is a professional basketball team playing in the B.League, the top-tier professional basketball league of

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. The team is operated by the Human Group Sports Entertainment Company. The team is named after Ebisu. In July 2015 it was announced that the team will compete in the first division of the new Japan Professional Basketball League, which will commence from October 2016.

History

The team was formed in 2004 with the expansion of the

bj league The was a professional basketball league in Japan that began in November 2005 as a six-team league. The league was operated as a competitor to the established Japan Super League which was run by the Japan Basketball Association, the official ...

. They have been the most successful team in the league, having won three league championships in the league's first three seasons. During the 2007-08 season, the team played their home games in seven separate arenas throughout the

Osaka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 () and has a geographic area of . Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Nara ...

and Hyogo Prefecture. This was also the first season that the team's game were broadcast live on television (for two games). The total attendance for their home games was 66,069, and the average attendance 3,003. The team finished in first place during the regular season and won the championship for the third consecutive season. The 2008-09 season was the first season that the team did not use the Namihaya Dome for any of their home games.

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

13 Evessa players and trainer have tested positive for

Coronavirus Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the comm ...

in April 2020. Some other Osaka players may be infected.

Uniform

The team jersey colors are black and red.

Under Armour Under Armour, Inc. is an American sportswear company that manufactures footwear and clothing, apparel headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. History 20th century Under Armour was founded on September 25, 1996, by Kevin Plank, a ...

is the current supplier of Evessa's uniforms. The current uniform sponsors are: *Human Holdings Corporation (chest) *Abilit Corporation (back) *Life Creations Corporation (shorts)

Coaches

* Kensaku Tennichi * Ryan Blackwell (2010–12) * Zoran Krečković (2012) * Takao Furuya (2012) * Bill Cartwright (2013) * Shunsuke Todo * Dai Oketani * Kensuke Hosaka * Kensaku Tennichi

Roster

Notable players

Koei Kotsu Bus Blue Liner Osaka Evessa Advertise Aero Ace

References

External links

Official team web site
*
bt dance team web site

Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium web site

Basketball teams in Japan Sports clubs and teams in Osaka 2004 establishments in Japan Basketball teams established in 2004 {{Asia-basketball-team-stub