2023–24 B1 League season

2023–24 B1 League season
LeagueB.League
Season2023–24
Duration5 October 2023 – 28 May 2024
TV partner(s)Basket LIVE, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, NHK, SKY PerfecTV!, others
B1 Regular season
RelegatedShinshu Brave Warriors
Toyama Grouses
B1 Finals
ChampionsHiroshima Dragonflies
  Runners-upRyukyu Golden Kings
Statistical leaders
Points Perrin Buford (Shimane) 22.6
Rebounds Thomas Welsh (Hokkaido) 12.2
Assists Yuki Kawamura (Yokohama) 8.1
← 2022-23
2024-25 →

The 2023–24 B1 League season was the eighth season of the B1 League, the top Japanese professional basketball league, since its establishment in 2015.[1] The regular season began on 5 October 2023.[2]

The Ryukyu Golden Kings are the defending champions, having won their first B1 League title after defeating the Chiba Jets in the 2023 Finals.[3]

Teams

Team changes

Promoted from
2022–23 B2 League 		Relegated from
2022–23 B1 League
Saga Ballooners
Nagasaki Velca 		Niigata Albirex BB
Shiga Lakes

Coaching changes

Team Outgoing Incoming
Off-season
Ibaraki Robots Richard Glesmann James Andrisevic
SeaHorses Mikawa Kimikazu Suzuki Ryan Richman
Sunrockers Shibuya Ken Hamanaka Luka Pavićević
In season
Ibaraki Robots James Andrisevic Richard Glesmann
Toyama Grouses Daisuke Takaoka J. R. Sakuragi

Regular season

Standings

Central
Pos Team Pld W L GF GA GD Qualification or relegation
1 San-en NeoPhoenix (Q) 60 46 14 5371 4749 +622 Qualification to playoffs
2 SeaHorses Mikawa (Q) 60 36 24 4821 4545 +276
3 Sun Rockers Shibuya 60 35 25 4520 4443 +77
4 Kawasaki Brave Thunders 60 33 27 4825 4703 +122
5 Fighting Eagles Nagoya 60 33 27 4553 4496 +57
6 Yokohama B-Corsairs 60 24 36 4629 4945 −316
7 Shinshu Brave Warriors (R) 60 10 50 4332 4955 −623 Relegated to B2 League
8 Toyama Grouses (R) 60 4 56 4318 5150 −832
Source: B.League
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated; (R) Relegated
Eastern
Pos Team Pld W L GF GA GD Qualification or relegation
1 Utsunomiya Brex (Q) 60 51 9 4896 4154 +742 Qualification to playoffs
2 Alvark Tokyo (Q) 60 48 12 4875 4197 +678
3 Chiba Jets (Q) 60 35 25 5054 4900 +154 Wildcard
4 Gunma Crane Thunders 60 31 29 4801 4913 −112
5 Akita Northern Happinets 60 30 30 4450 4514 −64
6 Sendai 89ers 60 27 33 4759 4846 −87
7 Levanga Hokkaido 60 17 43 4519 4914 −395
8 Ibaraki Robots 60 12 48 4580 5193 −613
Source: B.League
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Western
Pos Team Pld W L GF GA GD Qualification or relegation
1 Nagoya Diamond Dolphins (Q) 60 41 19 5041 4761 +280 Qualification to playoffs
2 Ryukyu Golden Kings (Q) 60 41 19 4956 4667 +289
3 Hiroshima Dragonflies (Q) 60 36 24 4751 4402 +349 Wildcard
4 Shimane Susanoo Magic 60 32 28 4899 4724 +175
5 Saga Ballooners 60 29 31 4523 4504 +19
6 Nagasaki Velca 60 27 33 4869 5012 −143
7 Osaka Evessa 60 25 35 4748 4970 −222
8 Kyoto Hannaryz 60 17 43 4640 5073 −433
Source: B.League
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated

Playoffs

Bracket

All matches in the playoffs were in a best-of-three series. Teams in bold advanced to the next round.

