Playing in the Japan B. League for nearly two years gave seven-foot slotman Greg Slaughter an opportunity to witness the vast development of this young professional pro loop that has become the go-to-destination of some of the crack players around the world, including Filipino cagers.
Although baseball remains as the No.1 sport in Japan, its love for basketball is somewhat immeasurable, which is why Slaughter felt the warm reception given to them by the people from the Land of the Rising Sun.
“Japan, they really love their basketball, but baseball is still their No.1 sport,” Slaughter told Pinoystep.com in an exclusive interview. “Here in the Philippines, it’s basketball. There’s just no fans like the Filipino fans when it comes to basketball.”
The passion shown by Pinoy fans was incredible, but Slaughter heaped praises at how Japan was able to manage the growth of the B. League from being a fledgling professional hoop event in 2016 to becoming one of the premier cage loops in the Asian region.
Japan B. League has its regular two divisions – B1 and B2 – while a third division was also created previously known as the developmental league while the pro hoop continues to grow.
This year, the B. League has entered a partnership with the Australian National Basketball League, which will allow teams to engage in future crossover games and potential partnerships, an opportunity that could lead to Japanese teams competing in the Land Down Under.
“The Japanese are very generous. They’re considerate,” added Slaughter. “They’re very welcoming and I certainly enjoyed my time out there and I’m very happy to see the progress of the league, establishing it correctly, and B. League, which was established in 2016, was able to build their way up and now they’re doing the FIBA tournaments and one of the best in the regions.”
A four-time champion in the Philippine Basketball Association when he played for Barangay Ginebra, Slaughter got traded to NorthPort, but played with the Batang Pier only briefly as he left Asia’s pioneering professional league on July 9, 2022 when he signed with Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka, a B2 League, as an Asian import.
But Slaughter was listed on the roster of the Manila Stars prior to the start of the MPBL’s Sixth Season and had already started practicing with the squad, marking his return to action in the local cage circuit.
