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[JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK] Rui Hachimura Embroiled in an Ongoing Feud with the JBA
NBA forward Rui Hachimura isn't happy with the JBA's decision to renew national team coach Tom Hovasse's contract, sparking discord and a PR crisis.
Rui Hachimura has recently ignited a verbal spat with Japan Basketball Association officials, questioning men's national team bench boss Tom Hovasse's coaching credentials.
In doing so, the NBA forward has also expressed dissatisfaction with the overall leadership of Japan's basketball governing body.
The JBA extended Hovasse's contract on October 25, and Hachimura wasn't happy about this decision.
A few weeks later, Hachimura addressed the issue during a news conference following a Los Angeles Lakers game against the visiting Memphis Grizzlies on November 13.
In Hachimura's opinion, with Hovasse running the show, the Japan men's team's "training and meetings are not managed at the world level."
His comments were widely reported by traditional media outlets and shared on social media, adding fuel to the metaphorical fire.
Hachimura has also criticized how the JBA operates as an organization, claiming it is "profit-first" rather than "player-first."
The Toyama native has taken issue with how the JBA promoted a July 2024 two-game exhibition series against South Korea in Tokyo before the Paris Olympics. As Kyodo News reported, "Hachimura had informed the JBA well in advance that he was unable to participate due to physical conditioning issues. The association said it held back on announcing his absence in the hope he would play and not to drum up ticket sales."
Although Hachimura, a sixth-year pro, is employed by a storied franchise in the world's best basketball league, it's appropriate to ask the following: Is Hachimura qualified to evaluate a coach's credentials? And why should his opinion matter any more or less than anyone else's, especially the JBA's top officials and decision-makers?
Rui Hachimura Skipped the 2023 FIBA World Cup
It's important to point out that Hachimura opted to skip the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, putting his personal interests and offseason training plans ahead of the national team's goals in Okinawa City. Pro teams and agents, of course, can exert pressure on players to skip national team duties.
Without Hachimura, Hovasse led the team's qualification to an Olympic men's basketball tournament for the first time since the 1976 Montreal Games. (As the Olympic host, Japan received an automatic berth for the 2020 Tokyo Games.)
In building a 12-man roster for a global event, the noninvolvement of a foundational player can create additional challenges for a coach. And a coach may doubt a player's commitment to the national team if he decides not to play at a major international tournament.
Watanabe Supports Hovasse as Coach
To his credit, former NBA forward Yuta Watanabe, who currently plays for the B.League's Chiba Jets, has tried to diffuse the situation.
"I'm looking to communicate with Tom, Rui and also the Japan Basketball Association in order to make the national team better," Watanabe said on Thursday, November 28, according to Kyodo News.
Watanabe also delivered a ringing endorsement of Hovasse, for whom the veteran athlete played at the FIBA World Cup and the Paris Olympics.
"I like Tom. He's more fitting than anyone as Japan's head coach," Watanabe told reporters in the Japanese capital. "Most of the current national team members are attached to Tom and to playing for him. If Tom leaves because of this saga, the current national team will disintegrate."
In claiming that Hovasse's coaching ability is not up to his own so-called world-level standards, Hachimura didn't mention Hovasse's noteworthy success in recent years.
Hovasse previously coached the Japan women's national team (2017-2021). With Hovasse at the helm, Japan finished as the runner-up at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It was Japan's best-ever finish in a global basketball event.
To his credit, Watanabe has demonstrated leadership in seeking an end to the verbal brouhaha.
"There is no villain in this drama," Watanabe was quoted as saying by Kyodo News two days before scoring eight points in the Jets' 77-65 home victory over the Ryukyu Golden Kings on Saturday. "As a member of the national team, I feel some responsibility to move toward a constructive end to this issue."
Rui Hachimura Row Sparks New JBA Policy
Meanwhile, JBA President Yuko Mitsuya is working to make structural changes within the organization.
Moving forward, the JBA will hire a staff member to serve as a liaison between the organization and national team players living overseas.
In Tokyo, Mitsuya addressed this new development as something that needs to be done to "improve communication."
"It is our responsibility as an organization to create an environment where players can feel at ease and focus on playing. We need to improve communication," Mitsuya was quoted as saying at a news conference by The Yomiuri Shimbun on Saturday, November 30.
"The players also have agents," Mitsuya told reporters, "and with so many intermediaries, it was unclear whether our intentions were being properly communicated."
From the JBA's official stance, this matter is resolved ― at least for now, according to Mitsuya.
"We will continue to fully support Coach Hovasse and the Japanese national team," she said in a statement.
Hachimura is averaging 12.0 points and 5.3 assists in 14 games for the Lakers in the 2024-25 NBA season through November 30.
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- Japan Forward Rui Hachimura Leaves Team to Get Treatment for a Calf Injury
Baseball
Japan Series Champion BayStars Hold Victory Parade
The 2024 Japan Series champion Yokohama DeNA BayStars held a parade on Saturday, November 30 to celebrate their first NPB title since 1998.
