Nishinomiya
Wikipedia - Kobe Storks
The Kobe Storks (神戸ストークス (Kobe Sutōkusu)) are a professional basketball team based in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan that compete in the second division of the Japanese B.League.
History
The club was formed in 2011 as the Hyogo Storks (兵庫ストークス） and entered the second division of the Japan Basketball League (JBL2) in the 2011-12 season, finishing with a record of 17 wins and 10 losses. The club was JBL2 league champions in the 2012-13 season with a record of 27 wins and 5 losses, which was the final season of the league before it was reformed as the National Basketball Development League. The club’s success in the 2012-13 season earned it promotion to the first division of the JBL, which was reformed as the NBL for the 2013-2014 season.
On 16 July 2015 the Storks announced an agreement with the City of Nishinomiya that will see the team based in the city and the name changed to the Nishinomiya Storks. The decision is also one move aimed at the club securing a position in the new Japan Professional Basketball League that will commence in the autumn of 2016.