On July 31, Beijing time, the Japan men's basketball team lost to the France men's basketball team 90-94 in overtime, and the 23-year-old Yuki Kawamura contributed 29 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal, and made 6 three-pointers. With a height of only 1.72 meters, he has made more people remember this name.

He was undaunted to pound the basket, break through passes, and hit key shots on multiple occasions. Especially after Hachimura was ejected from the game in the fourth quarter, Yuki Kawamura completely took over the game, and the last 12 points of the fourth quarter of the Japan men's basketball team came from his scoring or assists. He hit a three-pointer in overtime, but ultimately had to accept the loss.

However, in the face of the host France team, such an amazing individual performance by Yuki Kawamura has made him the focus of heated discussions.

Seven years ago, I challenged the world

According to the media Basket Count, seven years ago, Yuki Kawamura, who was only 16 years old at the time, had already made a bold statement: "I want to challenge the world." In March 2022, Kawamura revealed that his goal was to become a point guard for the national team at the Paris Olympics, and he did it, and he did it so well.

Before participating in the Olympic group stage, Kawamura had expressed his belief that the Japan men's basketball team could reach the quarterfinals and shock the world. After two consecutive defeats, Japan will have a hard time reaching the quarterfinals, but this match against the France men's basketball team has indeed shocked the world, after all, they pushed the last Olympic silver medallist into overtime, and even almost beat France in regular time.

It is not appropriate to describe Kawamura Yuki as famous in a fight. In last year's World Cup match against Finland, Kawamura scored 15 points in the final quarter and has already attracted a lot of attention, including teammate Yuki Tomiya, who was sitting on the bench at the time.

Recalling the scene, Yuki Tomiyasu said, "It felt like I was really watching another NBA player playing. ”

The idol is 5 centimeters shorter than him

Yuki Tomiyatsu's identity is not only Yuki Kawamura's national team teammate, but also the idol of the 23-year-old rising star. As the shortest men's basketball player in this Olympic Games, Yuki Fujian, who is 1.67 meters, was also placed next to Wembanyama by FIBA and made into a poster of "the cutest height difference".

The coaching staff of the Japan men's basketball team selected Yuki Tomiyasu and Yuki Kawamura to the national team in order to maximize the speed and control of the game of the Japan team.

Yuki Kawamura admired and followed Yuki Tomiyasu since he was a child. When he was in high school, Kawamura said, "I want to lead the Japan men's basketball team on the world stage like Yuki Tomiya, even though he does not have the advantage of height and size." ”

Kawamura admits that playing basketball at 1.72m is very challenging, but he is still full of confidence. "I believe that the gap between height and bounce can be overcome with determination and faith. I hope that my performance will encourage those who are not very tall to not give up on basketball. ”

What's next for the NBA?

After achieving his goal of participating in the Paris Olympics, Kawamura's next challenge is to try to make his way onto the NBA stage. He has signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Grizzlies and will attend the Grizzlies' training camp after the Olympics. This amazing performance is bound to make the Grizzlies have higher expectations for him. Perhaps, Kawamura has a chance to compete for a two-way contract and become another Asian player to step onto the NBA stage.

Finally, a post-match detail that was mentioned by many media people. After narrowly beating the Japan men's basketball team in overtime, Batum shook Kawamura's hand very seriously and forcefully, and hugged each other, full of respect.

Height does not define a basketball player. The success of Kawamura should inspire the selection criteria of the Chinese men's basketball team.