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Josh Giddey: "It looks like a normal drag screen, but Yuki Kawamura rejects the pick and roll. Starts to get downhill. Very crafty guard as well, for his size, he is someone that can very easily get to the paint and make players around him better. I think that is one of his best skills, his ability to get in the paint and find different and find players and make players around him better. Sharif Cooper, who is the smaller guy of these two Wizards guys, the guy on the elbow here, Championship, is on Pat. As Yuki drives here, attracts attention, Championship helps, Pat cuts, the unsung hero of the play, he draws a defender and it allows Yuki to jump pass wide open to the corner."
After the Los Angeles Clippers parted ways with Kawamura, Hachimura offered a blunt reaction to the exit of his fellow Japanese star. "He really worked hard during training camp, so I want him to keep that up. Also, while chasing your dream is important, you have to make smart decisions," Hachimura told Japan sports media member Yoko Miyaji. "He's already 25 years old, so I want him to keep that in mind as he moves forward."
Chris Haynes: Los Angeles Clippers have waived point guard Yuki Kawamura.
Farbod Esnaashari: Rui Hachimura on Yuki Kawamura's preseason debut with the Clippers: "Nervous, but I think he did what he needed to do in the short time. You get more chances just to find his role and position, he'll be fine. For him, I always tell him to be him and play his game and he'll be fine."
Joey Linn: Yuki Kawamura is excited to be around Darius Garland and Keaton Wagler, and also play against Steph Curry in Hawaii: “I’m learning from great point guards right now. I’m figuring out how I can help the team… it’s gonna be great for me.” On playing Curry and the Warriors: “He’s a superstar. I’m super excited to play against him. I have to prove myself during the preseason to get the contract. But I don’t want to focus on it. I just want to play the right way every single possession for the team.”
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For Yuki Kawamura, the option of playing abroad remains on the table. Teams in Japan would eagerly welcome him back with a lucrative contract. It’s also possible that the Japanese player could attract interest from Europe during the season. However, Kawamura has consistently shown commitment to his NBA dream, making any departure from the United States unlikely. Ultimately, he appears more than willing to bide his time in the G League if it keeps the door open for another NBA opportunity.
Yuki Kawamura had only four points but made his impact as a playmaker. The 25-year-old finished with eight assists and three rebounds in 16.5 minutes. He shot 2-of-9 from the field and missed all five of his three-point attempts.
NBA star Rui Hachimura has been selected for the Japanese men's national team's training camp for the second round of the 2027 Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers later this month, the Japan Basketball Association said Monday. The selection comes as Hachimura has recently expressed his intention to return to play for Japan after distancing himself from the national team over concerns about its management following the 2024 Paris Olympics. Free agent Yuki Kawamura, who played for the Chicago Bulls in the 2025-2026 season, is also among 14 players who will join the training camp starting on Aug. 11.
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As a two-way player, Kawamura splits his time between the NBA and the Windy City Bulls in the G League. In his rookie season with the Memphis Grizzlies, he earned $578,577, according to HoopsHype. Before coming to the NBA, Kawamura made around $2.5 million in Japan during the 2023-24 season, per Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.
The NBA has evolved, with smaller guards like Yuki Kawamura having some success. If you were coming up today, do you think your NBA chances would have been different? The Professor: Oh, absolutely. People now get a scholarship based on potential, so like your high school mixtape might get you a scholarship. There are a lot more outlets for exposure. I was a big secret. I was like completely unknown. Couldn't even get on the radar of hardly anybody. And then when I did, it's like I would show a lot of skill, a lot of talent, but I was so small that they're like, 'Well, how's he going to play defense?' So my high school mixtape would have been crazy. I think I would have had a better chance. I also think today's basketball business is much more entrepreneurial, like just in general it's much more open-minded and seizing all opportunities. I mean to think today, Bronny James can make the NBA, just a different time. Bronny's not making the NBA in the 90s, whether he's the son of LeBron or not; it's just not happening. Because look, if that's the case, Michael Jordan's kids should have been in the NBA. They were as good as Bronny; at least one of them was probably better than Bronny. So, even Jordan's kids couldn't make it. But nowadays, it's different. They go where the dollars are, marketability. When you think of AND1 and how popular it was, if it were like today, they probably would have had us in the league somehow, if anything, just to sell tickets. But yeah, I think my chances would have been better coming up in this era, just more exposure. But then again, I think the way it happened for me was the way it was supposed to happen. I'm just like a late bloomer. I went through puberty at a very late age.
Mac McClung on Yuki Kawamura: He has an incredible fanbase that supports him How's it been like playing with Yuki Kawamura and getting into the grind of things after your brief stint with Indiana this year? Mac McClung: Yuki's the man. He is amazing. I love him, he's such a fun guy to play with in the backcourt. So unselfish, so talented, and he's really a good person too. So, it's just really been nice having him as a backcourt teammate and getting some of his nice dimes. It's been a lot of fun, I can't lie. And it's cool to see all the love people have for him. He has an incredible fanbase that supports him.
KC Johnson: Yuki Kawamura: "I've been a big Chicago Bulls fan my whole life. I'm so happy to be here. I just wanted to bring energy." Kawamura on winning jump ball: "It was my first win since I started basketball. I'm so happy."