In the Ryukyu Golden Kings' infancy, before the team made multiple championship game appearances, Shigeyuki Kinjo was one of the league's most exciting, explosive Japanese backcourt stars.
The Okinawa native had a real gift for taking — and making — gutsy shots and a riverboat gambler's flair to his game. He craved the pressure as a potent slashing/attacking scorer.
A Golden King since the team's start in 2007, Kinjo averaged 13.2 points per game in Ryukyu's title-winning campaign the next season. And he was off to a great start when the team began its title defense the next fall, averaging 18.0 points in the Kings' first 12 games. Then he suffered a season-ending knee injury that would alter the course of his career.