TimesofIndia.com in Singapore: By mid-morning, the courts at the OCBC Arena had already settled into their rhythm.On the one hand, South Korea’s Kyungbock High School looked every bit the early favourites, their players physically bigger and noticeably more imposing than most of their opponents. Singapore, with four teams spread across the men’s and women’s categories, found it tougher against the more established basketball programs.Around the arena, coaches barked instructions, and teenagers from all over Asia shared the courts that, for the next week, would become the center of the NBAthe ambitions of the region.The facilities are first class, the organization unmistakably NBA. But what stood out the most on the opening day of the Rising Stars Invitational wasn’t necessarily the basketball itself.It was diversity. Players from Japan, China, South Korea, India, the Philippines and Australia each bring different basketball traditions and ambitions, all arriving in Singapore with the same dream.For some, it’s about winning. For others, just being there is part of something bigger: Opportunity.For Rui Hachimura, perhaps more than anyone else, this word carries a special meaning.The opportunity he wanted to have.The Los Angeles Lakers forward isn’t just Japan’s biggest basketball export. In 2019, Hachimura became the first Japanese player to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft when the Washington Wizards selected him ninth overall.The 27-year-old, who won three consecutive high school national championships before transferring to Gonzaga University, remains the only active NBA player from Asia and has increasingly embraced the responsibility that comes with it.“You know, I think when I was a kid, I always wanted to play overseas,” Hachimura said on the sidelines of the event.“I think this kind of opportunity is very important. I don’t know how long this has existed, but when I was in high school, I didn’t think it existed. So that’s why it makes sense.”Looking around the arena and watching teenagers from all over Asia compete under the NBA banner, Hachimura admitted that he recognizes a younger version of himself.“Yeah, sure,” he said when asked if he saw himself in these players.“When I was in high school, I was invited [to the] as well as [of] Jordan Brand Classic, NBA Academy and all that. But these are the times that I really go to learn myself. I can see my level and my goal.”“So this kind of thing helps them. Especially in Asia, there are a lot of kids, a lot of players who want to be in the NBA. So this is really good.”And perhaps this was the sentiment echoed most frequently throughout the day: Pathways.
Thinking beyond Japan
For years, Asian basketball has been looking for figures capable of changing perceptions.China had Yao Ming, eight-time NBA All-Star and the first overall pick in the 2002 Draft. Japan found its innovative star in Hachimura, who has since been joined by Yuta Watanabe and Yuki Kawamura in carrying the country’s basketball aspirations.
NBA stars under one roof (Photos from NBA Rising Stars Invitational)
But for Hachimura himself, the conversation went beyond national borders.“Especially for me, I think I have a responsibility. My country Japan, but also all of Asia,” he said.“Now, I’m literally the only NBA player in Asia. So this is the saying that we need to grow our basketball culture and bring more Asian players to the NBA.”“I think we have a lot of potential, but I think there are few opportunities. That’s why I decided to come here and try to help the whole Asian continent bring more players to the NBA.”Later, when asked what success for Asian basketball looked like a decade ago, Hachimura returned to the same topic.“I don’t want to talk about Japan,” he said, adding. “I think about all of Asia. This is my vision.”“I want to inspire those kids and I want more kids from Asia to be NBA players and do their thing. I think how I can help with this.”
The challenge remains greater than the talent
For Hachimura, physical disadvantages are no longer excuses. “There’s always that downside for us,” he said.“But I think there are many ways to prove that. You guys see Yuki Kawamura. He is literally this height and he competed every day, every game.”“You just have to believe in yourself and find a way.”
Asia’s top talents in action (Photos from NBA Rising Stars Invitational)
More interestingly, Hachimura believes that the challenge is not purely physical.“It’s also the personality,” he said. “Basketball is an interesting sport. It’s a team sport, but a lot of times it’s also individual. Showing what you can do is really important.”“That’s the stuff I had to learn when I got to Gonzaga [University]. They always told me I was acting shy or something.”“But you can’t be like that. You always have to be aggressive. You have to be the guy who tries to change the whole game. I think Asians don’t have that, because I think I have to teach that.”
Build paths
Three-time WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson, widely regarded as one of the greatest players in women’s basketball history and a central figure in Australia’s rise as a global power, believes opportunity is becoming the defining theme of this generation.A Basketball Hall of Famer and one of the faces of the NBA’s Her Time To Play initiative, Jackson has seen the women’s game evolve over more than two decades.“I think women’s basketball is world-leading,” Jackson said. “I think there’s no doubt that the WNBA has definitely raised the stakes.”“We’re seeing recognition because of women’s basketball and it’s a great time for women’s sports.”For Jackson, tournaments like the Rising Stars Invitational are important because they create visibility.“This tournament creates an opportunity for all other countries to really have a path to the elite,” he said.“They will be able to see their way to the NBA and this is something that has never been done before, especially in the Asia-Pacific.”
Lauren Jackson (Photo from NBA Rising Stars Invitational)
Mitch Richmond, a six-time NBA All-Star, 2002 NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, has witnessed the league’s international expansion up close.Part of the famed Golden State Warriors trio alongside Tim Hardaway and Chris Mullin, Richmond believes the NBA’s efforts to globalize the game have been decades in the making.“I saw it coming,” Richmond said of basketball’s global growth.“When I was playing, the NBA always made me go overseas and they were really looking to expand.”
Mitch Richmond (Photo from NBA Rising Stars Invitational)
“To see everything come to fruition now, where the NBA is growing in so many places and continues to grow around the world, it’s really a spectacle to see.”And when asked about countries like India, where cricket remains dominant, Richmond preferred patience to urgency.“You have to start somewhere. You have to take those baby steps. It’s about teaching and learning. We need to excite the youth.”
A tournament and a question
The lone Indian representatives, Velammal International School, begin their campaign on Tuesday.His task is difficult. The gap in basketball infrastructure and culture between India and some of Asia’s established powers remains glaring.
The lone Indian representatives (Photos from NBA Rising Stars Invitational)
However, this is perhaps the biggest meaning of this week. Because for Hachimura, success is no longer measured by what Japan achieves.“I now have a bigger purpose,” he said. “Not just Japan, but all of Asia.”Inside the OCBC Arena, surrounded by teenagers from all over the region, that vision no longer feels distant.And for countries still waiting for their moment of revolution, this could be reason enough to keep believing.
