88–70 | Shimane Susanoo Magic |
| Scoring by quarter: 25–18, 21–27, 20–5, 22–20 | ||
| Pts: Law 26 Rebs: Law 9 Asts: Law, Onodera 4 |
Pts: Clarke 21 Rebs: Evans 7 Asts: Chika, Kay 5 | |
| Ryukyu won series, 2–0 | ||
(4) Alvark Tokyo vs. (5) Chiba Jets
edit10 May 2025 |
| Alvark Tokyo | 53–78 | Chiba Jets |
| Scoring by quarter: 8–23, 18–16, 13–23, 14–16 | ||
| Pts: Meindl 12 Rebs: Saiz 11 Asts: Rossiter 4 |
Pts: Smith 21 Rebs: Mooney 10 Asts: Segawa 4 | |
| Chiba leads series, 1–0 | ||
11 May 2025 |
| Alvark Tokyo | 65–92 | Chiba Jets |
| Scoring by quarter: 14–22, 14–28, 12–20, 25–22 | ||
| Pts: Meindl 17 Rebs: Rossiter 9 Asts: Meindl 6 |
Pts: Smith 20 Rebs: Mooney 9 Asts: Hogg, Mooney 4 | |
| Chiba won series, 2–0 | ||
Semi-finals
edit(1) Utsunomiya Brex vs. (5) Chiba Jets
edit17 May 2025 |
| Utsunomiya Brex | 84–67 | Chiba Jets |
| Scoring by quarter: 14–21, 20–13, 25–18, 25–15 | ||
| Pts: Newbill 24 Rebs: Edwards 9 Asts: Ogawa 6 |
Pts: Hogg 17 Rebs: Mooney 12 Asts: Togashi 7 | |
| Utsunomiya leads series, 1–0 | ||
18 May 2025 |
| Utsunomiya Brex | 55–74 | Chiba Jets |
| Scoring by quarter: 16–13, 13–19, 9–26, 17–16 | ||
| Pts: Jerrett 12 Rebs: Newbill 7 Asts: Endo, Jerrett, Newbill 2 |
Pts: Smith 23 Rebs: Hara 7 Asts: Hogg, Segawa, Togashi 3 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
19 May 2025 |
| Utsunomiya Brex | 82–71 | Chiba Jets |
| Scoring by quarter: 13–15, 30–16, 18–18, 21–22 | ||
| Pts: Jerrett 27 Rebs: Newbill 8 Asts: Newbill 6 |
Pts: Smith 22 Rebs: Mooney 8 Asts: Hogg, Togashi 5 | |
| Utsunomiya won series, 2–1 | ||
(2) San-en NeoPhoenix vs. (3) Ryukyu Golden Kings
edit17 May 2025 |
| San-en NeoPhoenix | 87–85 | Ryukyu Golden Kings |
| Scoring by quarter: 24–22, 20–23, 29–17, 14–23 | ||
| Pts: Nwaba 23 Rebs: Dudzinski 8 Asts: Oura, Sasaki 5 |
Pts: Law 17 Rebs: Law 14 Asts: Waki 6 | |
| San-en leads series, 1–0 | ||
18 May 2025 |
| San-en NeoPhoenix | 98–100 (2OT) | Ryukyu Golden Kings |
| Scoring by quarter: 15–14, 20–29, 22–17, 22–19, Overtime: 9–9, 10–12 | ||
| Pts: Nwaba 26 Rebs: Nwaba 13 Asts: Oura 9 |
Pts: Cooley 26 Rebs: Cooley 16 Asts: Law 6 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
19 May 2025 |
| San-en NeoPhoenix | 69–77 | Ryukyu Golden Kings |
| Scoring by quarter: 16–27, 26–16, 17–16, 10–18 | ||
| Pts: Maten 27 Rebs: Maten 9 Asts: Nemoto, Oura 5 |
Pts: Law 30 Rebs: Law 10 Asts: Ito 5 | |
| Ryukyu won series, 2–1 | ||
Finals
edit(1) Utsunomiya Brex vs. (3) Ryukyu Golden Kings
edit24 May 2025 |
| Utsunomiya Brex | 81–68 | Ryukyu Golden Kings |
| Scoring by quarter: 24–20, 17–15, 18–10, 22–23 | ||
| Pts: Newbill 25 Rebs: Hiejima 6 Asts: Newbill 6 |
Pts: Law 18 Rebs: Kirk 12 Asts: Ito, Kirk, Law 3 | |
| Utsunomiya leads series, 1–0 | ||
Nikkan Arena Tochigi, Utsunomiya Attendance: 13,121 Referees: Takaki Kato, Daigo Urushibara, Tsuyoshi Hiraide |
25 May 2025 |
| Utsunomiya Brex | 75–87 | Ryukyu Golden Kings |
| Scoring by quarter: 20–21, 23–14, 21–28, 11–24 | ||
| Pts: Newbill 21 Rebs: Newbill 7 Asts: Newbill 7 |
Pts: Law 19 Rebs: Aluma, Cooley 10 Asts: Waki 8 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Nikkan Arena Tochigi, Utsunomiya Attendance: 13,273 Referees: Takaki Kato, Daigo Urushibara, Tsuyoshi Hiraide |
27 May 2025 |
| Utsunomiya Brex | 73–71 | Ryukyu Golden Kings |
| Scoring by quarter: 11–18, 17–22, 16–11, 29–20 | ||
| Pts: Newbill 19 Rebs: Edwards 9 Asts: Newbill 5 |
Pts: Law 16 Rebs: Law 13 Asts: Waki 5 | |
| Utsunomiya won series, 2–1 | ||
Nikkan Arena Tochigi, Utsunomiya Attendance: 13,159 Referees: Takaki Kato, Daigo Urushibara, Tsuyoshi Hiraide |
B1 League clubs in Asian competitions
edit| Team | Competition | Progress |
|---|---|---|
| Hiroshima Dragonflies | Basketball Champions League Asia | Semifinals, 3rd place |
| East Asia Super League | Finals, Champions | |
| Ryukyu Golden Kings | Semifinals, 4th place |
B1 League clubs in World competitions
editReferences
edit- ↑ "[JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK] B.League Forges Ahead with Ambitious Goals". japan-forward.com. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ↑ "B.League Finals: Dragonflies Play Dynamic Defense in Game 3 to Win the Title". japan-forward.com. 29 May 2024.
- ↑ Odeven, Ed (2025-05-27). "B.League Finals: Utsunomiya Rallies Past Ryukyu to Capture the Title | JAPAN Forward". japan-forward.com. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
- ↑ "Former Georgetown basketball player Kevin Braswell dies at 46". ESPN.com. 24 February 2025. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
- ↑ "Struggling B.League Squad Shibuya Fires Bench Boss Pavicevic". japan-forward.com. 16 April 2025. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
- ↑ "Abroad players". bleague.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 6 November 2024.
- ↑ "B.LEAGUE stops Shiga vs San-en game after player collapses on court". One Sports. 5 January 2025. Retrieved 7 March 2025.