- published: 03 Jun 2015
- views: 44384
The BJ League (Basketball Japan League) is a professional basketball league in Japan that began on November 5, 2005. The ten-team league is divided into two conferences, the Eastern Conference, and the Western Conference. It had its inaugural All-Star game in 2006. One of its major sponsors is Spalding.
The BJ League operates on the American sports franchise system. Below the BJ there is a Japan Basketball League, composed of company and otherwise-affiliated clubs, with promotion and relegation between its two divisions but not between BJ and JBL-1. This organization is similar to the Rugby Super League in England and is also shown in the British Basketball League (which includes clubs from both England and Scotland).
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
Defunct teams
The bj-league plans on expanding to 24 teams by the 2014-15 season, the 10th anniversary of the league creation.
Several organizations are vying for expansion. Those in the running for expansion are from:
The league is also considering creation of specific leagues for youth, women, and people with disabilities.