Rui Hachimura is a Japanese professional basketball player currently playing for the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. He's a versatile player, comfortable at both small forward and power forward. Hachimura gained prominence playing college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs before being drafted ninth overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2019 NBA draft. His early success led to his selection to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2020. He also represents the Japan national team in international competitions.
1981: Drafted to the NBA
In 1981, Yasutaka Okayama was the second Japanese-born player to be drafted into the NBA.
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December 29, 2013: All-Japan High School Tournament Title
On December 29, 2013, Rui Hachimura led Meisei High School to a 92–78 victory over Fukuoka University Ohori in the All-Japan High School Tournament, scoring 32 points and securing the team's second title.
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2013: FIBA Asia U16 Championship
In 2013, at the FIBA Asia U16 Championship in Iran, Rui Hachimura averaged 22.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks, leading his team to a third-place finish.
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2014: Second Straight Tournament Win
In 2014, Rui Hachimura helped his team win the All-Japan High School Tournament for a second straight year.
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2014: FIBA U17 World Championships
Japan finished 14th at the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championships, with Rui Hachimura scoring a tournament-high 22.6 points per game.
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April 2015: Jordan Brand Classic Invitation
In April 2015, Rui Hachimura was invited to the Jordan Brand Classic, where he recorded nine points and five rebounds in the International Game.
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November 21, 2015: Signs with Gonzaga
On November 21, 2015, Rui Hachimura signed a National Letter of Intent to play college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
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December 29, 2015: Third All-Japan Tournament Victory
On December 29, 2015, Rui Hachimura scored 34 points, grabbed 19 rebounds, and blocked three shots, leading Meisei to victory over Tsuchiura Nihon University High School for his third All-Japan Tournament win.
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February 2016: English Language Understanding
In February 2016, Rui Hachimura claimed to understand 80 percent of English but could speak only 30–40 percent of it.
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April 2016: Studying for the SAT
By April 2016, Rui Hachimura was still studying for the SAT to gain entrance to college.
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May 2016: SAT and GPA Requirements Met
In May 2016, Rui Hachimura announced that he met the SAT and GPA requirements to be eligible to play at Gonzaga beginning in fall 2016.
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November 11, 2016: Gonzaga Debut
On November 11, 2016, Rui Hachimura made his regular season debut for the Gonzaga Bulldogs, recording one point and three rebounds in four minutes.
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2016: Joins Gonzaga
In 2016, Rui Hachimura joined Gonzaga University as the fifth Japanese-born men's NCAA Division I player.
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February 23, 2017: West Coast Conference Title
On February 23, 2017, Rui Hachimura scored eight points against San Diego, helping his team win the West Coast Conference (WCC) title.
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March 16, 2017: NCAA Tournament Appearance
On March 16, 2017, Rui Hachimura became the first Japanese native to ever appear in the NCAA Division I men's tournament.
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2017: First Japanese Player in NCAA Tournament
In 2017, Rui Hachimura became the first Japanese national to play in the NCAA Division I men's tournament.
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2017: FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup
In 2017, Rui Hachimura competed for Japan in the FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup, averaging team-bests 20.6 points and 11.0 rebounds.
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2017: Gonzaga Appearance
In the 2017–18 campaign, Hachimura appeared in 37 games for Gonzaga, including two starts, averaging 11.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest.
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November 6, 2018: Season Opener Performance
On November 6, 2018, Rui Hachimura opened the regular season by scoring 33 points in a 120–79 win over Idaho State.
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November 21, 2018: Upset Victory Over Duke
On November 21, 2018, Rui Hachimura recorded 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists to help upset No. 1-ranked Duke in the Maui Invitational finals.
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April 15, 2019: Declares for NBA Draft
On April 15, 2019, Rui Hachimura announced that he would forgo his final year of eligibility and declared for the 2019 NBA draft.
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October 23, 2019: NBA Debut
On October 23, 2019, Rui Hachimura made his NBA debut, posting a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
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December 1, 2019: Career-High 30 Points
On December 1, 2019, Rui Hachimura scored a then career-high 30 points in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
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December 2019: First Japanese Players to Face Each Other in the NBA
In December 2019, Rui Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe became the first pair of Japanese players to face each other in the NBA.
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2019: WCC Player of the Year
In 2019, Rui Hachimura was selected as the WCC Player of the Year.
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2019: Drafted by the Washington Wizards
In 2019, Rui Hachimura was selected ninth overall by the Washington Wizards in the NBA draft.
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February 19, 2020: Named Worst Defensive Power Forward
On February 19, 2020, Bleacher Report named Rui Hachimura the worst defensive power forward in the NBA.
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September 15, 2020: NBA All-Rookie Second Team Selection
On September 15, 2020, Rui Hachimura was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
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2020: NBA All-Rookie Second Team
In 2020, Rui Hachimura was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
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2020: Tokyo Olympics
In the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Rui Hachimura scored a game high 34 points in a loss to Slovenia during the preliminary round.
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March 30, 2021: Ties Career High Score
On March 30, 2021, Rui Hachimura tied his then career high of 30 points in a loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
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September 25, 2021: Excused from Training Camp
On September 25, 2021, the Wizards announced that Rui Hachimura had been excused from the start of training camp for personal reasons.
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January 9, 2022: Season Debut
On January 9, 2022, Rui Hachimura made his season debut, recording six points and three rebounds in a win over the Orlando Magic.
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January 21, 2023: Career-High-Tying 30 Points
On January 21, 2023, in his last game before being traded, Rui Hachimura recorded a then career-high-tying 30 points in a win over the Orlando Magic.
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January 23, 2023: Traded to the Los Angeles Lakers
On January 23, 2023, Rui Hachimura was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
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July 6, 2023: Re-signs with the Los Angeles Lakers
On July 6, 2023, Rui Hachimura re-signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.
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December 9, 2023: NBA In-Season Tournament Win
On December 9, 2023, Rui Hachimura and the Lakers won the inaugural season of the NBA In-Season Tournament.
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2023: Brother's B.League Debut
As of the 2023-24 B.League season, Hachimura's younger brother, Allen, plays for the Gunma Crane Thunders.
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2023: NBA Playoffs Run
In the 2023 NBA Playoffs, Rui Hachimura played a vital role for the Lakers, including scoring 29 points in his Lakers post-season debut and defending Nikola Jokic in the Western Conference Finals.
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2023: Withdraws from FIBA World Cup
Rui Hachimura was called up for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, but withdrew on June 27, 2023 citing exhaustion from the NBA season and playoffs, and the need to prepare for the following NBA season.
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February 14, 2024: Career High Points
On February 14, 2024, Rui Hachimura set a new career high of 36 points in a 138–122 victory over the Utah Jazz.
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