(born 2 May 2001) is a Japanese professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA), on a

two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless o ...

with the

Memphis Hustle The Memphis Hustle are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in the Greater Memphis suburb of Southaven, Mississippi, and are affiliated with the Memphis Grizzlies. The team plays their home games at the Landers C ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...

. He also plays for the Japan national team, with whom he played at the 2023 World Cup and

2024 Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

. Standing 5'8" tall, he is currently the shortest player in the NBA.

High school career

Born in

Yanai, Yamaguchi 270px, Yanai City Hall 270px, Yanai City center 270px, Yanai Goldfish Lantern Festival is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 29,821 in 15298 households and a population density of 210 perso ...

, Kawamura idolized Yuki Togashi when growing up, as the professional and national team player excelled despite being a relatively short player, at . Kawamura played for Fukuoka Daiichi High School and led them to back-to-back All-Japanese High School championships.

Professional career

San-en NeoPhoenix (2020)

As a high schooler, Kawamura started his career under status with the

San-en NeoPhoenix The are a Japanese professional basketball team based in the eastern Mikawa Province, Mikawa and Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture region of central Japan, that competes in the B.League. The team was founded in 1965, as the company team of the OSG ...

in January 2020. In his first game, Kawamura became the youngest player in B.League history at only 18 years of age. He later also became the youngest player to score in a B.League game.

Yokohama B-Corsairs (2020–2024)

During the offseason, Kawamura moved to Yokohama to join the Yokohama B-Corsairs, still under special designation. Enrolling at

Tokai University is a private non-sectarian higher education institution located in Tokyo, Japan. It was founded by Dr. Shigeyoshi Matsumae. It was accredited under Japan's old educational system in 1946 and under the new system in 1950. In 2008, Tokai Uni ...

, he left school to go pro at the beginning of the 2022–23 season. He immediately made an impact, winning the B.League's MVP award. In addition, with the B-Corsairs, he won Rookie of the Year and made the Best Five team.

Memphis Grizzlies (2024–present)

On 6 September 2024, Kawamura signed with the

of the

and on 19 October, his training camp deal was converted into a

. On October 14, 2024, Kawamura scored a career-high 10 points and passed for 7 assists in a 120–116 win against the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

National team career

Kawamura played for the Japan men's national under-16 team at the 2017 FIBA U16 Asian Championships. In six games, Kawamura averaged 5.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.3 assists. Kawamura made his

Japan men's national basketball team The Japan national basketball team, also known as Akatsuki Japan (), is the national team representing Japan in international basketball competitions and is administered by the Japan Basketball Association (JBA), (Japanese: 日本バスケッ ...

debut in the 2023 World Cup qualifiers against

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. In a 89-49 victory, Kawamura recorded 0 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 steals. Kawamura played six more qualifier games for Japan and averaged 10.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 2.7 steals. Kawamura represented Japan at the

2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 19th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men's national basketball teams, held from 25 August to 10 September 2023. The tournament was the second to feature 32 teams and was hosted by multipl ...

. Kawamura was an important contributor in Japan's 98-88 upset victory over

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, as he accumulated 25 points, 9 assists, and 1 rebound in Japan's first victory over a European team. In all five games, Kawamura averaged 13.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 7.6 assists. The following year, Kawamura represented Japan at the

. In the second game, they narrowly lost to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

94-90 in overtime, and Kawamura scored a career-high 29 points, with 7 rebounds and 6 assists in the effort. In three games played, Kawamura averaged 20.3 points, 7.7 assists, and 3.3 rebounds.

Career statistics

NBA

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Memphis , 22 , , 0 , , 4.2 , , .367 , , .304 , , .778 , , .5 , , .9 , , .1 , , .0 , , 1.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 22 , , 0 , , 4.2 , , .367 , , .304 , , .778 , , .5 , , .9 , , .1 , , .0 , , 1.6

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kawamura, Yuki 2001 births Living people 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup players 21st-century Japanese sportsmen Basketball players at the 2024 Summer Olympics Japanese expatriate basketball people in the United States Japanese men's basketball players Memphis Grizzlies players Memphis Hustle players NBA players from Japan Olympic basketball players for Japan Point guards San-en NeoPhoenix players Sportspeople from Yamaguchi Prefecture Undrafted NBA players Yokohama B-Corsairs players