2024–25 B1 League season

2024–25 B1 League season
LeagueB1 League
Season2024–25
Duration5 October 2024 – 4 May 2025
(Regular season)
9 May 2024 – 27 May 2025
(Playoffs)
Games played60
Teams24
B1 Regular season
Top seedUtsunomiya Brex
Season MVP D. J. Newbill (Utsunomiya)
B1 Finals
ChampionsUtsunomiya Brex
Finals MVP D. J. Newbill (Utsunomiya)
Statistical leaders
Points Brock Motum (Shiga)
Rebounds Thomas Welsh (Hokkaido)
Assists Ryusei Sasaki (San-en)
2025–26 →

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]

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

Locations of teams of the 2024–25 B1 League season
Red: East Division; Blue: Central Division; Yellow: West Division.
Location of teams within Aichi Prefecture, Chūkyō region

Team changes

Promoted from
2023–24 B2 League 		Relegated from
2023–24 B1 League
Shiga Lakes
Koshigaya Alphas 		Shinshu Brave Warriors
Toyama Grouses

Coaching changes

Team Outgoing Incoming
Off-season
Utsunomiya Brex Norio Sassa Kevin Braswell
Hiroshima Dragonflies Kyle Milling Shogo Asayama
Gunma Crane Thunders Kota Mizuno Kyle Milling
Yokohama B-Corsairs Taketo Aoki Lassi Tuovi
Nagasaki Velca Kenjiro Maeda Mody Maor
Shiga Lakes David Gómez Kenjiro Maeda
Kawasaki Brave Thunders Kenji Sato Ronen Ginzburg
Ibaraki Robots Richard Glesnann Chris Holm
Sendai 89ers Hiroki Fujita Yoshiro Ochiai
Chiba Jets John Patrick Trevor Gleeson
In-season
Utsunomiya Brex Kevin Braswell (†) Zico Coronel (interim)
Sun Rockers Shibuya Luka Pavićević Kyle Bailey (interim)

In-season

  • 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]

Foreign players

This is the full list of international players competing in the 2024–25 season.[6]

Team Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Player 4 Replaced
Akita Northern Happinets Mohammad Gadiaga Tanner Leissner Christian Mekowulu Yannis Morin –
Alvark Tokyo Artūras Gudaitis Léonardo Meindl Sebastián Saiz – –
Chiba Jets D. J. Hogg John Mooney Michael Ou Chris Smith –
Fighting Eagles Nagoya Isaac Butts Justin Harper Sean O'Mara Tseng Hsiang-chun –
Gunma Crane Thunders Trey McKinney-Jones Kaleb Tarczewski Johannes Thiemann – –
Hiroshima Dragonflies Kerry Blackshear Dwayne Evans Nick Mayo Worth Smith –
Ibaraki Robots Robert Franks Eric Jacobsen Sun Siyao Chehales Tapscott –
Kawasaki Brave Thunders Rosco Allen Alize Johnson Sacha Killeya-Jones Matthew Wright –
Koshigaya Alphas Jeff Gibbs L. J. Peak Tim Soares Kai Sotto –
Kyoto Hannaryz Angelo Caloiaro Jordan Heath Charles Jackson – –
Levanga Hokkaido Terry Allen Ryan Kriener Dwight Ramos Thomas Welsh –
Nagasaki Velca Jarrell Brantley A. J. Edu Mark Smith Stephen Zack –
Nagoya Diamond Dolphins Zylan Cheatham Scott Eatherton Luke Maye – –
Osaka Evessa Matt Bonds Volodymyr Gerun Ryan Luther Ray Parks –
Ryukyu Golden Kings Keve Aluma Jack Cooley Vic Law – –
Saga Ballooners Yoeli Childs Chase Fieler Reynaldo Garcia – –
San-en NeoPhoenix David Dudzinski Yante Maten David Nwaba – –
SeaHorses Mikawa Zach Auguste Davante Gardner Jake Layman – –
Sendai 89ers Nathan Boothe Cristiano Felício Stanton Kidd Yang Jae-min –
Shiga Lakes Javier Carter Markeith Cummings Brock Motum Yu Ai-che –
Shimane Susanoo Magic Coty Clarke Nick Kay J. M. McAdoo – –
Sun Rockers Shibuya Anthony Clemmons Kevin Jones Reid Travis – –
Utsunomiya Brex Isaac Fotu Grant Jerrett D. J. Newbill – –
Yokohama B-Corsairs Gary Clark Damien Inglis Maik Kotsar Kiefer Ravena –

