Rui Hachimura
![]() Hachimura in December 2019 | |||||||||||||||
No. 8 – Washington Wizards | |||||||||||||||
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Position | Small forward / Power forward | ||||||||||||||
League | NBA | ||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||
Born | Toyama, Japan | February 8, 1998||||||||||||||
Nationality | Japanese | ||||||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | ||||||||||||||
Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||
High school | Meisei (Sendai, Japan) | ||||||||||||||
College | Gonzaga (2016–2019) | ||||||||||||||
NBA draft | 2019: 1st round, 9th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
Selected by the Washington Wizards | |||||||||||||||
Playing career | 2019–present | ||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||
2019–present | Washington Wizards | ||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Rui Hachimura (八村 塁, Hachimura Rui, born February 8, 1998) is a Japanese professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs and is a member of the Japanese national team. Listed at 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) and 230 lbs (104 kg),[1] he plays both the small forward and power forward positions.[2] After being selected ninth overall by the Wizards in the 2019 NBA draft, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2020.
Born in Toyama Prefecture, Hachimura achieved success at the youth level in Japan, leading Meisei High School to three straight All-Japan High School Tournament titles and being a top player for the Japanese under-17 and under-19 national teams in FIBA competition. He joined Gonzaga in 2016 as the fifth Japanese-born men's NCAA Division I player and became the first Japanese national in 2017 to play in the NCAA Division I men's tournament. As a sophomore, he earned first-team All-WCC honors. He was named a finalist for the Naismith Player of the Year.[3]
Early life and career
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a0/Hachimura_rui_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-Hachimura_rui_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Hachimura was born in Toyama Prefecture in Japan to a Japanese mother Makiko (麻紀子) and Beninese father, Zakari Jabil. His given name, Rui (塁), means "base" or "fortress" in Japanese; the name was given to him by his grandfather because he was a big fan of baseball (the character 塁 is also used for "base" in context of baseball). He has three younger siblings, one brother, and two sisters. Hachimura's younger brother, Allen (阿蓮, Aren), is a basketball player at Tokai University in Japan.[4][5] In his childhood, he played baseball as a catcher and pitcher.[6] On December 29, 2013, Hachimura led the Meisei High School basketball team to its second title in the All-Japan High School Tournament, scoring 32 points in a 92–78 win over Fukuoka University Ohori.[6] In 2014, he helped his team win the tournament for a second straight year.[7] In April 2015, Hachimura was invited to the Jordan Brand Classic, where he recorded nine points and five rebounds in the International Game.[8][9] On November 21, 2015, he signed a National Letter of Intent to play college basketball for Gonzaga Bulldogs in the U.S., being considered by ESPN as one of the best international players entering college.[10][11] On December 29, 2015, Hachimura posted 34 points, 19 rebounds and three blocks to guide Meisei past Tsuchiura Nihon University High School for his third All-Japan Tournament victory.[12]
Despite signing with Gonzaga in the early signing period for 2016, Hachimura had his eligibility to play college basketball called into question.[13] The concerns were that he needed to acclimate better culturally and linguistically to the U.S. and would potentially need to attend a prep school before entering Gonzaga or redshirting if eligible.[14] In February 2016, Hachimura claimed to understand 80 percent of English but speak only 30-40 percent of it.[15] By April 2016, Hachimura was still working toward passing the SAT to gain entrance to college.[16][17] In May 2016, Hachimura announced that he met the SAT and GPA requirements to be eligible to play at Gonzaga beginning as early as fall 2016. He planned to play as a true freshman and did not redshirt his first year.[18]
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rui Hachimura SF/PF |
Toyama, Japan | Meisei | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Nov 20, 2015 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: NR Rivals: NR 247Sports: #136 ESPN: NR | ||||||
Sources:
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College career
Hachimura made his regular season debut for the Gonzaga Bulldogs on November 11, 2016,[19] against Utah Valley, recording one point and three rebounds in four minutes.[20] As a result, he became the fifth Japanese-born player to ever play NCAA Division I basketball.[21] On December 1, he scored a season-high 10 points in 13 minutes in a 97–63 win over Mississippi Valley State.[22] Hachimura scored eight points on February 23, 2017, against San Diego, helping his team win the West Coast Conference (WCC) title.[23][24] On March 16, 2017, after playing one minute against South Dakota State, he became the first Japanese native to ever appear in the NCAA Division I men's tournament.[25] Through 28 games as a freshman, Hachimura averaged 2.6 points and 1.4 rebounds while shooting 53 percent from the field in 4.6 minutes per game.[26]
In the 2017–18 campaign, Hachimura appeared in 37 games for Gonzaga, including two starts, averaging 11.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest.[27]
Coming into his junior season, Hachimura was named to the Preseason All-WCC Team.[28] He opened the regular season on November 6, 2018 by scoring 33 points in a 120–79 win over Idaho State.[29] On November 21, 2018, Hachimura recorded 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists to help upset No. 1-ranked Duke in the Maui Invitational finals.[30] Subsequently, he was named most valuable player of the tournament.[31] Hachimura was selected the 2019 WCC Player of the Year.[32] He led Gonzaga in scoring (19.7 points per game) during the 2018-19 season and also averaged 6.5 rebounds a contest.[33]
