Yuta Tabuse talks Japan's World Cup and Asia Cup clash with Gilas' Castro

MANILA (Philippines) - At the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, Japan experienced a high of being the highest-placed team in the Final Standings from Asia. This earned them a place in the Olympics next year - their second Olympic appearance in 48 years after hosting the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021.

"THEY BEAT SUCH GREAT TEAMS, JAPANESE BASKETBALL IS GETTING MUCH BETTER."

While Japan basketball legend Yuta Tabuse has accomplished a lot in his career, qualifying for the Olympics is something he wasn't able to experience as a player. Still, he was able to witness AKATSUKI JAPAN's success at the recent World Cup as a commentator and could not be happier for his brothers.

"You know what? The Japan national team is better [now]," admitted the veteran known for being the first Japanese-born player in the NBA. "They won three games against such good teams. Those three games were the biggest wins for Japanese basketball historically."
"I'm so proud of them."

Tabuse was once on the path of chasing those dreams. He was a part of the national team that played in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2016 in Serbia. Aside from facing the hosts, Japan also played against Latvia but were unable to come out on top in that competition.

"When I was in the national team, we had the chance to play against European teams but at that time, we didn’t have the chance to even compete against those teams," said Tabuse. They lost to Latvia by 40 points and to Serbia by 16.

"But now, they can play against them and they have a chance to win, which means the level of Japanese basketball is much better than before."

"They beat such great teams, Japanese basketball is getting much better."

In Serbia, Tabuse played with two players who were not only on the World Cup 2023 team in Okinawa, but stepped up as heroes - Makoto Hiejima and Yuta Watanabe.

As a "big brother" in the Japan basketball scene who is still actively playing in the domestic B.League, Tabuse keeps in touch with his brother-in-arms as well.

"Before the tournament, I told them good luck and do your best," Tabuse revealed. "You know what? A big advantage was that the tournament was in Japan so that was huge for the Japan team. The crowds and the fans cheered for us. That was good motivation for them."

"After the tournament, I told them that I was very proud of you guys, congratulations and thank you for your effort."

The future looks bright for Japan basketball. They have a talented and young core moving forward towards the Olympics and beyond with another exciting platform to put their talents on display at the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers which tips off in February next year.

Japan were drawn into Group C, a competitive group that also includes Mongolia, Guam, and Asia Cup powerhouses China.

Tabuse is looking forward to seeing which players can emerge as the next up-and-coming talents for Japan in these games.

"The Japan national team is going to be younger, so I hope the young guys have fun," he said. "Now, their motivation is to be a national team player to play for the Olympics, so that is good for them. I hope every player had a good opportunity to produce."

The 43-year-old also took a moment to look back and reminisce at his own Asia Cup experience in 2015. Japan ended up with their best Asia Cup result in the 21st century with Tabuse averaging 5.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game.

"That was fun, playing against such good teams in Asia. We went to the Semi-Finals in China, right? Against the Philippines," he recalled, coincidentally while being in the Philippines at Mall of Asia Arena on duty as a Japanese commentator for the Finals.

While he was in Manila during the Final Phase of the World Cup, he almost bumped into a friendly Asia Cup rival that he enjoyed going up against.

"The point guard, number seven. Jayson Castro. That’s my favorite player, man!" said Tabuse. "I played against him and I matched up with him and, oh my god, he was such a good player. I saw him [at the World Cup[ but I didn’t have a chance to talk to him, but [back in] that time man, he was so good."

The Asia Cup has always been a great stage for the best in the region like Tabuse and Castro to compete and this should continue to be the case with more and more promising prospects improving each and every year. As a seasoned veteran, Tabuse had a message he wanted to pass on to all of the aspiring youngsters:

"Basketball is getting bigger and bigger now, so just do your best and try to do your best to achieve your goals. Keep working hard and enjoy basketball!"

FIBA