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
1 Utsunomiya Brex 1
8 Chiba Jets 2
8 Chiba Jets 1
5 Ryukyu Golden Kings 2
4 Alvark Tokyo 1
5 Ryukyu Golden Kings 2
5 Ryukyu Golden Kings 1
7 Hiroshima Dragonflies 2
3 Nagoya Diamond Dolphins 2
6 SeaHorses Mikawa 0
3 Nagoya Diamond Dolphins 1
7 Hiroshima Dragonflies 2
2 San-en NeoPhoenix 0
7 Hiroshima Dragonflies 2

Quarterfinals

(1) Utsunomiya Brex vs. (8) Chiba Jets

10 May 2024
19:25
Utsunomiya Brex 70–82 Chiba Jets
Scoring by quarter: 18–26, 21–28, 16–13, 15–15
Pts: Newbill 15
Rebs: Edwards 9
Asts: Newbill 4		 Pts: Togashi 24
Rebs: Mooney 9
Asts: Togashi 4
Chiba leads series, 1–0
Nikkan Arena Tochigi, Tochigi
Attendance: 5,774
Referees: Hijiri Abe, Kohei Kano, Toshihiro Aoki
11 May 2024
19:30
Utsunomiya Brex 67–58 Chiba Jets
Scoring by quarter: 13–19, 23–10, 18–19, 13–10
Pts: Edwards 21
Rebs: Edwards 13
Asts: Newbill 8		 Pts: Mooney, Togashi 16
Rebs: Mooney 12
Asts: Brown, Togashi 3
Series tied, 1–1
Nikkan Arena Tochigi, Tochigi
Attendance: 5,780
Referees: Hijiri Abe, Kohei Kano, Toshihiro Aoki
13 May 2024
19:25
Utsunomiya Brex 93–103 (2OT) Chiba Jets
Scoring by quarter: 20–25, 15–14, 22–17, 17–18, Overtime: 9–9, 10–20
Pts: Newbill 30
Rebs: Jerrett 7
Asts: Hiejima 5		 Pts: Smith 36
Rebs: Cooks, Smith 11
Asts: Togashi 12
Chiba wins series, 2–1
Nikkan Arena Tochigi, Tochigi
Attendance: 5,681
Referees: Hijiri Abe, Kohei Kano, Toshihiro Aoki

(2) San-en NeoPhoenix vs. (7) Hiroshima Dragonflies

11 May 2024
13:05
San-en NeoPhoenix 70–77 Hiroshima Dragonflies
Scoring by quarter: 23–21, 18–17, 18–16, 11–23
Pts: Maten 17
Rebs: Dudzinski 8
Asts: Oura 7		 Pts: Evans 22
Rebs: Blackshear, Kawata 7
Asts: Evans, Mayo, Nakamura 3
Hiroshima leads series, 1–0
Toyohashi City Gymnasium, Aichi
Attendance: 3,006
Referees: Takaki Kato, Yuki Kubo, Tsutomu Ozawa
12 May 2024
13:05
San-en NeoPhoenix 66–69 Hiroshima Dragonflies
Scoring by quarter: 21–23, 20–20, 14–7, 11–19
Pts: Dudzinski 25
Rebs: Maten 14
Asts: Oura 7		 Pts: Evans 18
Rebs: Evans 6
Asts: Evans 5
Hiroshima wins series, 2–0
Toyohashi City Gymnasium, Aichi
Attendance: 4,022
Referees: Takaki Kato, Yuki Kubo, Tsutomu Ozawa

(3) Nagoya Diamond Dolphins vs. (6) SeaHorses Mikawa

11 May 2024
15:05
Nagoya Diamond Dolphins 78–69 SeaHorses Mikawa
Scoring by quarter: 16–20, 23–19, 20–15, 19–15
Pts: Saito 21
Rebs: Soares 13
Asts: Saito 7		 Pts: Auguste 16
Rebs: Auguste, Gardner 8
Asts: Gardner, Nagano 4
Nagoya leads series, 1–0
Dolphins Arena, Aichi
Attendance: 5,414
Referees: Shigeyuki Arisawa, Ryosuke Ito, Norito Okawara
12 May 2024
15:05
Nagoya Diamond Dolphins 84–75 SeaHorses Mikawa
Scoring by quarter: 18–19, 23–28, 11–11, 32–17
Pts: Saito 23
Rebs: Soares 11
Asts: Saito 8		 Pts: Gardner, Layman 14
Rebs: Auguste 9
Asts: Nagano 6
Nagoya wins series, 2–0
Dolphins Arena, Aichi
Attendance: 5,744
Referees: Shigeyuki Arisawa, Ryosuke Ito, Norito Okawara

