The NBA is the most popular basketball league in the whole world. There is no surprise that even foreign players are training in hopes to join the National Basketball Association one day. During the NBA’s peak, young Japanese boys looked up to Kobe Bryant while trying to make their first shots. One of these boys was a current player for the Toronto Raptors, Yuta Watanabe. Yuta has never been doubtful about what he wanted to do with his life.
The sport accompanied him from the day he was born as both of his parents were basketball players. And he did everything in his power to one day play in the same stadiums on which basketball kings used to fight for the championships.
Yuta Watanabe – Early Life
Yuta Watanabe was born on October 13th, 1994 in Yokohama, Japan. Watanabe attended Jinsei Gakuen High School in Zentsūji, where he played basketball for the school team. From a young age, he dreamt of joining the NCAA and ultimately becoming an NBA player. His talent was obvious as he led his team to second place in the All-Japan High School Basketball Tournament.
In 2013 Watanabe traveled to the United States to meet his destiny. At first, he had to attend St. Thomas More Preparatory School in Oakdale, where he helped to lead the basketball team to a 26-8 record and secured a spot in the National Prep Championship. His achievements at the championships made him recognizable and Japan Times named him “The Chosen One”.
Yuta Watanabe – College Career
Watanabe received a scholarship to NCAA I Division college team, George Washington Colonials as the first player from Japan in the NCAA history. He revealed his concerns that it will be hard to simultaneously attend George Washington University and play for their team. Other Japanese college players crossed their fingers for young Yuta because they understood that American basketball is connected with the constant fight for playing time.
Yuta Watanabe – The Chosen One
Watanabe became very famous because of his Asian descent. Many players had faith in him because he was a chance to break the racial stereotypes. Yuka himself admitted that even Japanese people believe that Americans are taller and more athletic. With this big support and even bigger expectations, he sat out his freshman year on the bench, being introduced in the game in the clutch situations because he was recognized as the best scorer on the bench.
Yuta Watanabe – Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year
In his sophomore year, Yuta had more opportunities to show off his skill and he used, recording 22 points and had 6 assists in a loss to the Davidson Wildcats. He also was the leader in blocking in his team, and second in the whole Atlantic-10 division. As a junior, he scored his first double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, which earned him the honors of the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive team.
Senior year helped Watanabe become a scoring leader with 16.3 points per game as well as rebounding leader with 6.1 rebounds per game. He also led the team in blocks. As the first George Washington Colonial, he won the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the year award together with the school’s decorations.
Yuta Watanabe – Memphis Grizzlies
Yuta Watanabe was undrafted in the 2018 NBA draft and he had to take a detour in his NBA pursuit. He was offered a two-way contract that obliged him to play for the Memphis Grizzlies and their affiliate the Memphis Hustle. The second team downgraded Watanabe to the NBA G League. Finally, in October 2018 he stepped off the bench and made his NBA debut.
He was the second Japanese player to ever make it into the NBA. His popularity grew in Japan, so much that the Memphis Grizzlies merch was selling almost like they were the Golden State Warriors or Los Angeles Lakers. Yuta Watanabe spent most of the season in the G League, playing in almost every game for the Hustle, and averaged 14.2 points per game, 7.2 rebounds per game, 2.6 assists per game, and 1.1 blocks per game.
The 2019-20 regular season was an advancement for Yuta, as he played both with the Hustle and with the Grizzlies. With the Hustle, he scored career-high 40 points and was named Midseason All-NBA G League in the Western Conference.
Toronto Raptors
For the 2020-21 season, Yuta Watanabe signed a two-way contract with the Toronto Raptors. It turned out that he will be such an important part of the team, that the Raptors won’t let him go to G League again. The times he was out of the bench could count as small victories for Yuta, as he made four rebounds, one assist, one block, and one steal in only nine minutes of his debut.
Watanabe’s injury was made during a workout and kept him out of the game for four games of the season. When he came back, he was famously dunked on by Anthony Edwards, but he reacted with incredible maturity and didn’t let it go to his head. In April 2021 Yuta Watanabe scored 14 points which included a buzzer-beater and helped the team to win against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Conclusion
Yuta Watanabe is a player with a high basketball IQ and a staggering work ethic. He proved himself to be an absolutely necessary part of the Toronto Raptors, thanks to his defensive abilities and huge scoring potential. He started the 2021-22 season with a calf strain and he was listed as questionable as far into the season as Sunday’s game with Golden State Warriors on November 11th.
But he made his season debut on Wednesday 24th, against the Memphis Grizzlies. After 18 games missed, he proved himself on the court once again, especially how energetic his defense is. He is a cultural phenomenon and it’s hard not to root for him when he represents the core values that every athlete should have. He became one of the best George Washington products in the NBA and it is delightful to watch his further progression.
Where is Yuta Watanabe from?
He was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
How much does Yuta Watanabe make?
Yuta Watanabe signed a 1-year contract for $1,968,175 with the Brooklyn Nets.