Approximately 300,000 people attended the parade, which covered a 1.5-kilometer route from Shinko Pier to Yokohama Stadium.
BayStars manager Daisuke Miura and captain Shugo Maki sat in convertible automobiles at the front of the procession.
Both men were excited by the outpouring of emotions from fans during the parade.
"Some people were shedding tears and saying thank you, and I felt I should be thanking them," Miura was quoted as saying by Kyodo News. "I could feel the love from so many people."
After the festive event, which featured a trio of open-top buses carrying the BayStars, Maki shared his thoughts on the experience.
"I was moved by the many fans who said thank you," Maki said, according to NHK. "It was the first time for me to see the scenery, and seeing the fans so happy made me feel happy that we were able to parade as Japan's No 1 [team]. Next year, I want to win the league championship and become the best in Japan, and I want to be in the parade again."
The BayStars won the Japan Series on November 3, routing the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 11-2 in Game 6 of the best-of-seven series.
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Olympics and Paralympics
Joint Parade Expresses Thanks for the Public's Support
On the same day as the BayStars' large gathering in Yokohama, about 100 Japanese athletes from the Paris Olympians and Paralympians participated in a parade in Tokyo's Nihonbashi district.
Among the athletes seen waving to supporters on Chuo Street on the sunny autumn morning were Paralympic double-gold medalist swimmer Keiichi Kimura, women's Olympic freestyle wrestler Akari Fujinami (gold medalist at 53 kg), two-time Olympic judo champ Hifumi Abe (men's 66-kg division) and Paralympian Sarina Satomi, the Paris 2024 women's badminton singles winner.
Approximately 10,000 people attended the event, which was planned by the Japanese Olympic Committee and the Japanese Paralympic Committee.
JOC vice president Yuko Mitsuya, also the JBA chief, spoke on behalf of the athletes to kick off the parade.
"This event is to express our gratitude and appreciation to those who have supported us," Mitsuya was quoted as saying by The Asahi Shimbun.
Japan had a stellar overall showing at the Paris Olympics, collecting 20 gold medals and 45 in total. At the Paralympics, Japan finished with 14 gold medals and 41 overall.
Athletes Appreciate the Experience
Kazuma Kaya, a member of Japan's Olympic gold medal-winning men's gymnastics squad, said Saturday's experience was special.
"More people than I expected came to this event, and it was like a dream come true," he said, according to The Asahi Shimbun.
Misaki Emura, one of Japan's flag bearers for the Olympic opening ceremony in Paris and a bronze medalist in the women's sabre team fencing event, revealed the parade was meaningful to her.
"I was touched to feel so many people cheering for me," Emura said, according to The Sankei Shimbun.
Sumo
JSA to Stage Sumo Event in London in October 2025
For the first time in 20 years, the Japan Sumo Association will hold an overseas sumo demonstration event in 2025, it was announced on Friday, November 29.
The planned event is set to take place in London in October. Top-division (makuuchi) wrestlers will compete in matches in the British capital during the overseas tour.
JSA chairman Hakkaku is visiting London for a promotional news conference on Wednesday, December 4.
The JSA's most recent overseas tour was held in Las Vegas in 2005.
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Rugby
England Trounces Japan in Autumn Nations Series
In London, England whipped Japan 59-14 in the teams' final Autumn Nations Series match on Sunday, November 24.
In its runaway victory, England had five first-half tries and finished with nine against Japan coach Eddie Jones' squad.
The Brave Blossoms trailed 28-0 in the 32nd minute and 35-7 at halftime.
Naoto Saito and Kazuki Himeno produced tries for Japan.
Two days after the match, Jones assessed the value of the team's overseas trip. It began with a 52-12 defeat to host France, followed by a 36-20 win over Uruguay. The Uruguay match was also held in France, before the England match.
"They're the sort of experiences this team needs," Jones told reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday, November 26, according to Agence France-Presse. "I know you're all sitting there thinking we got beat by 50 points but they're games we need to actually learn [from]. The big challenge now is how quickly we can learn."
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Speed Skating
Yoshida Triumphs with a Personal-Best Time in 500-Meter Race in Beijing
For the second week in a row, Yukino Yoshida set a personal-best time in the women's 500 meters in an ISU World Cup Speed Skating meet by winning the event on Friday, November 29 in Beijing. She was clocked in 37.68 seconds.
The 2024-25 World Cup Speed Skating season, a six-city, six-event competition, began in Nagano (November 22-24).
On the first day of the Nagano meet, the 21-year-old Yoshida triumphed in the 500 (37.74) and placed fourth at the same distance (37.99) on November 24.
A world junior champion in the 1,000 and a silver medalist in the 500 in 2022, Yoshida described her victory in Beijing as one that boosted her confidence.
"I was slow at the start but calmed down and skated the way I'm able to," Yoshida said, according to Kyodo News. "This gives me confidence that I can do well in overseas meets as well."
Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.