Rui Hachimura made history on Thursday night in New York.
Half a world away, the upbeat news provided a positive buzz throughout Hachimura's homeland on Friday morning. At 9:32 a.m., Hachimura's immediate future in basketball was announced to a global audience.
The 21-year-old Gonzaga University forward became the first Japanese basketball player to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft, with the Washington Wizards choosing Hachimura with the ninth pick. The team was 32-50 and missed the playoffs last season. The Wizards' lone NBA title came in 1978 when they beat the SuperSonics in seven games.