Rui Hachimura's rise to national icon didn't happen overnight.
But he's now a household name throughout the Japanese archipelago — and this is only the beginning. The 2019-20 NBA season is still months away.
Hachimura, a first-round draft pick (No. 9 overall) of the Washington Wizards on Thursday night in New York, has already received congratulatory messages from government officials, ordinary citizens and countless celebrities. After all, he's the first Japanese to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft.