Kerry Blackshear Jr. strode toward midcourt, where his Hiroshima teammates, Takuto Nakamura and Dwayne Evans, were already embracing. The Dragonflies had done it. They were the 2023-24 B.LEAGUE Champions.

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Just five years removed from competing in Japan’s second division, Hiroshima had knocked off long-standing powerhouse, the Ryukyu Golden Kings. That victory earned it a spot in the 2024-25 East Asia Super League season.

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And how have they fared against Asia’s elite over the last five months? Pretty great. With a 5-1 group-stage record in its inaugural season, Hiroshima is now aiming to become champions of Asia, starting March 7.

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At the heart of it all? Blackshear.

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Now in his third year with Hiroshima, the 6-foot-9 forward has emerged as one of the league’s premier players. In October, he earned EASL Player of the Month honors after leading the Dragonflies to a 2-0 start, averaging 21 points and 10.5 rebounds. Since then, he’s continued to deliver dominant performances, helping Hiroshima secure the No. 1 seed in Group A and a semifinal showdown against Jeremy Lin and the New Taipei Kings.

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After graduating from the University of Florida in 2020, Blackshear began his professional career overseas. Undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft, he spent a year each in the Israeli and Turkish Basketball Leagues before landing in Hiroshima. A standout in U.S. collegiate basketball, Blackshear earned Second-Team All-ACC honors in 2019 with Virginia Tech before transferring to Florida for his final year, where he picked up Second-Team All-SEC honors in 2020 — one of the toughest conferences in college basketball.

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After a stellar opening month in EASL play, Blackshear and Hiroshima hit a rough patch. Without him in the lineup, the Dragonflies lost 80-78 to Korea’s Suwon KT Sonicboom on Dec. 4, dropping them from the top spot in Group A.

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However, Hiroshima rebounded in the second half of the group stage. A road win over the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots — one of only two teams to start 3-0 — put them at 3-1 and clinched a Final Four bid on Christmas Day. 

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Then, a pair of wins to close out the season secured the No. 1 seed in Group A. During this three-game win streak, Blackshear racked up three more double-doubles, becoming just the second EASL player this year with five or more double-doubles. Heading into the Final Four, he averages an impressive 16.6 points and 11.4 rebounds.

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When Hiroshima won last year’s B.LEAGUE title, it came out of nowhere. After catching fire at the end of the regular season to earn a wildcard spot, the Dragonflies carried that momentum into the championship series. They lost Game 1 of the best-of-three series against Ryukyu but overcame the odds by winning two straight to clinch the championship.

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Whether or not Hiroshima is considered an underdog against New Taipei, one thing is clear. The team is ready. And the play of Blackshear is a huge reason why.

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Don’t miss Blackshear and the Dragonflies in action against Chinese Taipei’s New Taipei Kings on March 7 at 18:40 CST in Studio City Macau.

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Click HERE to secure your tickets! 

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