2016.05.14
TK bj-league finals play out this weekend
Japan’s two rival pro-basketball leagues, the TKbj-League and NBL, the National Basketball League, will be unified for season 2016-17 into one professional top league called B. League.
The decision to unify the two leagues that formerly had no interaction between them came after FIBA, the governing body of the world’s basketball, suspended the Japanese Basketball Association in November 2014 from the world body, which meant that Japanese teams were banned from international competitions including the Olympics. As the leagues agreed to merge into the new B. League, the ban was lifted in Aug. 2015 opening the way for the Japanese national team to compete in international tournaments.
It also means this is the final season of the TKbj-League, and the championship of this season is the last championship of the league. The Ryukyu Golden Kings, Okinawa’s home team and one of the most successful in the league, will play in the finals of this season on Saturday against Kyoto Hannaryz, which finished in the 1st place of the Western Conference.
The final for the Western Conference Championship started at 13:10 today on the court of Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo.
The conference final for Eastern Conference will begin at 17:10 on the same court. The winners of both leagues will face at the league championship match also at Ariake Coliseum starting 17:10 on Sunday.
The game for the third place will be tip off at 12:40 on Sunday. BS Fuji TV channel will broadcast live the final matches of each conference, and the League Championship final match.