Denso Iris claim maiden W League title, defeat Toyota Antelopes 3-1 in playoff finals

Denso Iris captured the first championship in the club's history on Sunday, defeating Toyota Motor Antelopes 70-51 in Game 4 to clinch the Keio Railway presents W League Playoff 2025-26 Finals series three games to one. Veteran centre Maki Takada (185-C-1989) was named Playoff MVP — also a first for the 38-year-old, who has been a cornerstone of Japanese women's basketball for over a decade. The honour capped a dominant postseason run for Takada that was instrumental in guiding Denso to the historic breakthrough. The finals series saw Denso assert their superiority across four tightly contested but ultimately decisive games. After taking Game 1 on the road 75-66 on April 4, Denso dropped Game 2 the following day as Toyota fought back with a 57-41 victory to level the series. But Denso reclaimed control with a 69-59 win in Game 3 on April 11 before sealing the championship with Sunday's comprehensive 70-51 triumph that left no doubt about who the best team in Japanese women's basketball was this season.
The Playoff Best Five, selected by the Tokyo Sports Press Club's basketball division, reflected Denso's dominance with three of the five spots going to the champions. Mai Kawai (172-PG-1996), Takada and Senegalese centre Sokhna Sylla (200-C-1997) were all honoured alongside Toyota's two selections — Nigerian-Japanese centre Amaka Okonkwo (186-C-2002) and guard Mai Yamamoto (163-PG-1999).
Dia's inclusion underlined her impact as Denso's interior anchor throughout the playoff run, while Kawai's selection recognised the guard's consistent two-way contributions across the series. For Toyota, Amaka Okonkwo and Yamamoto were the standout performers in a campaign that ultimately fell just short of a championship.
The title marks a historic milestone for Denso Iris, one of the W League's most established programmes. Despite decades of competitive basketball at the highest level of the Japanese women's game, the club had never previously stood atop the league at season's end — making Sunday's celebrations all the more significant for the players, staff and fans who have supported the programme through the years.
Toyota Motor Antelopes, the runners-up, will take consolation from a strong playoff campaign but were ultimately unable to match Denso's consistency across the four-game series.