Scene from the Yokohama Excellence Fan Appreciation Event held on May 24
Yokohama Excellence, a professional basketball club based at Yokohama Budokan (2-chome, Okina-cho, Naka-ku, Yokohama), finished the 2025–26 season in third place in the B2 League, the highest ranking in club history.
Despite being in their first season since promotion to B2, they competed for the top spot until the very end. During the regular season held from October 2025 to April 2026, they secured third place in the Eastern Division and earned a spot in the playoffs. In the playoff semifinals held on May 8 and 9, they lost to the Kobe Storks and missed advancing to the finals, but in the third-place decider they defeated the Eastern Division leaders, the Shinbu Brave Warriors, claiming third place in the league.
The club’s growth was also reflected in records beyond wins and losses. Average home game attendance increased from 1,878 last season to 2,211. Player Trey Boyd III, wearing number 1, recorded a league-high average of 28.4 points per game, earning the title of B2 scoring champion.
After the season ended, a Fan Appreciation Event for fan club members was held on May 24, where players and staff enjoyed interacting with fans. Reflecting on the season, Head Coach Ryuji Kawai said, “We were able to achieve third place by winning consecutive playoff games against Ehime and Shinbu, teams we had lost to in the regular season. However, I also have strong regrets about whether I could have done more as head coach.”
Captain Sora Ohashi commented, “It was a season of ups and downs, with many injuries and losing streaks, but also a 14-game winning streak. There were many frustrating moments as we aimed for the championship, but we achieved third place because every team member did what they needed to do.”
Local Yokohama native Tatsuya Nishiyama expressed his gratitude to the fans, saying, “Through both winning and losing streaks, I and my teammates grew a lot. It was a truly enjoyable year. The passionate support from the audience helped us give our best on the court.”
After the off-season, the 2026–27 season will begin in late September. The B League plans to introduce a new system called “B. Innovation,” transitioning from the current categories of “B1,” “B2,” and “B3” to “B.LEAGUE PREMIER,” “B.LEAGUE ONE,” and “B.LEAGUE NEXT.” The promotion and relegation system based on performance will be abolished, with categories determined by criteria such as club business scale. Yokohama Excellence has been confirmed to join “B.LEAGUE ONE,” but aims to enter the higher category “B.LEAGUE PREMIER” in the future. To obtain the license, they aim to achieve revenue of 900 million yen and an average attendance of 3,000 for two consecutive seasons starting next year.