(4) Alvark Tokyo vs. (5) Ryukyu Golden Kings

10 May 2024
19:05
Alvark Tokyo 80–81 (2OT) Ryukyu Golden Kings
Scoring by quarter: 18–18, 25–11, 10–20, 14–18, Overtime: 6–6, 7–8
Pts: Rossiter 24
Rebs: Rossiter 18
Asts: Saiz, Toews 4		 Pts: Durham 18
Rebs: Cooley 8
Asts: Imamura 6
Ryukyu leads series, 1–0
Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo
Attendance: 6,301
Referees: Daigo Urushima, Yuji Hirahara, Haruka Iwai
11 May 2024
19:05
Alvark Tokyo 73–69 Ryukyu Golden Kings
Scoring by quarter: 19–9, 27–26, 13–17, 14–17
Pts: Rossiter 24
Rebs: Rossiter 13
Asts: Toews 5		 Pts: Kishimoto 14
Rebs: Kirk 8
Asts: Imamura 3
Series tied, 1–1
Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo
Attendance: 9,011
Referees: Daigo Urushima, Yuji Hirahara, Haruka Iwai
13 May 2024
19:05
Alvark Tokyo 57–58 Ryukyu Golden Kings
Scoring by quarter: 9–12, 20–20, 16–16, 12–10
Pts: Rossiter 20
Rebs: Gudaitis 9
Asts: Toews 4		 Pts: Durham 16
Rebs: Law 11
Asts: Durham, Imamura 3
Ryukyu wins series, 2–1
Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo
Attendance: 5,604
Referees: Daigo Urushima, Yuji Hirahara, Haruka Iwai

Semifinals

(3) Nagoya Diamond Dolphins vs. (7) Hiroshima Dragonflies

18 May 2024
14:05
Nagoya Diamond Dolphins 75–79 Hiroshima Dragonflies
Scoring by quarter: 23–13, 22–18, 3–24, 27–24
Pts: Eatherton 14
Rebs: Eatherton, Soares 9
Asts: Eatherton, Nakahigashi, Saito 5		 Pts: Blackshear 21
Rebs: Enomoto, Mayo 6
Asts: Mayo 5
Hiroshima leads series, 1–0
Dolphins Arena, Aichi
Attendance: 5,272
Referees: Daigo Urushima, Kohei Kano, Taiyu Ohno
19 May 2024
13:10
Nagoya Diamond Dolphins 84–77 Hiroshima Dragonflies
Scoring by quarter: 27–17, 24–20, 18–20, 15–20
Pts: Eatherton 18
Rebs: Eatherton 7
Asts: Saito 6		 Pts: Evans 25
Rebs: Evans 9
Asts: Evans 6
Series tied, 1–1
Dolphins Arena, Aichi
Attendance: 5,446
Referees: Daigo Urushima, Kohei Kano, Taiyu Ohno
20 May 2024
19:05
Nagoya Diamond Dolphins 73–79 Hiroshima Dragonflies
Scoring by quarter: 13–23, 22–15, 25–21, 13–20
Pts: Parks 20
Rebs: Eatherton 9
Asts: Nakahigashi 4		 Pts: Evans 28
Rebs: Evans 7
Asts: Evans 6
Hiroshima wins series, 2–1
Dolphins Arena, Aichi
Attendance: 5,290
Referees: Daigo Urushima, Kohei Kano, Taiyu Ohno

(5) Ryukyu Golden Kings vs. (8) Chiba Jets

18 May 2024
16:05
Ryukyu Golden Kings 62–95 Chiba Jets
Scoring by quarter: 24–29, 14–30, 12–11, 12–25
Pts: Law 16
Rebs: Cooley 8
Asts: Law 4		 Pts: Smith 19
Rebs: Brown 6
Asts: Togashi 7
Chiba leads series, 1–0
Okinawa Arena, Okinawa
Attendance: 8,582
Referees: Norito Okawara, Takeo Kitazawa, Shigeyuki Arisawa
19 May 2024
16:05
Ryukyu Golden Kings 81–63 Chiba Jets
Scoring by quarter: 23–13, 20–20, 19–15, 19–15
Pts: Cooley 25
Rebs: Durham 16
Asts: Durham 7		 Pts: Smith 19
Rebs: Cooks 7
Asts: Cooks 6
Series tied, 1–1
Okinawa Arena, Okinawa
Attendance: 8,643
Referees: Norito Okawara, Takeo Kitazawa, Shigeyuki Arisawa
21 May 2024
19:05
Ryukyu Golden Kings 83–67 Chiba Jets
Scoring by quarter: 22–14, 24–17, 19–24, 18–12
Pts: Cooley, Durham 15
Rebs: Cooley 10
Asts: Durham 8		 Pts: Togashi 18
Rebs: Mooney 11
Asts: Togashi 6
Ryukyu wins series, 2–1
Okinawa Arena, Okinawa
Attendance: 8,712
Referees: Norito Okawara, Takeo Kitazawa, Shigeyuki Arisawa

