# 2023–24 B1 League season

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. The regular season began on 5 October 2023.
The Ryukyu Golden Kings are the defending champions, having won their first B1 League title after defeating the Chiba Jets in the 2023 Finals.

## 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 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 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 | Relegated to B2 League |

#### 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 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 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 | |

#### 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 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 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 | |

## Playoffs
### Bracket

All matches in the playoffs were in a best-of-three series. Teams in bold advanced to the next round.
| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| 1 | Utsunomiya Brex | 1 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Chiba Jets | 2 | | | | | | |
| 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 | 2 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Ryukyu Golden Kings | 2 | | | | 5 | Ryukyu Golden Kings | 1 |
| | | | | | | 7 | Hiroshima Dragonflies | 2 |
| 3 | Nagoya Diamond Dolphins | 2 | | | | | | | 7 | Hiroshima Dragonflies | 2 |
| 6 | SeaHorses Mikawa | 0 | | | | | | |
| 6 | SeaHorses Mikawa | 0 | 3 | Nagoya Diamond Dolphins | 1 | | | |
| | | | 7 | Hiroshima Dragonflies | 2 | | | |
| 2 | San-en NeoPhoenix | 0 | 7 | Hiroshima Dragonflies | 2 | | | |
| 7 | Hiroshima Dragonflies | 2 | | | | | | |

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

* 10 May 2024 19:25
* boxscore
| Utsunomiya Brex | 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
* boxscore
| Utsunomiya Brex | 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
* boxscore
| Utsunomiya Brex | 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
* boxscore
| San-en NeoPhoenix | 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
* boxscore
| San-en NeoPhoenix | 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
* boxscore
| Nagoya Diamond Dolphins | 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
* boxscore
| Nagoya Diamond Dolphins | 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
* boxscore
| Alvark Tokyo | 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
* boxscore
| Alvark Tokyo | 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
* boxscore
| Alvark Tokyo | 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
* boxscore
| Nagoya Diamond Dolphins | 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
* boxscore
| Nagoya Diamond Dolphins | 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
* boxscore
| Nagoya Diamond Dolphins | 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
* boxscore
| Ryukyu Golden Kings | 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
* boxscore
| Ryukyu Golden Kings | 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
* boxscore
| Ryukyu Golden Kings | 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
* boxscore
| Ryukyu Golden Kings | 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
* boxscore
| Ryukyu Golden Kings | 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
* boxscore
| Ryukyu Golden Kings | 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 | Perrin Buford | Shimane Susanoo Magic | 22.6 |
| Rebounds per game | Thomas Welsh | Levanga Hokkaido | 12.2 |
| Assists per game | Yuki Kawamura | Yokohama B-Corsairs | 7.9 |
| Steals per game | Koh Flippin | Gunma Crane Thunders | 1.9 |
| Blocks per game | Jordan Heath | Kawasaki Brave Thunders | 1.7 |
| FG% | Scott Eatherton | Nagoya Diamond Dolphins | 61.0% |
| 3FG% | Scott Eatherton | Nagoya Diamond Dolphins | 47.1% |
| FT% | 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 | East Asia Super League | Group stage Group B |

## Attendances

| # | Club | Average attendance |
| 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 |