Yuki Kawamura makes NBA debut with the Memphis Grizzlies
Japanese guard Yuki Kawamura, listed at 172cm, reached the NBA in November 2024 on a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies.
This summary was written by AI to complete the context; it is not based on a current source.
Yuki Kawamura, a Japanese point guard listed at 172cm (5ft 8in), made his NBA debut with the Memphis Grizzlies on 1 November 2024, early in the 2024-25 season. He had joined the club on a two-way contract, a deal that lets a player split the season between the NBA team and its affiliate in the G League, the league's developmental circuit.
Kawamura had built his reputation in Japan's domestic B.League, where his speed, passing and court vision stood out despite his size. His arrival in Memphis made him one of very few Japanese-born players to appear in the NBA, following names such as Yuta Tabuse, Yuta Watanabe and Rui Hachimura.
The debut mattered in Japan, where basketball has grown quickly in popularity, and because Kawamura is among the smallest players in the league's recent history. It showed that a path to the NBA remained open to undersized guards, even if his role with the Grizzlies was limited. That background frames his later efforts to secure another NBA opportunity.
Story timeline
Yuki Kawamura's NBA comeback bid · 3 updates
What happened before and after this story. Background events not previously covered were summarised by AI.
More in: Sport
See all →
Giants visit Shoki Oda to greet their top draft pick, but he isn't there
Russia has a "plan B" if Canada refuses visas to junior hockey players
Lindsey Vonn is "pretty nervous" ahead of her ninth surgery on her left leg