Finals

(5) Ryukyu Golden Kings vs. (7) Hiroshima Dragonflies

25 May 2024
12:00
Ryukyu Golden Kings 74–62 Hiroshima Dragonflies
Scoring by quarter: 24–16, 19–9, 19–18, 12–19
Pts: Imamura 15
Rebs: Cooley, Law 7
Asts: Durham 8		 Pts: Blackshear 15
Rebs: Blackshear 8
Asts: Blackshear, Mayo 4
Ryukyu leads series, 1–0
Yokohama Arena, Kanagawa
Attendance: 12,969
Referees: Takaki Kato, Hijiri Abe, Takeshi Hiraide
26 May 2024
13:10
Ryukyu Golden Kings 63–72 Hiroshima Dragonflies
Scoring by quarter: 14–21, 20–9, 13–18, 16–24
Pts: Law 16
Rebs: Imamura 7
Asts: Durham 7		 Pts: Evans 16
Rebs: Evans, Enomoto 6
Asts: Evans 5
Series tied, 1–1
Yokohama Arena, Kanagawa
Attendance: 13,203
Referees: Takaki Kato, Hijiri Abe, Takeshi Hiraide
28 May 2024
19:05
Ryukyu Golden Kings 50–65 Hiroshima Dragonflies
Scoring by quarter: 12–17, 17–18, 11–11, 10–19
Pts: Law 16
Rebs: Cooley, Imamura 7
Asts: Durham 4		 Pts: Evans 13
Rebs: Evans 9
Asts: Blackshear, Mayo 4
Hiroshima wins series, 2–1
Yokohama Arena, Kanagawa
Attendance: 12,209
Referees: Takaki Kato, Hijiri Abe, Takeshi Hiraide

Statistics

Individual statistic leaders

Category Player Team Statistic
Points per game United States Perrin Buford Shimane Susanoo Magic 22.6
Rebounds per game United States Thomas Welsh Levanga Hokkaido 12.2
Assists per game Japan Yuki Kawamura Yokohama B-Corsairs 7.9
Steals per game United States Koh Flippin Gunma Crane Thunders 1.9
Blocks per game United States Jordan Heath Kawasaki Brave Thunders 1.7
FG% United States Scott Eatherton Nagoya Diamond Dolphins 61.0%
3FG% United States Scott Eatherton Nagoya Diamond Dolphins 47.1%
FT% Japan Atsunobu Hirao Ibaraki Robots 91.1%

Team statistic leaders

Category Team Statistic
Points per game San-en NeoPhoenix 89.5
Rebounds per game Nagoya Diamond Dolphins 34.0
Assists per game San-en NeoPhoenix 22.3
Steals per game Nagasaki Velca 8.0
Blocks per game Chiba Jets 3.6
FG% SeaHorses Mikawa 46.5%
3FG% Sun Rockers Shibuya 38.2%
FT% Sun Rockers Shibuya 78.7%

B1 League clubs in Asian competitions

Team Competition Progress
Chiba Jets East Asia Super League Championship game
Ryukyu Golden Kings Group stage Group B

Attendances

# Club Average attendance[4]
1 Ryukyu Golden Kings 7,746
2 Alvark Tokyo 6,012
3 Gunma Crane Thunders 5,244
4 Nagoya Diamond Dolphins 5,190
5 Saga Ballooners 5,061
6 Yokohama B-Corsairs 4,799
7 Utsunomiya Brex 4,742
8 Osaka Evessa 4,716
9 Chiba Jets Funabashi 4,634
10 Ibaraki Robots 4,619
11 Hiroshima Dragonflies 4,618
12 Levanga Hokkaido 4,617
13 Kawasaki Brave Thunders 4,559
14 Sun Rockers Shibuya 4,456
15 Sendai 89ers 4,373
16 Kyoto Hannaryz 4,345
17 Akita Northern Happinets 4,342
18 Shinshu Brave Warriors 4,291
19 Shimane Susanoo Magic 4,230
20 Toyama Grouses 4,180
21 Nagasaki Velca 3,630
22 SeaHorses Mikawa 3,443
23 Fighting Eagles Nagoya 2,730
24 Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka 2,304

References

  1. ^ "B.League Season Tips Off with Few Coaching Changes". japan-forward.com. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  2. ^ "Golden Kings Soar Past Ballooners in B.League Opener". japan-forward.com. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  3. ^ "Golden Kings Complete Title Quest with Sweep of Jets in B.League Finals". japan-forward.com. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  4. ^ https://www.bleague.jp/indata/