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Japanese Olympic men’s basketball star Yuki Kawamura expressed his determination Sunday to play in the NBA after signing a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies.
The 23-year-old point guard is in line to become the fourth Japanese player to compete in the NBA and first to come through the ranks of the country’s domestic B-League.
Guard Yuki Kawamura puts up a shot for the Memphis Grizzlies during an NBA preseason game against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Oct. 14, 2024. (NBAE/Getty/Kyodo)
“I’ve only reached the starting line. There are many challenges still to overcome,” Kawamura wrote on Instagram.
Players on two-way contracts are eligible to play in a limited number of games for an NBA team while being primarily based with its affiliate in the developmental G-League.
Kawamura’s Japan teammate Yuta Watanabe started his professional career on a two-way contract with the Grizzlies and spent six years in the NBA before joining the B-League’s Chiba Jets this season.
“I will work hard every day to become a player who can step onto the NBA court and help my team win,” Kawamura wrote.
Listed by Memphis at 173 centimeters, Kawamura would be one of the smallest NBA players in recent years.
The 2022-23 B-League MVP initially signed an Exhibit 10 training camp contract with Memphis and was promoted to the two-way deal after making a strong impression while playing as a reserve in all five of the Grizzlies’ preseason games.
He gained worldwide attention by scoring a game-high 29 points as Japan nearly shocked host France at this year’s Paris Olympics, taking their group-stage game to overtime before narrowly losing to the eventual silver medalist.
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