Rui Hachimura
Born February 8, 1998, in Toyama Prefecture. Hachimura began playing basketball in earnest in middle school. While at Meisei High School in Miyagi Prefecture, he led his team to three consecutive victories in the All-Japan High-School Tournament. While still a student, he was selected as a candidate to play for Japan’s national team. In 2016, Hachimura attended Gonzaga University in the U.S., a school with a highly respected basketball University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). In his third season as a key player, the Gonzaga Bulldogs made it to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament, and he won the Julius Erving award as the best small forward that season. In 2019, Hachimura became the first Japanese national ever to be taken in the first round of the NBA draft, and joined the Washington Wizards. He played in 48 of 72 games his rookie season, and his stellar performance earned him a spot on the second-team NBA All-Rookie Team. Hachimura joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2023.






