Basketball / NBA Aug 19, 2020
Yuta Watanabe has mixed feelings over 2019-20 season
by Kaz Nagatsuka
The 25-year-old described the 2019-20 season as a campaign where he grew to a degree.
Basketball Feb 11, 2020
Hustle's Yuta Watanabe named to Midseason All-NBA G League team
Yuta Watanabe was selected to the 2019-20 Midseason All-NBA G League's Western Conference team in recognition of his overall performance in the first half of the season, the league announced on Monday. Watanabe, who is on a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies, has played ...
Basketball / NBA Sep 11, 2019
Yuta Watanabe shifts focus to upcoming NBA season
by Kaz Nagatsuka
Just over 14, 15 hours after his return from China, Yuta Watanabe was back at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Wednesday, where the Japan men’s national team had landed on its return from the FIBA World Cup the previous night. And he was already "in an ...
Basketball / NBA Aug 13, 2019
Wizards slated to begin NBA season at Dallas on Oct. 23
by Ed Odeven
Rookie forward Rui Hachimura and the Washington Wizards are scheduled to play a trio of road games to begin the 2019-20 NBA campaign, it was announced as the league unveiled its regular-season schedule on Monday. Washington faces the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 23, followed by ...
Basketball / NBA Jul 26, 2019
Yuta Watanabe encourages youth to pursue basketball dreams
by Kaz Nagatsuka
Memphis Grizzlies two-way signing Yuta Watanabe is one of the star players that Japanese children gaze at dreamily. While growing up in Kagawa Prefecture, Watanabe admired Yuta Tabuse, who became the first Japanese player in the NBA during the 2004-05 season. Speaking in front of about ...
Basketball / NBA Apr 24, 2019
Yuta Watanabe not distracted by rising profile in Japan
by Kaz Nagatsuka
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, ...
Basketball | HOOP SCOOP Apr 18, 2019
Yuta Watanabe makes positive impact as a rookie
by Ed Odeven
Yuta Watanabe's blue-collar work ethic and perpetual desire to improve were defining characteristics of his rookie season. Playing for the Memphis Grizzlies and the team's NBA G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, Watanabe made positive impressions throughout the long season. The bulk of his playing time ...
Basketball Mar 29, 2019
Memphis Hustle rookie Yuta Watanabe shines as fill-in point guard
by Ed Odeven
Yuta Watanabe's rookie season provided another memorable chapter on Wednesday. In a season of steady production for the NBA G League's Memphis Hustle with some time also spent on the parent club (Memphis Grizzlies), Watanabe has been getting acclimated to the pro game at a ...
Basketball Jan 31, 2019
Rookie Yuta Watanabe displays potential while playing major minutes in NBA G League
by Ed Odeven
Rookie Yuta Watanabe has exhibited veteran poise throughout his first season as a pro basketball player. With a two-way contract that splits his time between the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies and Memphis Hustle of the NBA G League, there's been no shortage of opportunities for the ...
Basketball / NBA Dec 14, 2018
Rookie forward Yuta Watanabe expected to rejoin Grizzlies for weekend games
Memphis Grizzlies rookie forward Yuta Watanabe, who is progressing through the NBA's concussion protocol, said Thursday he can return to the court this weekend. Watanabe, who attended George Washington University, had been listed as day-to-day after he suffered a blow to the head while playing ...
Basketball Nov 6, 2018
Yuta Watanabe sees major minutes in first two NBA G League games
by Ed Odeven
Yuta Watanabe logged 31 and 32 minutes in the first two games of the Memphis Hustle's NBA G League season. The former George Washington University player started at small forward in Memphis' season opener on Saturday against the host Rio Grande Valley Vipers in Edinburg, ...
Basketball / NBA Oct 28, 2018
Memphis Grizzlies forward Yuta Watanabe made his NBA regular season debut in a win over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, becoming the first Japanese player to appear in the league since Yuta Tabuse 14 years ago. The 24-year-old rookie finished with two points and two ...