THE Japan B.League is taking a new step in strengthening its ties with hoops-obsessed Philippine fans, and it knows it can't do it alone.
As the organization brings the B.League Manila Games to the country on September 9 and 10 featuring Dwight Ramos' Levanga Hokkaido and AJ Edu's Gunma Crane Thunders, executive officer Nao Okamoto said the support of the PBA and the SBP has been crucial in introducing the league to Filipino fans.
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"We have full respect towards the PBA as the longest [staying] basketball league in Asia. We are just 10 years old, and we have so many things to learn from them," Okamoto told SPIN.ph on Thursday.
"And they have built this huge basketball culture here in the Philippines. We really needed their support, them and SBP."
The showcase also forms part of the celebration of the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Japan.
For Okamoto, the partnership goes beyond staging two preseason games in Manila while the PBA takes a pause from its own conference to make way for the event.
The B.League sees the Manila Games as an opportunity to immerse Filipino fans in the lively Japanese game-day experience while also learning from a country that has long been regarded as one of basketball's strongest markets in Asia.
Rather than measuring success through attendance alone, Okamoto said the league hopes fans leave with a better appreciation of what the B.League has to offer.
"Engagement is important as long as the experience and atmosphere of B.League be experienced by the Filipino fans," he said.
The exchange goes both ways.
While Filipino fans get a taste of Japanese professional basketball, B.League players will also experience the unique atmosphere that has become synonymous with basketball in the Philippines.
"In Japan it's really different, the fan culture," Okamoto said. "Normally, fans follow the rules. Here, they're mostly passionate and fanatic. Fans will stand during games. It's very important to mesh those."
"It's colorful and cute in Japan. In the Philippines, it's passionate."
Two games will be played on a back-to-back date at 7 p.m. at the SM Mall of Asia Arena with tickets starting at PHP180 for box premium to PHP2500 for courtside seats.
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