Japan coach Julio Lamas outlines team's goals for FIBA Basketball World Cup
Japan men's national team head coach Julio Lamas insisted that there will be uphill battles for the Akatsuki Five at the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup in China, but said that he certainly hopes the team comes up with its best-ever results. One day after ...
Summer League players help boost NBA abroad
After an NBA Board of Governors meeting earlier this week, commissioner Adam Silver addressed the media, and that gathering in New York included an assessment of the rise in Japanese players during the ongoing NBA Summer League. The commissioner also commented on the positive impact ...
Antonio Lang enjoying Summer League coaching challenge, seeing growth of Japanese basketball
One familiar face for Japanese basketball fans is currently serving as a head coach during the ongoing NBA Summer League. Antonio Lang, a former long-time player and coach in Japan, is leading the wannabe Cleveland Cavaliers team here. Antonio Lang was hired by the Cleveland Cavaliers ...
Free agency moves shake up NBA; Rui Hachimura agrees to rookie contract
Kawhi Leonard's uncertain NBA free agency fate kept three teams in limbo Monday as players continued to make deals to shake up the league landscape. Players and teams began agreeing to terms on new deals Sunday even though no contracts can be signed until Saturday. Leonard, ...
JBA announces August exhibition schedule for national teams
The Japan men's national team will tune up for the upcoming FIBA World Cup with international exhibitions against New Zealand, Argentina, Germany and Tunisia in August, the Japan Basketball Association announced in Tokyo on Tuesday. The sport's national governing body also revealed the women's national ...
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, ...
Yuta Watanabe makes positive impact as a rookie
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 ...
Memphis Hustle rookie Yuta Watanabe shines as fill-in point guard
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 ...
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 squad set for big challenges
The players and staff seemed relaxed. That is a good indication of their state of mind as they get into the final window of the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers. The provisional Japanese men's national team began its final training camp on Tuesday before its ...
Grizzlies' Yuta Watanabe sets new career high with 10 points in loss to Thunder
Memphis Grizzlies guard Yuta Watanabe scored an NBA career-high 10 points and grabbed five rebounds in a 117-95 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday. The 24-year-old rookie shot 3 of 8 from the field and sank all four of his free-throw attempts in ...
Yuta Watanabe has career night in Grizzlies' victory over Timberwolves
Mike Conley had 25 points and nine assists in possibly his last game for Memphis, and the Grizzlies beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-106 on Tuesday night on Justin Holiday's two free throws with one-tenth of a second remaining. Jaren Jackson Jr. added 23 points for ...
