In addition to an imposing presence on their frontcourt, the Washington Wizards made a bit of history with their ninth overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft on Thursday.
With his selection at Number 9, Gonzaga forward Rui Hachimura became the first Japanese player to ever be selected in the first round of the NBA draft, and the first Japanese player to be selected at any point in the draft in nearly four decades.
The 6-foot-8 forward was born in Japan’s Toyama Prefecture to a Japanese mother and a father from West Africa’s Benin. After playing high school ball in Japan, Hachimura went overseas to play for Gonzaga, where he developed into an All-American and conference player of the year.
Hachimura was definitely aware of his own historical significance, wearing a Japanese flag pin at the draft and even addressing the camera in Japanese at one point.
Hachimura joins a Wizards team in flux between John Wall’s Achilles rupture and the possibility of Bradley Beal being traded, but he should provide some immediate impact to the Wizards’ frontcourt.
Source:Yahoo! Sports