NEWSWORTHY
Yuta Watanabe not distracted by rising profile in Japan
Yuta Watanabe has certainly become a basketball celebrity in Japan, having become the second-ever player from the country to play in the NBA this season. But the youngster's celebrity seems to keep growing. Since Watanabe, who signed a two-way deal with the Memphis Grizzlies in July, ...
Performance staff plays big role for Japan hoopsters
Right after the final buzzer, the TV camera momentarily caught head coach Julio Lamas giving a strong hug to athletic trainer Takeo Ichiyanagi after they helped accomplish a big feat in the Middle East in late February. Koichi Sato, the sports performance director for the ...
Japanese basketball granted host nation spots for Tokyo Olympics
Both Japan's women's and men's basketball teams will compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games after the sport's governing body decided Saturday to allocate them host nation qualification places. The decision, taken at a meeting in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, ends a long saga for Japanese ...
Sunflowers captain Asami Yoshida bids farewell to the game
Asami Yoshida, one of the greatest players in Japanese women's basketball history, announced her retirement on Monday, saying that she can no longer motivate herself even with the Tokyo Olympics drawing near. The JX-Eneos Sunflowers, Yoshida’s home throughout her Women’s Japan Basketball League career, had ...
Akatsuki Five players make quick return to club grind
Many Japanese basketball fans may have been nursing hangovers after Japan successfully qualified for the FIBA World Cup. But the players themselves haven't had much time to cherish their accomplishment. After a celebratory toast at Narita Airport following the Asian qualifiers, the member's of Japan's Akatsuki ...
Akatsuki Five journey from agony to ecstasy
The Akatsuki Five players were beaming on Sunday after they accomplished their feat, booking a ticket to this summer's FIBA World Cup. But just one year ago, they were in complete agony. Japan began its World Cup Asian qualifying campaign with four straight losses, putting itself ...
Triumphant Akatsuki Five return after accomplishing World Cup mission
When Japan clinched a berth for the second round of FIBA World Cup qualifying last July in Taiwan, Nick Fazekas said that the Akatsuki Five had accomplished their mission. On Sunday night, that statement felt truer than ever. One day after they clinched a berth for ...
Japan completed an amazing turnaround to qualify for the basketball World Cup on Sunday, with Nick Fazekas keying an eighth straight win that punched the team's ticket to China. The U.S.-born Fazekas poured in 20 points and dominated the glass, finishing with 19 rebounds, as ...
Orimo continues to speak mind about Japan
Legendary star player Takehiko Orimo has always been brutally honest and outspoken about Japanese basketball, and his stance on the Akatsuki Five is no different. The Japanese men's national team will face Iran and Qatar on Thursday and Sunday, respectively, with a ticket to the ...
Japan prepares for crucial FIBA World Cup qualifiers at Iran, Qatar
With a significant pair of wins during the previous window of the Asian qualifiers in Toyama late last year, the Akatsuki Five got much closer to clinching a berth for this summer's FIBA World Cup finals in China. But Julio Lamas, the Japan men's national ...
FIBA task force positive on Tokyo 2020 berth for Japan
Japan's men's basketball team is on the right track to earn a spot at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, FIBA task force co-chairman Ingo Weiss told a news conference on Sunday. Weiss stressed that the Japan Basketball Association has fully lived up to the expectations of ...
Akatsuki Five extend winning streak to six after downing Kazakhstan
Nick Fazekas has said he would welcome one of his Japan teammates stepping into the limelight. But as usual, it was he who came through, becoming the biggest factor in the Akatsuki Five's latest victory. The naturalized Japanese center racked up 41 points and 15 rebounds ...
