Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on April 2010

Can you reinvent the wheel? Not really, but you can do things to wheels that make them very, very cool. The same is true of sports. I once wrote a slightly tongue-in-cheek article suggesting ways to improve baseball, especially Japanese baseball. People got pissed. Baseball, like soccer, is run by dinosaurs who can’t see the need for change even when it’s staring them in the face.

But some sports are different, and some people take it upon themselves to make things change. Basketball is a case in point. While the elite head for the NBA, there’s still a massive involvement at street level, which has helped the sport develop its own culture. In turn, one side of it has evolved into something else: streetball.

Street basketball can refer to a number of different games, but one of the most popular is the three-on-three version. This is where Japan’s Legend Ultimate Basketball Championship comes in. It’s a stripped-down battle with music, an MC, attitude—and only one basket. “We want to show people in Japan that basketball can be a real fun sport,” organizer Naoyuki Akiba tells Metropolis.

“The most fun part of the game is one-on-ones, but in schools, basketball is taught as a team sport and all the fun parts are driven out of the game. It’s taught as education, not as fun.”

Streetball MC Mamushi adds that the pro leagues in Japan are also missing the best bits of basketball. “We watch the NBA and American streetball games and they’re pretty cool, but in Japan the top leagues don’t seem able to express the fun side of basketball. We know there is another side that’s all about fun and entertainment, and that’s what we’re trying to put across.”

The proof of this particular pudding is quite evident: players from both of Japan’s pro leagues (the Japan Basketball League and the BJ League) participate in streetball—and with official blessing. Akiba emphasizes that they aren’t trying to compete with the leagues: they’re trying to help the game grow.

“It all helps to boost basketball in Japan,” he says. “So the leagues are very kind to us.”

Another difference from regular basketball is that it’s not exactly a team game, even though there are teams involved. In Legend, there are four preliminary tournaments before the championship final, with the top player from each preliminary going through. The individuals pick up teams at each event, and… well, it gets complicated, but it works.

“In truth, it’s more about having fun than competing,” says Akiba. “That’s what we want people to understand.”

The games are played on a 12-meter court accompanied by music, an MC (“I kind of translate what’s going on,” says Mamushi) and lots of people making noise and drinking beer. The competition consists of three five-minute rounds with points as per normal basketball rules, except that dunks get four points as opposed to the usual two. A mercy rule says any team that gets 15 points ahead at any stage wins the game. There are usually six or seven games at each event, as well as an exhibition match where the pros take on the streetballers.

“People who take up basketball in Japan don’t usually play for a long time because there’s no clear ladder to becoming a pro player,” Akiba explains. “People like [ex-NBA player Yuta] Tabuse are the exception. What we are doing is creating something new at street level to entertain people. It’s a bit like karate and K-1. Karate is a traditional sport, but not so many people go to watch it. But they do go and see K-1, because K-1 is more entertaining. And that’s what we’re all about.”

Street Basketball

• Legend Ultimate Basketball Championship, Stage 1. Apr 17, 3pm. ¥1,500-¥6,000. Differ Ariake.
  Tel: 03-5464-3966.
• 21st All-Day 5-on-5 Tournament. Apr 24, 10am; Apr 25, 11am. Yoyogi Park Basketball Court.
• Legend Ultimate Basketball Championship, Stage 2. May 23, 3pm. ¥1,500-¥6,000. Differ Ariake.
  Tel: 03-5464-3966.
• Legend Ultimate Basketball Championship, Stage 3. June 12, 3pm. ¥1,500-¥6,000. Differ Ariake.
  Tel: 03-5464-3966.
• Legend Ultimate Basketball Championship, Stage 4. July 10, 3pm. ¥1,500-¥6,000. Differ Ariake.
  Tel: 03-5464-3966.