The other day, I went to Toyota Arena Tokyo, the new home stadium of Alvark Tokyo in the Ariake area.
Watching a game of the local basketball team, Alvark.
This basketball team is under the umbrella of Toyota and will be building its home stadium on the former site of Mega Web starting this year.
The newly built venue has many shops and facilities.
It really makes you realize that basketball has become a full-fledged professional sport in Japan.
I played basketball until I was in high school,
At that time, basketball was still a minor sport.
There are no professional teams, only corporate teams.
It seems that some players had professional contracts, but due to the recession,
This was a time when the number of corporate teams was gradually decreasing.
In contrast, this was the heyday of the NBA in the United States.
The Chicago Bulls, with their famous players including Michael Jordan,
The Orlando Magic, which has the young and famous duo of Shaq and Penny,
Many legendary players in basketball history were enrolled,
Basketball was gradually becoming a popular sport in Japan.
About 30 years have passed since then, and now, more and more Japanese basketball players are active overseas.
I have a feeling that top Japanese players will move overseas, just like in the old J-League.
Looking at this match, the level of Japanese players has improved dramatically compared to the past.
It may take some time, but we will see an increase in players who can compete overseas.
Basketball was my youth,
It's going to be a great sport for the next generation of kids.
It was a very emotional day.
