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.
NBA Aug 9, 2020
Homegrown NBA stars raising basketball's profile in Japan
by Kaz Nagatsuka
George David, an executive at marketing and talent agency Wasserman, believes that Rui Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe represent the "tip of the iceberg."
Basketball Aug 8, 2020
JBA reveals provisional rosters for national teams
by Kaz Nagatsuka
The Japan Basketball Association revealed the provisional squads for the men’s and women’s national teams and also the male and female 3x3 squads.
More Sports Apr 30, 2020
Badminton pair uses 3/11 experience as guide during coronavirus pandemic
Olympic medal hopefuls who survived 3/11 disaster taking Tokyo 2020 postponement in stride.
More Sports Mar 16, 2020
Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota, the world's No. 3 pairing, were crowned women's doubles champions on Sunday at the All England Open badminton tournament, one of the few sporting events that went ahead amid the coronavirus pandemic. Later Sunday, in the last of the day's ...
Basketball Mar 14, 2020
Texas Legends assistant coach Takuma Ito gaining valuable experience in G League
by Ed Odeven
Texas Legends assistant coach Takuma Ito has grown more comfortable in his role as part of the team's supporting cast this season, his second with the NBA G League club. Under first-year head coach George Galanopoulos, who also guides the Uganda men's national team, Ito's ...
Basketball / NBA Feb 16, 2020
Rui Hachimura, Yuta Watanabe and Yudai Baba reunite during All-Star Weekend
by Ed Odeven
Washington Wizards rookie Rui Hachimura met up with basketball-playing compatriots Yuta Watanabe and Yudai Baba as part of NBA All-Star Weekend festivities on Friday in Chicago. The Windy City provided a unique opportunity for the three pros to visit one another during the ongoing season. ...
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 Jan 27, 2020
Japanese athletes, officials mourn tragic death of Kobe Bryant
Japanese sports stars paid tribute to NBA legend Kobe Bryant on Monday after he was killed along with his teenage daughter in a helicopter crash. The 41-year-old, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers throughout a glittering career spanning two decades, died after the private ...
Basketball / NBA Jan 27, 2020
Kobe Bryant: His legacy in Japan
by Ed Odeven
What does Kobe Bryant mean to Japan's basketball culture? Simply put, he was the most popular player here since Michael Jordan retired for good in 2003. He was the biggest star of the 21st century, and the player whose presence was missed the most at ...
Basketball Jan 23, 2020
Yuta Watanabe scores career-high 40 points in NBA G League game
by Ed Odeven
Yuta Watanabe scored a career-high 40 points for the NBA G League's Memphis Hustle on Wednesday. The second-year pro, a two-way player for the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies and Hustle, put on a shooting clinic against the Delaware Blue Coats in Southaven, Mississippi. In 35 impressive minutes, ...
Basketball / NBA Jan 1, 2020
Wizards rookie Rui Hachimura fuels NBA boom in Japan
by Joel Fitzpatrick
After becoming the first Japanese player to be chosen in the first round of the NBA draft, Rui Hachimura is the face of a basketball boom in his home country. Hachimura's progress in the NBA is getting wall-to-wall coverage in Japanese media and his face ...