The NBA draft is a highly anticipated period of the year by basketball fans everywhere, and that makes it top news in the sports world, especially in the USA. But this year, the NBA draft stirred things up in a part of the world that is not necessarily known for its great interest in basketball – Japan.
Japan has never been crazy about basketball, as soccer and baseball are the nation’s most popular sports, but that may change now with the selection of Rui Hachimura in the NBA draft.
On Thursday night, The Washington Wizards picked Hachimura, making him the first Japanese-born player to be chosen during the first round of the NBA draft. Japanese headlines were filled with news about the young player, all hailing his entrance in the NBA. Yuko Mitsuya from the Basketball Federation of Japan said that the fact that Hachimura has been selected in the NBA draft makes the country very proud.
The 21-year-old player had 19.7 points and 6.5 rebounds during last season when he played as a junior at Gonzaga College. Last season, he was the player of the year in the West Coast Conference.