Professional career
Washington Wizards (2019–present)
On April 15, 2019, Hachimura announced that he would forgo his final year of eligibility and declared for the 2019 NBA draft,[34] where he was drafted ninth overall by the Washington Wizards. Hachimura was the second Japanese-born player to be drafted into the NBA after Yasutaka Okayama, and also the first Japanese player ever taken in the first round.[35] On October 23, 2019, Hachimura made his NBA debut, posting a double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds) as a starter in a 100–108 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.[36] On December 1, 2019, Hachimura scored a career-high thirty points in a 125–150 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers along with nine rebounds, three assists and a steal.[37] Hachimura suffered a groin injury against the Detroit Pistons on December 16 and had surgery and missed several games.[38] On September 15, 2020, Hachimura was named to the second-team NBA All-Rookie Team.[39]
National team career
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/20180917_FIBA_Basketball_World_Cup_Qualifier_Japan_vs_Iran_%2844019576184%29.jpg/200px-20180917_FIBA_Basketball_World_Cup_Qualifier_Japan_vs_Iran_%2844019576184%29.jpg)
Hachimura represents Japan internationally. At the 2013 FIBA Asia U16 Championship in Iran, he averaged 22.8 points, 12.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks through eight contests,[40] guiding his team to a third-place finish.[41] In April 2014, he played the Albert-Schweitzer-Tournament in Germany with Japan's under 18 national team,[42][43] finishing in last place.[44]
Japan finished the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championships 14th of 16 teams, with Hachimura scoring a tournament-high 22.6 points per game, while pulling down 6.6 rebounds and blocking 1.7 shots per contest.[45] During the tournament, he scored 25 points on the USA team that went on to win the title; that team included four players who were chosen in the 2017 NBA draft—Jayson Tatum, Josh Jackson, Caleb Swanigan, and Ivan Rabb—plus other future college stars such as Diamond Stone and Malik Newman.[46][25]
He competed for Japan in the 2017 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup, averaging team-bests 20.6 points and 11.0 rebounds a contest.[47] In a qualification round for the 2019 FIBA World Cup, Hachimura scored 25 points to help Japan defeat Iran 70-56.[48]
Career statistics
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016–17 | Gonzaga | 28 | 0 | 4.6 | .528 | .286 | .542 | 1.4 | .1 | .2 | .1 | 2.6 |
2017–18 | Gonzaga | 37 | 2 | 20.7 | .568 | .192 | .795 | 4.7 | .6 | .5 | .5 | 11.6 |
2018–19 | Gonzaga | 37 | 37 | 30.2 | .591 | .417 | .739 | 6.5 | 1.5 | .9 | .7 | 19.7 |
Career | 102 | 39 | 19.7 | .579 | .316 | .746 | 4.4 | .8 | .6 | .5 | 12.1 |
NBA
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019–20 | Washington | 48 | 48 | 30.1 | .466 | .287 | .829 | 6.1 | 1.8 | .8 | .2 | 13.5 |
Career | 48 | 48 | 30.1 | .466 | .287 | .829 | 6.1 | 1.8 | .8 | .2 | 13.5 |
FIBA Senior Team Events Stats
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 Asian World Cup Qualifier | Japan | 4 | 4 | 30.2 | .576 | .286 | .762 | 6.0 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 21.5 |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | Japan | 6 | 0 | 6 | .333 | .000 | .000 | .2 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 1.8 |
See also
References
- ^ "Rui Hachimura". National Basketball Association. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ "Rui Hachimura". Gonzaga University Athletics. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
- ^ Woodburn, Peter. "Rui Hachimura named Naismith Player of the Year finalist". The Slipper Still Fits. SB Nation. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- ^ "Rui Hachimura's profile". FIBA. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
- ^ Mandel, Stewart (March 30, 2017). "Japan will be watching the Final Four just to see this guy you probably don't know". Fox Sports. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
- ^ a b Nagatsuka, Kaz (December 29, 2013). "Hachimura powers Meisei High to Winter Cup title". The Japan Times. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
- ^ Nagatsuka, Kaz (December 25, 2015). "Hachimura guides Meisei High to impressive victory in Winter Cup opener". The Japan Times. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
- ^ Nagatsuka, Kaz (June 22, 2015). "Future looking bright for Japanese men's basketball". The Japan Times. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
- ^ "Jordan Brand Classic Box Score International Game" (PDF). Jordan Brand Classic. April 17, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
- ^ Borzello, Jeff (January 31, 2015). "The next wave of international prospects". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
- ^ "MBB Signs Hachimura to National Letter of Intent". Gonzaga University Athletics. November 21, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
- ^ Nagatsuka, Kaz (December 29, 2015). "Hachimura lifts Meisei High to Winter Cup three-peat". The Japan Times. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
- ^ Meehan, Jim (November 20, 2015). "Zags sign Japanese forward Rui Hachimura". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
- ^ "Next international wave will set up Zags for a while, says GU's Lloyd". heinnews. December 9, 2015. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
- ^ "Talking afterwards to Rui Hachimura (1998 Japan) he says he understands 80% of English, can only talk about 30-40% though. Finals in March". February 13, 2016.
