Rui Hachimura

A trailblazing Japanese-Beninese forward and efficient 3-and-D scorer — a barrier-breaker in the NBA.

Rui Hachimura was born in Toyama, Japan to a Japanese mother and a Beninese father, and took up basketball relatively late before starring at Gonzaga, where he won West Coast Conference Player of the Year and consensus All-American honors. Washington drafted him 9th in 2019 — the first Japanese-born player ever taken in the first round.

Traded to the Lakers in January 2023, he re-signed that summer and won the inaugural NBA Cup. He's developed into a reliable 3-and-D forward — a 40-plus-percent three-point shooter in multiple seasons with the size to defend forwards — and represents Japan internationally, competing at the 2020 Olympics.

Sources: Wikipedia, NBA.com, Basketball-Reference, ESPN.

Hachimura is a genuine trailblazer and national icon in Japan — the country's first NBA first-round pick and a bridge between Japanese and American basketball. Of mixed Japanese and Beninese heritage, he has spoken about growing up as an outsider in Japan, and now carries the pride of a basketball-hungry nation, leading the flag-bearing and buzz around Japan's 2020 Olympic team. His younger brother Allen plays professionally in Japan's B.League.

On the court his identity has settled into an efficient 3-and-D forward — a strong catch-and-shoot threat who defends his position. That reliable, low-maintenance profile made him a fixture in the Lakers' rotation and a useful complementary piece around their stars.

An efficient, physical 3-and-D forward and trailblazer — reliable shooting and defense.

Per game

Source: Basketball-Reference.

Where he sits in history

An efficient 3-and-D forward — reliable, complementary two-way play for the Lakers.

A rotation forward on a reasonable deal, Hachimura gives Los Angeles efficient three-point shooting and positional defense. His plug-and-play profile fits perfectly around the Lakers' high-usage stars.

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