Like Yuta: Watanabe aims to be second Japanese-born player in NBA history

As a 10-year-old, Yuta Watanabe watched a TV and screamed as the only Japanese-born player in NBA history stepped onto the court for the Phoenix Suns.

In 2004, Yuta Tabuse debuted in the NBA. He scored seven points over 10 minutes in his debut.

He only played four games and wouldn’t score again in the NBA, but the Japanese player has set the stage for Watanabe, now 23, who aims to be picked in the 2018 NBA Draft.

“He’s a legend in Japan,” Watanabe said. “I still remember, I was in front of the TV when he stepped onto the court. I was super excited and, like, I was screaming.”

While he isn’t a fixture in mock drafts, Watanabe is already well-known in his home country.

Referred to as “the Chosen One” in the Japan Times, Watanabe became the fourth Japanese-born athlete to play basketball at a DI school. At George Washington, the forward averaged 16.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game as a senior.

He was named the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year last season and is a two-time member of the conference’s All-Defensive Team.

At the Phoenix Suns’ pre-draft workout Thursday, Watanabe tied the record for most laps in the infamous three-minute drill with 29.

“I’m always in good shape,” Watanabe said, still catching his breath during the post-workout interview. He said he took a long flight from Indiana on Wednesday, but he’s seen his fair share of airplanes this month.

In addition to working out for a handful of teams around the league, Watanabe competed in the NBA Global Camp.

He was one of 38 international players to workout in Italy from June 2-4.

“The camp was amazing experience for me,” he said. “I was able to play in front of hundreds of scouts and coaches, so that was amazing experience, and I was very grateful.”

After only attempting two field goals over 14 minutes in the first game, Watanabe made every shot he took en route to a 12-point, four-rebound outing the next day, according to Exposure Basketball Events.

Watanabe said he’s focusing on lifting weights, particularly working out his upper-body. According to the Pacers’ NBA site, he weighed 191.6 pounds at the camp.

Yet, the 6-foot-8 athlete told the site he can defend guards and forwards. He has played internationally in the East Asian Basketball Association Championships and the FIBA Asia Championships, and played on the Japanese Olympic team in the qualifiers in 2016.

All that’s left is to play professionally in the United States.

“Not a lot of people can get this type of opportunity, so I’m very happy that I’m in this situation,” Watanabe said. I just want to do whatever it takes.”

It’s been almost 15 years since Tabuse debuted for the Suns, but the “Michael Jordan of Japan,” the player who graced a limited-edition NBA Live 2006 cover across the Pacific, remains widely recognized in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Watanabe wants to enter that echelon.

“If I can play with this organization, I’d be very happy,” he said. “I wish I could do the same thing to people who watch in Japan.”

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