Rui Hachimura

BIOGRAPHY

Rui Hachimura was born on August 2, 1998, in Toyoma, Japan. He is a forward in the NBA.

Hailing from Toyama, Japan, at just 23-years old Rui Hachimura has already made history and a lasting impact globally in the sports world. At the age of 13, Hachimura was introduced to basketball by his middle school classmate and since then he has never looked back. Attending basketball powerhouse Mesei High School in Sendai, Japan, Hachimura’s potential was being recognized by Universities in the United States as he won three-straight national championships. He decided to attend Gonzaga University, as he tried to achieve his ultimate dream of making it to the NBA. At Gonzaga, Hachimura shined and was a key figure in the three years he played for the Bulldogs, as he was named 2019 WCC Player of the Year and earned the Julius Erving Award, which is given to the nations top small forward, in his junior season at Gonzaga.

In June of 2019, Hachimura was selected in the first round (ninth overall) in the NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards, becoming the first Japanese-born player to ever be selected in the first round. He made an immediate impact on the Wizards in his rookie season and was named NBA All-Rookie Second Team. Hachimura, who was previously known as the “Hope of Japan” in his home country, is now regularly associated with his own brand “Black Samurai” as he continues to write his own story and becomes an icon not only in Japan but globally.

On January 23, 2023, Hachimura was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Kendrick Nunn and three second-round draft picks. In the 2023 NBA Playoffs, Hachimura was a vital part of the Lakers rotation on both ends of the court. He scored 29 points in his Lakers post-season debut to lead the team to a first-round Game 1 victory over the No. 2-seeded Memphis Grizzlies.

n July 6, 2023, Hachimura re-signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. On December 9, 2023, Hachimura and the Lakers won the inaugural season of the NBA In-Season Tournament (also known as the NBA Cup).