- ^ Konaga, Yoshinaga (April 11, 2016). "Rui Hachimura talks about high school graduationand future goals in the United States, A New Journey". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
- ^ "Questions still for Rui Hachimura if he'll pass tests to get into Gonzaga. Hopefully he's hitting books hard instead of coming to #AST2016". March 28, 2016.
- ^ Nagatsuka, Kaz (May 11, 2016). "Hachimura cleared to enroll at Gonzaga". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
- ^ Medcalf, Myron (November 16, 2018). "The education of Gonzaga's Rui Hachimura". ESPN. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
- ^ "Nov 11, 2016 - Utah Valley 69, Gonzaga 92". RealGM. November 11, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
- ^ Meehan, Jim (November 11, 2017). "Gonzaga forward Rui Hachimura at the center of Japanese media's attention". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
- ^ "No. 8 Gonzaga breezes past Mississippi Valley State 97-63". Gonzaga University Athletics. December 1, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
- ^ "Feb 23, 2017 - Gonzaga 96, San Diego 38". RealGM. February 23, 2017. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
- ^ "Top-ranked MBB Remains Perfect, Beats San Diego 96-38". Gonzaga University Athletics. February 24, 2017. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
- ^ a b Mandel, Stewart (March 30, 2017). "Japan will be watching the Final Four just to see this guy you probably don't know". Fox Sports. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
- ^ "Season Box Score". gozags.com. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
- ^ "2017-18 Gonzaga Men's Basketball Season Box Score". gozags.com. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
- ^ "Gonzaga picked to Win 2018-19 Men's Basketball Championship". West Coast Conference. October 18, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
- ^ "Rui Hachimura scores 33 to help No. 3 Gonzaga rout Idaho State". The Japan Times. November 7, 2018. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
- ^ Hall, Jason (November 21, 2018). "No. 3 Gonzaga upsets No. 1 Duke, 89-87, in Maui Invitational championship". Newsweek. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
- ^ Meehan, Jim (November 22, 2018). "Gonzaga's Rui Hachimura, Zach Norvell Jr. selected to Maui All-Tournament team". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
- ^ "WCC Announces 2018-19 Men's Basketball All-Conference". West Coast Conference. March 5, 2019. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
- ^ "2018-19 Gonzaga Men's Basketball: Season Box Score". static.gozags.com. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
- ^ Jones, Kaelen (April 15, 2019). "Gonzaga's Rui Hachimura Declares for NBA Draft". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
- ^ Caron, Emily (June 20, 2019). "2019 NBA draft: Rui Hachimura is first Japanese-born player drafted | SI.com". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ "Doncic-Porzingis debut carries Mavs past Wizards, 108-100". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 23, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
- ^ "Clippers blow out undermanned Wizards 150-125". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 1, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
- ^ "Wizards' Rui Hachimura (groin) to be reevaluated in two weeks". ESPN. Associated Press. January 5, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
- ^ "Ja Morant, Zion Williamsom headline 2019-20 Kia All-Rookie First Team". NBA.com. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ "Rui Hachimura profile, FIBA Asia U16 Championship for Men 2013 | FIBA.COM". FIBA.COM. Retrieved 2016-02-20.
- ^ "Schedule & results | 2013 FIBA Asia U16 Championship for Men | ARCHIVE.FIBA.COM". www.fiba.com. Retrieved 2016-02-20.
- ^ "Cheeseball alert at 2014 Albert Schweitzer Tournament". FIBA.com. April 24, 2014. Retrieved 2016-02-20.
- ^ "AST 2014 Japan « Deutscher Basketball Bund". www.basketball-bund.de. Retrieved 2016-02-20.
- ^ "game stats / standings « Deutscher Basketball Bund". www.basketball-bund.de. Retrieved 2016-02-20.
- ^ "Rui HACHIMURA at the Players of the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship for Men - FIBA.com". FIBA.com. Retrieved 2016-02-20.
- ^ "United States of America v Japan - 12 Aug - FIBA.com". FIBA.com. Retrieved 2016-02-20.
- ^ "Japon at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2017 - FIBA.basketball". FIBA.basketball (in French). Retrieved 2017-07-09.
- ^ Dauster, Rob (September 18, 2018). "Rui Hachimura scores 25 as Japan upsets Iran in World Cup qualifier". NBC Sports. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- 1998 births
- Living people
- 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup players
- All-American college men's basketball players
- Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball players
- Japanese expatriate basketball people in the United States
- Japanese men's basketball players
- Japanese people of Beninese descent
- Power forwards (basketball)
- Sendai University Meisei High School alumni
- Small forwards
- Sportspeople from Sendai
- Sportspeople from Toyama Prefecture
- Washington Wizards draft picks
- Washington Wizards players