Which country does Yuta Watanabe play for?

Yuta Watanabe is a professional basketball player who signed with the Phoenix Suns in July 2023. Last season, Watanabe played for the Brooklyn Nets, where he averaged 5.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. He shot 49.1% shooting from the field, including 44.4% from 3-point range.

Watanabe played college basketball at George Washington, where he became the first Japanese-born player to secure an NCAA Division 1 basketball scholarship. Watanabe was born in Kagawa where he began his basketball career. In four seasons in college, Watanabe averaged 10.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He shot 42.5% from the field, including 33.7% from 3-point range.

After going undrafted in the 2018 draft, Watanabe played for the Brooklyn Nets in the 2018 Summer League. He then signed a two-way deal with theMemphis Grizzlies. He made his NBA debut on October 27, 2018, scoring two points off the bench in a win over the Phoenix Suns. On December 26, 2022, Watanabe posted his career-high in both points and rebounds (26 points and 13 rebounds), in a loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Watanabe’s favorite team while growing up was the LA Lakers and his favorite player was Kobe Bryant. He is married to former Fuji TV announcer Akiko Kuji.

Yuta Watanabe Team Japan

Watanabe debuted for the Japanese senior basketball team in 2013, at the East Asia Basketball Championships, where they won the bronze. Since then, he has represented Japan at the FIBA Asia Championships, the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifications, and the 2019 FIBA World Cup, playing key roles as one of the most experienced players on their roster. At the 2019 World Cup, Watanabe played all five games and averaged 15.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.

He is also part of Japan’s squad in the ongoing FIBA World Cup in Indonesia, Philippines and Japan.