Japan’s best professional teams
Hiroshima Dragonflies and Ryukyu Golden Kings have qualified and
will represent the country in the upcoming East Asia Super League
2024-2025 season, announced the league in a press
release.

Champions Dragonflies and
runners-up Golden Kings of Japan’s top-flight league “B.League”
will compete with other champions and runners-up from different
East Asian leagues to be called champions of East Asia.

Among the teams they will be
facing are Taiwan’s P.League+, Korea’s Korean Basketball League
(KBL), and the Philippines’ Philippine Basketball Association
(PBA).

Already qualified are Korea’s
champions and runners-up Busan KCC Egis and Suwon KT Sonicboom.
Teams from the P.League and PBA are yet to be
determined.

EASL CEO Henry Kerins said,
“EASL is delighted to have the B.LEAGUE champions and runners-up
competing once again to be the champions of East Asia. We’re
looking forward to returning to Okinawa with the Ryukyu Golden
Kings, after a tremendous series of games there last season. And we
can’t wait to see what the Hiroshima Dragonflies will bring to the
2024-25 Season.”

B.LEAGUE Chairman Shinji Shimada
said, “The 2023-24 season champions Hiroshima Dragonflies and
runners-up Ryukyu Golden Kings will represent the B.LEAGUE in the
EASL next season. 

“After a year of battling it out
in the B.LEAGUE, which is improving year by year, and achieving
impressive results as champions and runners-up, they have proved
that they are Japan’s two best teams.

“Last season, the Chiba Jets
were crowned EASL champions. We hope that one of these two teams
will bring the EASL championship to Japan again.”

The draw for the EASL 2024-25
Season Group Stage was made earlier this year in agreement with the
participating leagues. The eight participating teams will be
divided into two groups, containing four teams each.

As B.LEAGUE champions, the
Dragonflies have been placed into Group A. The Golden Kings have
been placed into Group B. 

Hiroshima will match up in Group
A against Korean Basketball League (KBL) runners-up Suwon KT
Sonicboom, the P. LEAGUE+ runners-up, and one of the
best-performing teams from the Philippine Basketball Association’s
(PBA) 2023-24 conferences.

In Group B, Ryukyu will face KBL
champions the Busan KCC Egis, the P. LEAGUE+ champions, and a
second top-performing PBA team.

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About East Asia Super League

East Asia Super League (EASL) is
the Champions League of East Asian basketball. Combining the best
clubs, from the best leagues, with best-in-class production values,
EASL’s vision is to become one of the world’s top professional
basketball leagues. At the same time, the league aims to elevate
the sport of basketball across the East Asia region.

EASL operates with a 10-year
agreement with FIBA, the world governing body for basketball,
granting FIBA Asia’s recognition. It also operates under agreements
with the East Asia region’s leading basketball leagues, securing
the participation of their teams. Those leagues are the Japan
B.LEAGUE, the Korean Basketball League (KBL), the Philippine
Basketball Association (PBA), and Chinese Taipei’s P.
LEAGUE+. 

For more information about the
East Asia Super League, please visit www.EASL.basketball.