Yuki Kawamura

Born in Yanai, Yamaguchi,^[2] Kawamura idolized Yuki Togashi when growing up, as the professional and national team player excelled despite being a relatively short player, at 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in).^[3] Kawamura played for Fukuoka Daiichi High School and led them to back-to-back All-Japanese High School championships.^[4]

Kawamura played for the Japan men's national under-16 team at the 2017 FIBA U16 Asian Championships. In six games, Kawamura averaged 5.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.3 assists.^[12]

Kawamura made his Japan men's national basketball team debut in the 2023 World Cup qualifiers against Taiwan.^[13] In a 89–49 victory, Kawamura recorded zero points, three rebounds, eight assists and five steals.^[14] Kawamura played six more qualifier games for Japan and averaged 10.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 2.7 steals.^[15]

Kawamura represented Japan at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.^[16] Kawamura was an important contributor in Japan's 98–88 upset victory over Finland, as he accumulated 25 points, nine assists, and one rebound in Japan's first victory over a European team.^[17][18] In all five games, Kawamura averaged 13.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 7.6 assists.^[19]

The following year, Kawamura represented Japan at the 2024 Olympics. In the second game, they narrowly lost to France 94–90 in overtime, and Kawamura scored a career-high 29 points, with seven rebounds and six assists in the effort.^[20] In three games played, Kawamura averaged 20.3 points, 7.7 assists, and 3.3 rebounds.^[21]