If late-night host David Letterman were still on the air, and doing his famous “Top Ten” segment, he might have tried something like, “Top ten headlines you probably will never see.”
One of the ten humorous answers might have gone something like this: “Five-foot-eight Japanese player makes NBA team.” The audience, I am sure, would have laughed at that one.
Well, hold those chuckles, gang, as we introduce you to “Yuki-Mania.”
His name is Yuki Kawamura, a Japan-born 24-year-old who has impressed enough over this past summer that our Chicago Bulls signed him to a two-way NBA contract.
Despite battling a lower leg injury, Yuki most likely will start the season with the Bulls’ affiliate in the G League, the Windy City Bulls, but it could be a matter of time before he makes it up to the big squad.
An unlikely story, for sure, but one that has come to fruition through hard work and the willingness to believe anything is possible.
Yuki has played with the Japanese national team both in the 2023 World Cup and in the 2024 Olympics and proved to be one of their best players. He impressed enough in those games to get a tryout and actually play a little bit last year with the NBA Memphis Grizzlies.
Now that he’s a member of our Chicago Bulls franchise, make no mistake about it, despite his size, Yuki can flat-out play. He is in constant motion on the court, relentless and energetic, often running circles–and other geometric shapes–around taller, stronger NBA opponents.
His passing ability is absolutely uncanny (check out the YouTube highlights), and he can score on rapid drives to the hoop or shoot the three from outside with pretty good accuracy.
Of course, opposing teams will try and take advantage of his size to create defensive mismatches, but Yuki makes up for much of that with an in-your-face, intense pressure style of defense that can cause problems for even some of the best NBA players.
Some opponents have called him “a pest” on defense, and of course, Yuki will smile at that and take that as the ultimate compliment.
How much of an impact can he make this year? Can he contribute for the big squad this season? We shall see. Injuries and trades always affect a team’s roster, so there is at least a decent chance that over the course of the long 82 game schedule that Yuki will at some point get his chance.
If he does? No doubt the fans at the United Center will be cheering and rooting for him in high decibels.
Remember Taiwan-American New York Knicks star Jeremy Lin? When he made his mark in the NBA, in a rather sudden fashion, it was known as “Lin-sanity.” The fans went crazy for him.
Could “Yuki-Mania” do the same for the Bulls this year? Who knows? Maybe the cheering section would be known as “The Uku-lele’s.” Or the “Kooky Yukis.” The possibilities are endless.
Just like the odds of a 5’8” Japan-born player getting to play in the NBA.
Dreams are free, folks…and sometimes those dreams come true!