Regular season

Standings

Central Division

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

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

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

  • 5 January: Shiga Lakes vs. San-en NeoPhoenix was abandoned after Javier Carter suffered a medical emergency on the court.[7]

Statistics

Individual statistic leaders

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

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

Bracket

All 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

(1) Utsunomiya Brex vs. (8) SeaHorses Mikawa
10 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
Nikkan Arena Tochigi, Utsunomiya
Attendance: 6,262
Referees: Takaki Kato, Yuki Kubo, Tomohiro Hosoda
11 May 2025
Utsunomiya Brex 89–75 SeaHorses Mikawa
Scoring by quarter: 28–22, 19–17, 22–10, 20–26
Pts: Hiejima 18
Rebs: Fotu, Jerrett 6
Asts: Newbill 11		 Pts: Gardner 22
Rebs: Auguste, Gardner 8
Asts: Nagano 7
Utsunomiya won series, 2–0
Nikkan Arena Tochigi, Utsunomiya
Attendance: 6,209
Referees: Takaki Kato, Yuki Kubo, Tomohiro Hosoda
(2) San-en NeoPhoenix vs. (7) Gunma Crane Thunders
10 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
Hamamatsu Arena, Hamamatsu
Attendance: 4,349
Referees: Abe Kiyoshi, Ohno Tahiro, Takano Kohei
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
Hamamatsu Arena, Hamamatsu
Attendance: 4,378
Referees: Abe Kiyoshi, Ohno Tahiro, Takano Kohei
(3) Ryukyu Golden Kings vs. (6) Shimane Susanoo Magic
9 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
Okinawa Arena, Okinawa
Attendance: 8,720
Referees: Daigo Urushibara, Jun Horiuchi, Toshihiro Aoki
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
Okinawa Arena, Okinawa
Attendance: 8,745
Referees: Daigo Urushibara, Jun Horiuchi, Toshihiro Aoki
(4) Alvark Tokyo vs. (5) Chiba Jets
10 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
Ariake Coliseum, Ariake
Attendance: 8,931
Referees: Norito Okawara, Yuji Hirahara, Kenji Tomishima
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
Ariake Coliseum, Ariake
Attendance: 9,374
Referees: Norito Okawara, Yuji Hirahara, Kenji Tomishima

Semi-finals

(1) Utsunomiya Brex vs. (5) Chiba Jets
17 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
Nikkan Arena Tochigi, Utsunomiya
Attendance: 6,206
Referees: Abe Sei, Katayose Tatsu, Horiuchi Jun
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
Nikkan Arena Tochigi, Utsunomiya
Attendance: 6,245
Referees: Abe Sei, Katayose Tatsu, Horiuchi Jun
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
Nikkan Arena Tochigi, Utsunomiya
Attendance: 6,185
Referees: Abe Sei, Katayose Tatsu, Horiuchi Jun
(2) San-en NeoPhoenix vs. (3) Ryukyu Golden Kings
17 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
Hamamatsu Arena, Hamamatsu
Attendance: 4,326
Referees: Norito Okawara, Kohei Kano, Takeo Kitazawa
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
Hamamatsu Arena, Hamamatsu
Attendance: 4,713
Referees: Norito Okawara, Kohei Kano, Takeo Kitazawa
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
Hamamatsu Arena, Hamamatsu
Attendance: 4,078
Referees: Norito Okawara, Kohei Kano, Takeo Kitazawa

Finals

(1) Utsunomiya Brex vs. (3) Ryukyu Golden Kings

24 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

Team Competition Progress
Hiroshima Dragonflies Basketball Champions League Asia Semifinals, 3rd place
East Asia Super League Finals, Champions
Ryukyu Golden Kings Semifinals, 4th place

References

  1. ^ "[JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK] B.League Forges Ahead with Ambitious Goals". japan-forward.com. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  2. ^ "B.League Finals: Dragonflies Play Dynamic Defense in Game 3 to Win the Title". japan-forward.com. 29 May 2024.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ "Former Georgetown basketball player Kevin Braswell dies at 46". ESPN.com. 24 February 2025. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  5. ^ "Struggling B.League Squad Shibuya Fires Bench Boss Pavicevic". japan-forward.com. 16 April 2025. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
  6. ^ "Abroad players". bleague.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  7. ^ "B.LEAGUE stops Shiga vs San-en game after player collapses on court". One Sports. 5 January 2025. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
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