NBA: Yuki Kawamura hits first bucket as Grizzlies beat Wizards

MEMPHIS, Tennessee (Kyodo) — Japanese guard Yuki Kawamura logged another NBA milestone Friday with his first field goal for the Memphis Grizzlies in a 128-104 win against the Washington Wizards.

The 173-centimeter playmaker brought the house down when he nailed a step-back three-pointer to give the Grizzlies a 125-100 lead with 1:55 left in the fourth quarter of the basketball game at FedExForum in Memphis.

Kawamura finished with three points on 1-for-3 shooting while also making an assist and grabbing two rebounds in close to five minutes of action.

Having signed a two-way contract that splits his time between the NBA and the developmental G-League, the Japanese Olympic team star has quickly become a favorite among Memphis fans, who have chanted “We want Yuki!” to demand his insertion off the bench.

A video of Kawamura’s first bucket quickly racked up hundreds of thousands of views after it was posted on the NBA’s official account on X, formerly Twitter.

Kawamura scored his first NBA points from the free-throw line in a blowout win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday in Memphis and received the game ball to mark the occasion.

In other NBA action, Akatsuki Japan teammate Rui Hachimura had nine points and four rebounds for the Lakers in a 116-106 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.