Yuki Kawamura: Heart over height and approved by Isaiah Thomas

OKINAWA (Japan) - Imagine yourself in this position.

You are the youngest player on your team.

You are also one of the two smallest players.

It's one of the most important possessions in crunch time of arguably the most important game for your national team.

The player defending you is the 2.13m (7ft 0in) NBA forward, Lauri Markkanen.

What do you do?

Well, if you are Yuki Kawamura, you size up Markkanen, go between the legs, cross back to your dominant hand and loop a shot over the stretched-out hands of the All-Star - who has almost a 40-centimeter height advantage over the 1.72m (5ft 8in) Kawamura - and hit nothing but net.

 

Japan still had to dig their nails deep on defense to seal the deal against Finland, but that shot was the dagger in consideration of the magnitude of everything.

That shot - along with his entire 25-point, 9-assist performance in the emotional win for Japan - was enough to generate buzz in basketball communities around the world. It went far enough to draw the attention of another member of the "Heart over Height" club, Isaiah Thomas.

Who is this 22-year-old point guard though?

Young prodigy

While Kawamura is only getting his shine on a wider scale now, he has been one of the top prospects in Japan ever since he was a teenager. He played for Japan for the first time in 2018 at the FIBA U16 Asian Championship where Kawamura averaged 5.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game.

It wasn't the most pleasant memory, as Japan ended up at 6th place, but it was certainly an eye-opening experience for the youngster.

"I want to challenge the world," he had said back then as just a 16-year-old as per Basket Count. Five years later, not only was he challenging the world, he was beating some of the best.

Level up

Later in the year, Kawamura took another step forward, making the U18 Asian Championship squad. He was well-recognized at this point as the floor general of the team. Along with sharpshooting Keisei Tominaga - who has been playing together with him since the U16 tourney - Japan were expected to be a contending team.

Both Kawamura (10.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game) and Tominaga were impressive as planned, but Japan ran into the eventual champions Australia (this will be a recurring theme) in the Quarter-Finals and could only end up at fifth place in the final standings.

And just as he does on the court, no matter the odds because of his height, Kawamura just kept on moving forward with a full head of steam.

By 2020, Kawamura was already headed to play in the top division of the B.League (Japan's professional league) as the face of the "Special Designated Player" quota that allowed high school and collegiate players to maintain their amateur status and play in the league. He immediately impressed by being able to go toe-to-toe with the pros and averaged 12.6 points and 3.1 assists per game with San-en NeoPhoenix.

The real deal

After continuing to star in a few more seasons with Yokohama B-Corsairs, Kawamura finally decided to take the next step and announce his intention to commit himself as a professional player.

His motivation? A senior national team spot at some of the biggest global basketball competitions in the near future.

"My goal is to become a point guard representing Japan and to participate in the Paris Olympics. The result of thinking about how to get closer to achieving that goal led to this decision. I grew up to be a basketball player representing Japan, I want to go," Kawamura said enthusiastically regarding his announcement at the time.

Kawamura first made his debut in the third window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers, going up against Chinese Taipei and immediately having an impact with 8 assists and 5 steals.

"I didn't know what to expect from him and I was really happily surprised with what he did," said coach Tom Hovasse at that time.

Later on, he'd also make the FIBA Asia Cup 2022 squad and put up 4.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Akatsuki Japan made an impressive run yet again to the Quarter-Finals… and once again, lost to eventual champions Australia.

Kawamura and Japan would have definitely liked to have made a deeper run through the competition, but there was a positive vibe building up in the program with the way they had battled Australia to the end.

Armed with that senior national team experience, Kawamura went back to his first season in the B.League as a professional player and went on a historic run. By averaging 19.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 8.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game in 50 starts, Kawamura was not only named Rookie of the Year but also MVP of the B.League season - deservedly so.

Welcome to the World Cup

Maybe Kawamura had this all planned out. He has definitely shown how determined he was to play at the highest level possible. He's always put on display his desire to represent the country at these global meets.

"I want to do what only a small player can do, aiming for aggressive and speedy play," Kawamura said as per Basket Count in 2022. "Hopes and dreams not only for small children and basketball fans, but also for many people. I hope I can reach my goals."

"I have always had the goal of being one of the point guards who can beat the world as a member of the Japanese national team," he said prior to the 2022-23 B.League season as per Basketball King.

And now, that's exactly what he's done.

FIBA