Pro Basketball's KCC Defeats 'Japan Champion' Nagasaki in East Asia Super League

Busan KCC defeated Japan's Nagasaki Velca in their opening match of the East Asia Super League (EASL), a regional club championship.

KCC secured a 98-83 victory over Nagasaki, powered by a stellar 44-point performance from standout foreign player Louis King in the 2026-2027 EASL Group B opening away match held today (October 14) at the Nagasaki Happiness Arena in Japan.

Participating in the tournament as the champions of the 2025-2026 Korean Professional Basketball championship series, KCC took control of the game from the first quarter against Nagasaki, which won the Japanese B.League title last season led by South Korean national team "ace" Lee Hyun-jung.

Thanks to King's stellar play, which included hitting consecutive three-pointers near the end of the first quarter, as well as strong performances inside and outside and on defense, KCC took a commanding 26-16 lead.

In the second quarter, Nagasaki tightened the race, allowing them to tie the game at 43-43.

A tight battle followed with KCC holding a narrow lead under persistent pressure, but after entering the fourth quarter leading narrowly at 71-70, the trio of Shawn Long, Heo Hoon, and King ignited in the middle of the quarter, completely turning the tide of the game.

On this day, King poured in 44 points along with 12 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 blocks, becoming the primary contributor to the victory.

Long performed his role well with 18 points and 17 rebounds, while Heo Hoon also delivered a strong performance with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists.

For Nagasaki, Yudai Baba (16 points, 6 rebounds) and Masaki Morikawa (15 points) fought hard, but they had to accept the defeat on their home court.

In team statistics, KCC completely dominated the rebound battle 41-29 and also outperformed Nagasaki in field goal percentage with 52.4 percent compared to 43.7 percent.

This year's EASL features 12 teams from 7 regions across Asia, including KCC and last season's KBL runners-up Goyang Sono.

Divided into three groups of four teams each, a total of 36 group-stage matches will be played until February of next year, followed by the postseason in March to determine the ultimate champion.

(Photo provided by KBL, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.