Even if Rui Hachimura never achieves NBA stardom, he has already accomplished so much in his life so far. He grew up on the other side of the world from which he currently lives, speaking a different language, and taking advantage of an opportunity he would try without much hope for the future as a teenager. That journey would end up taking him to a country he had very limited familiarity with, and forced him to learn a language that would help him communicate on and off the court.
Hachimura has also been fortunate enough to represent his home country at the Olympic games, despite having an interesting relationship with them throughout his upbringing. He was able to look past that, and served as an excellent ambassador for the game of basketball overseas.
If he is able to ascend to another level with the Washington Wizards in NBA competition, it would not be surprising, since Rui Hachimura has already overcome a great deal.
Rui Hachimura – Growing Up
Rui Hachimura was born on February 8, 1998 in Toyama, Japan. He was born to a Japanese mother, and his father from Benin, a small country in West Africa. Hachimura’s mixed heritage led to an interesting childhood, as he physically looked different from most of his peers in Japan. Later in life, he was spoke about how difficult it was to be accepted, since he was not fully Japanese, and there was not much diversity in the small town that he was raised in.
Even though it was challenging to break through established social norms as a kid, Hachimura was able ingratiate himself with other people through the world of sports. What a person looks like matters less in the athletic world because participants just want to have fun, get exercise, or win the game. If an individual can help in that regard, then they are generally accepted.
Hachimura would play a myriad of sports growing up. He played soccer, which is not surprising considering its popularity globally. He was actually an accomplished baseball player, excelling on the diamond for six years. The Japanese professional baseball leagues are extremely well regarded throughout the world, and are largely considered the second best to MLB in the United States.
The young boy was happy with his bat and glove, but his life would change when he was around 13 years old. His friend convinced him to play basketball for the high school team, and it would be an experience that would change the course of the rest of his life. For Rui Hachimura, height would be a huge asset in his favor in his new sport.
With his growing athletic frame and improving skills on the floor, Hachimura was a dominant basketball player for Mesei High School. He would lead them to an all Japan tournament victory three times. He would also participate in the Under 17 FIBA World Championships during that time, where he made a name for himself. There was one game in particular against the United States where the Japanese team only scored 38 points total in the game, but Hachimura had 25 of them.
Rui Hachimura – College
It was difficult for Hachimura to imagine what type of opportunities were waiting for him outside of Japan, mostly because he had been introduced to the game of basketball so late. However, he was on the radar of some power basketball colleges in the United States, and received particular interest from the University of Arizona and Gonzaga University.
Then-Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd had a lot of experience facilitating international players entering college in the United states, and made sure to ensure that Hachimura and his family knew that the Bulldogs program had an infrastructure to help his succeed on and off the court. The Toyama native took a liking to Lloyd, and to the town of Spokane, Washington, which he found similar to where he grew up. He would end up committing to Gonzaga, becoming the fifth Japanese born player in NCAA history.
Before he could play college basketball, Rui Hachimura’s English speaking skills needed to develop. He was placed in immersion courses when he arrived to the campus, which allowed him to practice listening and speaking. At first he was discouraged by how much he had to learn, but the exercises he was doing slowly started to sink in. Hachimura also improved his English skills with more informal tools, such as watching Netflix shows or listening to rap music with his teammates. This allowed him to pick up on things more organically, which helped him in the long run.
Head coach Mark Few took a gradual approach to Hachimura’s athletic development. In his freshman season, he appeared in 28 of the team’s games, but only for an average of around five minutes per contest. It was going to take a season or so for him to get acclimated to this level of college basketball.
His sophomore year was a different story. Although he was still coming off of the bench, Hachimura played half of the games, and was proving to be an efficient scorer. He averaged just under 12 points per game on just under 57 percent shooting.
As a junior, Hachimura left no doubt as to who the best player on the team was. He scored nearly 20 points per game, and was collecting nearly seven rebounds a night. He was doing it inside, shooting over 60 percent from two point range, and from outside, shooting nearly 42 percent from distance. The Bulldogs made a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, making the Elite 8 as a number one seed in the West region. Hachimura scored 22 points against Texas Tech on 50 percent shooting in that game, but the Bulldogs were upset by the Red Raiders.
Rui Hachimura – Washington Wizards
After a stellar final college campaign, Hachimura entered his name in the 2019 NBA Draft. He was certainly going to be a lottery pick; it would just be a matter of where he would land. Rui would be third Japanese born player to appear in an NBA game, and the first to ever be selected in the first round.
Smitten with his production and impressed by his story, the Washington Wizards selected him with the ninth overall pick. His athleticism and willingness to run the floor as a modern forward were attractive attributes for the franchise.
So far, his NBA career has been a bit of a mixed bag. It is clear that Hachimura is comfortable operating with the ball from the free throw line and paint, which is something he also excelled at with Gonzaga.
While he has shown flashes of growth and scoring ability in the NBA, the former Gonzaga star has been unavailable to the Wizards probably a little more than would be ideal. It would be unfair to call him injury prone, but he has not been particularly close to playing a full season to due sporadic injuries that pop up.
Hachimura missed the first two plus months of the 2021-2022 due to unspecified personal issues, and was not really able to find his rhythm. One positive from his most recent campaign was his improved three point shooting however, as he made nearly 45 percent of his attempts from downtown.
Rui Hachimura – International Career
The Japanese player would decide to suit of for the Japanese national team during the 2020 Olympic Games. This was a big deal for Hachimura and the country as a whole, considering that the games were being hosted in Tokyo.
The Japanese professional basketball player has been a strong performer during international competition. In the 2020 Olympics, he would average over 22 points per game. Unfortunately, the Japanese would not get into the win column during the tournament, but it was an experience that the Toyama native will never forget.
Rui Hachimura – NBA Future
There is a lot that fans will learn about Rui Hachimura in his fourth NBA season. He probably have not quite been the explosive player everyone expected coming out of Gonzaga, but it is clear that he belongs in the NBA with his current skill set. The former Gonzaga Bulldog will likely need to improve his production on the glass, or from beyond the arc in order to be viewed as a truly valuable NBA commodity. If he is able to stay healthy and remain available for Wes Unseld, he should receive an opportunity to take a step up this season.
Where did Rui Hachimura go to high school?
Rui Hachimura’s basketball story is a pretty incredible one. As a child, he played almost every sport besides basketball. He was interested in track and field, soccer, and particularly baseball. Hachimura could throw very hard but could often not control his pitches. As a suggestion from a friend, he was recommended to start playing basketball because of his athletic frame around age 13. He would pick up the game at Mesei High School, and it would not take long for him to dominate the competition. With Hachimura leading the way, Mesei would win three straight championships, all because of a lucky suggestion.
How good is Rui Hachimura?
It is difficult to definitively determine how good Rui Hachimura is so far in his NBA career. He has only played three seasons, and there have been different factors each season that have affected how he has played.
For example, he missed a lot of games at the beginning of last season due to personal reasons, and that could have been a reason why it took him a long time to get a rhythm. Hachimura still has potential, and it will be interesting to see how he is used next year in Washington. In order for him to reach his full potential, he will need to become a reliable three point shooter.
What race is Rui?
Rui Hachimura comes from a mixed background ethnically. He was born to a Japanese mother, and his father is originally from Benin, a country in West Africa. Growing up, Hachimura often had to face criticism and challenges because not many people in his town or in Japan had that type of cultural makeup.
While it would be challenging to overcome, playing sports helped Hachimura gain confidence and acceptance in his home country. When the 2020 Olympics were hosted in Tokyo, Hachimura proudly emerged as one of the country’s most recognizable hosts, understanding that the nation is a critical part of his story.
