“B.LEAGUE Hope” (B.Hope), a social responsibility activity of the Japan Professional Basketball League (Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Chairman: Shinji Shimada, hereinafter “B.LEAGUE”), will be held on May 25th. The following activities will be carried out at “Nippon Life Insurance B.LEAGUE FINALS 2023-24” which will be held at Yokohama Arena from Sunday (Saturday).
*B.Hope promotes activities in the three areas of “PEACE”, “PEOPLE”, and “PLANET” as “Off-Court 3Point Challenge”
■Reiwa 6th Noto Peninsula Earthquake Reconstruction Support Campaign “With Noto”
Four months have passed since the earthquake, and while physical recovery is being prioritized, there is also the issue of providing emotional care for children who are suddenly deprived of their daily lives, such as when they are forced to leave their hometowns and parents in mass evacuations. That’s one. In the Oku-Noto area, which was particularly hard hit, gymnasiums are being used as evacuation centers, are damaged and cannot be used safely, and there is no environment where people can play basketball with peace of mind. The children of athletes from basketball families in the disaster-stricken areas will be invited to “Nippon Life Insurance B.LEAGUE FINALS 2023-24” where they will receive direct skill instruction from B.LEAGUE players and coaches, as well as a basketball clinic on the main court. Please participate in the Red and White Match. Through this project, we hope to deliver hope from the basketball world and encourage children to have dreams.
In addition, for this activity, a portion of the proceeds from the “B.Hope x Players Association Charity Auction” held at “B.LEAGUE ALL-STAR GAME WEEKEND 2024 IN OKINAWA” will be used. In addition, we received support from B.LEAGUE partners SoftBank Corp., Japan Post Co., Nippon Life Insurance Company, and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and a grant from the Nippon Foundation. I’m here.
Expressing how they are united and thinking about Noto with their friends. Also, basketball is played with five players, but by having four players, it means “you too.”
① “Basketball Clinic” by B.LEAGUE players and coaches
Implementation date: Saturday, May 25, 2024 after Game 1
Location: Yokohama Arena (Sub Arena)
Participants: Suzu City Midorigaoka Junior High School Boys and Girls Basketball Club, Wajima City Wajima Junior High School Boys and Girls Basketball Club, Wajima City Monzen Junior High School
School Boys Basketball Club, Noto Town Noto Junior High School Girls Basketball Club
Participating players: Yokohama B-Corsairs Kenta Morii, Hiroki Matsuzaki,
Participating coaches: Yokohama B-Corsairs Ken Keiki (U15 head coach), Daiki Ito (top team analyst),
Ryo Takahashi (Top Team Development Coach)
② Red and white match on the main court B.Hope ACTION “With Noto SPECIAL GAME”
Implementation date: Scheduled after opening on Sunday, May 26, 2024
Location: Yokohama Arena (main court)
Participants/Participating players/Participating coaches: Same as basketball clinic participants
Content: Participating junior high school students were divided into two teams and held a red and white match for boys and girls.
*Participating players and coaches are subject to change due to schedule reasons.
③ “Nippon Life Insurance B.LEAGUE FINALS 2023-24” Game 2 game viewing
Implementation date: Sunday, May 26, 2024 GAME2
④ Posting of a “message board” to connect thoughts on recovery
Implementation date: May 25th (Sat), 26th (Sunday), 28th (Tue), 2024 *Will not be held if the winner is determined in Game 2
Location: Yokohama Arena 2nd floor “B.Hope booth” area
Content: We will post information about the fundraising activities conducted by B.LEAGUE and B.LEAGUE clubs after the earthquake, as well as messages for recovery, and convey the need for continued support to the disaster-stricken areas. We will also be setting up a “support message board” where all visitors can participate. Please come and send us your messages for recovery.
■UNIFIED SPORTS®︎ BASKETBALL GAME
Since 2018, B.Hope and Special Olympics Japan (hereinafter referred to as SON) have been conducting activities with the aim of realizing an inclusive society where people with and without disabilities can share their feelings and deepen understanding through basketball. . Starting in 2022, we will be promoting the “Challenge with ALL” project to strengthen collaboration between B.LEAGUE clubs and SON district organizations, with the aim of making our past activities more rooted in the local community and expanding them throughout Japan. . In this project, the Kyoto and Okinawa regions, which have held clinics and sports classes with the goal of improving basketball competitiveness, will form a special team with B.LEAGUE players and hold a Red and White Match. Through basketball, we will embody our worldview of diversity and inclusion.
Implementation date: Scheduled after opening on Saturday, May 25, 2024
Location: Yokohama Arena (main court)
participant:
16 Special Olympics athletes from Kyoto and Okinawa, Japan
Special Olympics Japan Dream Supporter Takuma Watanabe
Japan Basketball Players Association Chairman Ryo Tawatari (Fukushima Firebonds)
Speakers:
Mr. Takuaki Hiraoka (Special Olympics Japan Chairman)
Shinji Shimada (B.LEAGUE Chairman)
*Participants will be added in the future.
*Unified Sports® is a sport where people with intellectual disabilities (athletes) and people without intellectual disabilities (partners) form teams, practice and compete, and mutually understand each other’s individuality through sports. This is a Special Olympics (SO) initiative that builds relationships of mutual support. SO is an international sports organization that supports people with intellectual disabilities to participate in society by providing various sports training and competitions throughout the year where they can present their results. Special Olympics Japan (SON) was established in 1994 and operates under the slogan “Be with all®” with the aim of creating a society where diverse people can thrive, regardless of whether they have intellectual disabilities or not. For more information on SON and B.Hope’s efforts, please visit the special website (
■HEROs PLEDGE～B.Hope ACTION～
Climate change caused by extreme heat waves and disasters due to increasingly serious global warming is largely due to greenhouse gas (mainly CO2) emissions produced by the various energy consumptions that are essential to daily life. More than half of the CO2 emitted in the world is generated during the mining of energy resources, so it is said to be important to circulate and effectively utilize existing resources. Especially in Japan, where a large amount of single-use plastic waste is produced, it is necessary to increase and circulate reusable resources by reducing disposable plastic waste and sorting it correctly. At B.LEAGUE, we will properly separate the garbage generated during this tournament and turn it into reusable resources, and at the same time we will carry out actions aimed at getting people to reconsider reducing single-use plastics in their daily lives. Masu.
*HEROs PLEDGE is an initiative to reduce single-use plastic waste across the sports world in order to eliminate single-use plastic waste, which is one of the causes, in response to the global marine litter problem and climate change. A project to work on. (https://www.heros-pledge.jp/)
① Installation of garbage station
Implementation date: May 25th (Saturday), 26th (Sunday), 28th (Tuesday), 2024 *Will not be held if the winner is determined in Game 2
Location: Yokohama Arena 2nd floor “B.Hope booth” area
Contents: We will use the sorting boxes inside Yokohama Arena to post educational panels on garbage sorting, encouraging fans to separate the garbage they generate at the venue.
② Dissemination of awareness videos starring B.LEAGUE players
Implementation date: Scheduled for one week before “Nippon Life Insurance B.LEAGUE FINALS 2023-24”
Transmission tool: B.LEAGUE Hope official X account (＠B_LEAGUE_HOPE）
[Corresponding SDGs]
Please see the special website for an overview of “Nippon Life Insurance B.LEAGUE FINALS 2023-24”.