Big announcement! Hello, Yuki Kawamura! The Japanese men's basketball team has waited exactly two years for this.

The Japan men's basketball team announced that Yuki Kawamura will join the training camp, yet explicitly said he won't be playing in the next World Cup qualifying third window (versus China and South Korea)...

A smokescreen?

In the previous two World Cup qualifying windows, Japan's men's team posted a 3-1 record, now leading Group B standings.

With Kawamura's addition, the Japan men's basketball training camp roster now has as many as 23 players. The other 22 are: Seiya Ando, Shuta Hara, Yuta Watanabe, Josh Hawkinson, Takumi Saito, Yudai Baba, Ryusei Sasaki, Yuki Yoshii, Hiroya Kawamata, Dhiren Sea, Yudai Nishida, Keisei Tominaga, Ren Kaneshiro, Issa Yamazaki, Jacobs Crystal, Makoto Hiejima, Shinji Takashima, Toru Kurokawa, Tominari Kano, Atsuya Ogawa, Yuto Yamanouchi, and Yuki Kawashima.

Kawamura last played for Japan during the 2024 Paris Olympics. After that, he went to the U.S. to chase his dream, leaving no time for national team duties. Over his two-year NBA career so far, playing for the Grizzlies and Bulls, he only secured a two-way contract. Now he's a completely free agent again, expected to continue participating in summer league to try to earn a new deal.

This guy was born on May 2, 2001, now 25 years old, a 1.70m point guard with a small frame but immense energy. In his last regular-season game with the Bulls, he contributed 14 points in under 15 minutes. In the G League, he dominated for the Windy City Bulls, averaging 18.7 points, 5 rebounds, and 11 assists (on 35.7% shooting).

In short, Kawamura's return would undoubtedly elevate Japan's men's team significantly and pose a major challenge for China. However, as mentioned, if he truly isn't playing in the qualifiers, there's no need to worry about that.

In the February 2024 Asia Cup qualifier, Japan narrowly defeated China 76-73 at home. In that game, Kawamura started and played 27 minutes, shooting 4-for-11 for 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. In this February's World Cup qualifier, Japan without Kawamura lost 80-87 to China.

Honestly, we may never get to see a full-strength matchup between China and Japan's men's basketball teams.