DUBAI (United Arab Emirates) - Yuta Tabuse has been to the highest of stages in professional basketball but nothing brings him satisfaction more than witnessing the Japanese club scene grow exponentially.
"Really, it's getting bigger and popular in Japan," said the 44-year-old.
Tabuse offered as much days prior to the Basketball Champions League Asia (BCL Asia) 2025, as he joined the Utsunomiya Brex in their trip to the 'City of Gold' to compete against some of the continent's elites.
It's actually his first time in Dubai, he admitted, thus his excitement with what lies ahead as their participation in Asia's most prestigious club competition represents the game's development in their own backyard.
The team of Coach Zico Coronel is coming in as the 2024-25 B.League champions, becoming the latest ball club from Japan's top-flight basketball competition to embark on a journey outside of the country.
Over the past few years, BLG teams have competed in international contests - and made sure to leave a mark.
The last two seasons of the East Asia Super League, for instance, saw Japanese clubs emerge triumphant, with the Chiba Jets winning in 2024 before the Hiroshima Dragonflies won it all the following season.
The Dragonflies themselves actually wrote BCL Asia history months before conquering the regional tourney, snaring the bronze medal by beating Iran's Shahrdary Gorgan to join the podium topped by Al Riyadi.
That very feat makes Utsunomiya one of the more watched teams in this year's edition, with fans and pundits alike on the lookout whether or not they'd at least replicate what their predecessors accomplished.
They definitely want to do the same - or perhaps exceed as much - because they represent not just the B.League but all of Japan as well, a country whose basketball has also seen improvement by leaps and bounds.
The B.League is getting more world-wide.
And their domestic league, without a doubt, has significantly contributed to that progress by elevating their level of competition - including the Asian Player Quota rule that has indeed broken barriers.
"It's good for the B.League too, having like Philippine players as Asian players, for example. The B.League is getting more worldwide," said Tabuse, who's been with Utsunomiya for 17 years now - and counting.
Not only has the B.League welcomed Asian imports but it's also produced an NBA-level talent particularly Yuki Kawamura, the 2023 league MVP who's been with the Memphis Grizzlies since last year.
"Yuki Kawamura has been doing well," said Tabuse. "He played in the B.League for a couple of years and then now he's playing in the NBA, which is great for him and good for the B.League, too."
They have also welcomed star forward Yuta Watanabe into the league. The lefty shooter signed with the Chiba Jets Funabashi last year as well after spending several seasons with multiple teams in the Association.
And all this only speaks volumes on how much the B.League has flourished, leaving the first-ever Japanese-born player to play in the NBA beaming with pride as he knows that it will only lead to a brighter future ahead.
"The young guys are getting better and better and better," he said. "Someone like Yuta Watanabe, who had the experience in the NBA, that kind of player coming back to Japan and playing in the B.League, is good."
"Especially for the kids," he added.
FIBA