Congratulations to the Hiroshima Dragonflies on their long-awaited first championship 🏆

In the fateful Game 3, despite the bad weather, 12,209 fans and boosters from all over the country came to the Yokohama Arena. Thank you so much for coming, including over the weekend.

In such a tense atmosphere, I was watching to see if they could play their usual game, if they could bring out their strengths, and if they could fight both passionately and calmly.

Having won Game 2 to force a deciding game, Hiroshima seemed to maintain the momentum and held the initiative throughout, even in a low-scoring game. I think it also had an impact that Ryukyu's three-point percentage did not improve, and that they were quite fatigued, as this was their ninth game of the postseason, with every series having gone to a Game 3.

Congratulations to the Hiroshima Dragonflies on their first championship. Also, thank you to the Ryukyu Golden Kings for another moving season.

Hiroshima was strong once they entered the postseason. It felt as though the players themselves probably didn't feel like they could lose. Winning a championship on the stage of the finals, which they reached for the first time, is an incredibly difficult feat.

You always need 'something' more than just ability. In this tournament, that might have been Hiroshima's momentum. I think there was a sense of unity, carrying the hopes of Terashima, turning crises into opportunities, and wanting to give Asayama a grand send-off. There was also the skill with which the club and fans shared the challenger mentality of a club pulling off an upset. They truly grew stronger with every single game once the postseason began.

However, for those of us who have seen the efforts of Owner Inayoshi, President Ura, the club staff, the team, the local business community, the media, the local government, and above all, the growing passion of the Dragonflies boosters, I am convinced that this result is something that everyone has built together over many years.

Once again, I offer my congratulations. I am truly happy that they have become a wonderful club and have blossomed. Hiroshima has one of the highest levels of sports enthusiasm in the country. I hope this championship will ignite further passion and greatly increase the club's presence.

Finally, the view from the top is something you can only see once you have climbed there. Hiroshima has made history in the B.League, a league crowded with powerful teams. I feel like this has been a season that marks the dawn of a new era. Through B.Innovation, we as a league also want to create a future where every club and every fan has a chance.

I will provide a summary later, but thank you very much for this season as well.