”I’ve been working as a sportswriter for a while,” Sugiura says. Japan needed a respectable league because FIBA had suspended the country’s membership in 2014.
”It was,” Joseph says, “the wildest thing I’ve ever seen.”According to Cavanaugh, Yuta has always been well-aware of his ambassadorial role. 9 overall to the Washington Wizards. He’s focused on the controllable, and living out the dream he’s had since he was seven. He’s well spoken. More Yuta Watanabe G League Stats » G League Transactions Jul 20, 2018 - Yuta Watanabe signed a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies and Memphis Hustle. Yuta grew up a Lakers fan and credits Bryant for making him fall in love with the game, but he spends more time now watching Ingles film.”I like his game and I watch him because I found similarities,” he says. When Yuta speaks, it’s clear he’s media savvy. Yuta is trying to get his minutes in the NBA. After a solid performance in Vegas, Yuta signed his two-way deal with the Grizzlies in July.Across the Pacific, Japanese fans devour coverage of Yuta, whether that’s articles about him in the U.S.-based Kyodo News or Youtube videos of his G League highlights. I love how the team values that. ”When I was in high school, when I said I wanted to go to the U.S., I didn’t have any connections or any people to talk with,” he says. I’m sure that my passion, my work ethic, everything was there.At the end of his career, Yuta wants to know he did everything in his power to succeed.”No regrets,” he says. Second, he’s already left an indelible impact on Japanese basketball, paving a path for younger Japanese talent. I just, I love it.”During the preseason, Yuta further endeared himself to Memphis by displaying just how much American culture he’s embraced since he moved here. Not just playing in the NBA, but also them helping the Japan national team be relevant in Asia — and maybe the world — is going to be huge.”Daisuke Sugiura — a New York-based journalist who covered Japanese baseball stars Hideki Matsui and Boston’s Daisuke Matsuzaka in their primes — agrees.”Even my mom, who has no interest in basketball whatsoever, knows who Yuta is,” he says. He’s almost apologetic, perhaps sensing that I’m mining for interesting off-the-court nuggets. He’s the guy who always wins the battle. 2019-2020 G League Stats & Splits - Regular Season Per Game. Entre 2014 et 2018, il passe ses quatre saisons universitaires avec les Colonials de George Washington. He’s averaging 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists.Twelve players were named to the G League’s Western Conference team. During a Grizzlies preseason scrimmage before the 2018-19 season, Yuta needed a In Japan, headlines refer to Yuta as “The Special One” or Thousands of people packed tiny gyms to catch a glimpse of him during George Washington’s preseason summer trip to Japan in 2016. The league has plenty of mononym stars: Dirk, Luka, LeBron, Steph, Klay, Kobe, Dame, Giannis. I try to, you know, steal.”He also admires Tayshaun Prince, arguably the patron saint of lefty 3-and-D players and a current member of the Grizzlies’ front office. Now you look at him and he’s in the NBA, and that’s a huge accomplishment.” Yuta’s profile grew in Japan as he got better. ”I love Memphis,” he says. Maurice Joseph, GW’s former head coach, remembers the exact moment when he understood how much Yuta meant to Japan. He stared down all of the expected challenges an immigrant might face: learning a new language, making new friends, creating a new life from scratch. Japan’s top professional league, The B.League — created in September 2016 as a merger between two other leagues that “used to hate each other,” according to Lee — exists solely for the purpose of the 2020 Olympics. “I’m really excited.”Whether Yuta ever fulfills his “Chosen One” billing on the court, he has already won off of it. After playing his college ball in Washington D.C., Yuta’s happy to live in a smaller, slower-paced environment where he can focus exclusively on basketball.
”There are media trying to follow and cover him, but it’s still mostly wait-and-see mode,” she says. Splits View. I’m so bad,” Yuta says, laughing at the memory. Fortunately, my dad knew somebody and that guy helped me a lot. Players earn five-figure salaries and travel by long bus rides around Middle America, giving them a sense of “The Grind”. He says it’s important to acknowledge the leap of faith that Yuta took as an 18-year-old.”Something people need to understand is how far he’s come and how hard it’s been for him to leave his home and come over to the States and not know any English,” Cavanaugh says. Looming over the sport’s future are the Olympics, which will take place in Tokyo in 2020.
”It’s gonna be great,” Yuta says. Making it in the NBA must seem even more enticing during the second night of a back-to-back in White Plains, New York, and Portland, Maine.
Once he finishes his shoot, Yuta leaves FedExForum through the front door, jogging 100 yards or so through the rain to Starbucks alongside Geoff Langham, the Grizzlies’ communications coordinator.