2024-02-28 08:03:14
Chairman Shinji Shimada[Photo]= Basketball King
On February 28th, the B League held a press conference regarding the “system design” that will be introduced in the new B League (B Premier, B One, B Next) starting from the 2026-27 season in two years. Chairman Shinji Shimada explained decisions and policies regarding the salary cap, on-the-court, and draft.
The B League plans to carry out major structural reforms from the 2026-27 season, and has decided to abolish the current promotion/relegation system based on competitive results. It has been announced that from 2026 onwards, there will be a transition to a three-division system: B Premier, B One, and B Next, depending on business scale.
What was newly announced this time was the “salary cap,” “registration/roster/on-the-court,” “player mobility,” “draft,” Carding” and “Postseason” decisions and policies.
The “salary cap”, which is said to be a force-balancing measure, is set at 800 million yen for the cap (maximum value) and 500 million yen for the floor (minimum value) in B Premier, and players who receive high salaries are set at 150 million yen. It has also been decided to introduce a “star player clause” that will be counted. Clubs that have obtained a permanent B-One license will have a cap of 400 million yen and a floor of 150 million yen, while clubs that have obtained a provisional license will have a cap of 400 million yen and a floor of 100 million yen.
In addition, it has been decided that the draft, which is a major event for the NBA and Nippon Professional Baseball, will be held every January starting in 2026, using the Weber selection system until at least the second round. Not only domestic students, but also players currently attending universities overseas, and young players who have played in overseas leagues other than the NBA for less than two years are eligible, and each contract is guaranteed for three years (three-year contract or two years + player option). Become. The method for determining the initial pick order is currently under consideration, but starting in 2027, the draft will be held following a selection order is drawn based on team performance.
Chairman Shimada, who attended the press conference, commented on the B Premier’s salary cap of 800 million yen, saying, “I think it is within an acceptable range for the current top-of-top clubs.I think some clubs will have extra capacity in the future.” “I think I’ll try to control it following that,” he said, explaining that he would make changes depending on the situation. Regarding the star player clause, he said, “We created it so that we wouldn’t be blamed if a team that might get some superstars appeared.We thought regarding a luxury tax, but we thought of this method.” “I did it,” he said.
The outline of the six system designs announced on this day is as follows.
■Salary cap
For B Premier, the cap is 800 million yen and the floor is 500 million yen. For B-one, the cap is set at 400 million yen and the floor is set at 150 million yen. As a special provision, we have introduced the “Star Player Clause,” which will be recorded as “150 million yen” even if one of the registered players earns more than 150 million yen in compensation. In case of violation, severe punishment such as expulsion or suspension of season activities will be considered.
■Registration/Roster/On the Court
Increased the number of registered players from 13 to 14. It has been decided that it will be free on the court. The upper limit of 3 foreign players and 1 naturalized/Asian player for registration and entry remains unchanged, so there will be 4 “virtually on-the-court players.” We will consider special designation and youth development quotas in the future.
■Player mobility
Introducing the “Training Contract System (tentative name)” for up to two of the 14 registered participants. In addition to introducing short-term contracts in B Premier, the period for loan transfers has also been shortened from one month to two weeks. Rules will be introduced to allow for more flexible transfers, allowing players to re-register with the same club even during the same season.
■Draft
The draft will be held every January starting in 2026 for high school graduates, currently attending university, and university graduates who have applied in advance, including those from overseas. Clubs that meet conditions such as a guaranteed practice environment will participate, with Weber nominated from the first to second rounds, and from the third round onwards until there are no more nominated. Youth players will have priority negotiations, and if negotiations fail, they will be drafted. The contract is a 3-year guarantee (3-year contract or 2-year + player option), and is a 3-year contract for a first-round high school graduate with a total of 42 million yen including the signing bonus. Young players with experience in the A national team or overseas leagues will be given a 3-year contract of 300 million yen as a special quota with conditions. Players like Rui Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe, who have played in the NBA for more than three years, are not eligible for the draft.
■Carding
No changes have been made since last summer’s announcement. B Premier is a 60-game regular season league game, with 28 games held on the same weekend and 32 games held on a single day spread over the week. Regarding B One and B Next, final discussions will be held once the number of clubs etc. are decided.
■Postseason (PS)
No changes have been made since last summer’s announcement. In the B Premier, 8 clubs will advance to the PS, and it will be a two-game win-first format with three games played every other day until the semi-finals. The final will be a three-game, first-game format, home and away. The interval between matches will be determined at a later date. As for B-One, 16 clubs won their first two matches.
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