Sawt Falasteen - Basketball bust-ups threaten ambitious Japan's hoop dreams

Once a minnow on the world stage, Japan qualified for last year's Paris Olympics and took eventual silver medallists France to overtime in the group phase, helped by a handful of NBA-based players including Los Angeles Lakers forward Hachimura.

At home, the domestic B. League is enjoying record attendances and revenue, with new arenas being built and ambitions to become the second-best league in the world behind America's NBA.

Chairman Shinji Shimada says the B. League's "mix of sport and live entertainment" offers Japanese fans something different.

"Lots of people watch a B. League game for the first time and say it's more interesting than football or baseball, and they want to come back," he told AFP in the B. League's plush office in central Tokyo.

Shimada says the B. League is already catching up on a business scale with leagues in Europe and China and is taking steps to close the gap on the court too.

Teams have signed players with NBA experience such as Alize Johnson, who played alongside the "Big Three" of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden at the Brooklyn Nets.

Johnson says he knew nothing about the B. League when he was in the NBA but he would recommend it to other players dropping below the elite level.

"In terms of the money being guaranteed and the lifestyle, how they go about making sure everything is by the book, it makes players feel comfortable knowing there's not going to be anything fishy going on," he said.

- Hachimura hold-out -

The B. League has also invested in local talent and last year brought back national team star Yuta Watanabe after six seasons in the NBA.

The 30-year-old, who had never played professionally in Japan before, has struggled with injuries but he is back in action as the B. League play-offs approach.

Watanabe and Hachimura are the two main faces of Japan's national team, who captured the public's imagination at the 2023 World Cup in Okinawa when they qualified for the Paris Games.

Japan performed respectably at the Olympics but the mood soured three months later when Hachimura threatened to quit the team after a scathing attack on Japanese basketball chiefs.

The 27-year-old, by far the country's most successful player, accused the Japan Basketball Association of having a "profit-first" mentality.

He also aimed a barb at head coach Tom Hovasse, who got the job after leading Japan's women to silver at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, saying the American had "not managed at a world level".

Hachimura has still not said whether he will return and Watanabe hopes relationships can be mended.

"For him to say that publicly, there must have been a big build-up of stress," said Watanabe.

"The lack of communication became a problem and I hope that can be fixed properly."

- Internal strife -

Watanabe fears that communication issues could also derail the domestic league as it prepares to relaunch as the B. League Premier from the 2026-27 season.

The league plans to introduce a salary cap and raise the number of overseas players allowed on the court at any one time from two to three.

The plans have brought the league into conflict with the players' association, who worry that Japanese players will end up with less money and time on the court.

Shimada insists the changes are necessary to raise the overall level and narrow the gap in quality between teams, giving fans more exciting games to watch.

At such a delicate time for Japanese basketball, Watanabe is urging everyone to work together.

"I'm a little worried what fans will think if it's a Japanese league but there aren't many Japanese players on the court," he said.

"It's fine for people who want to watch high-level basketball but for fans who want to support the players, that's where a gap starts to appear.

"A lot of fans are coming to games now but I worry if that will continue," he added.

X.Habash--SF-PST