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Yuta Tabuse
Yuta Tabuse is the first Japanese player to play in NBA.
His position is point guard, and his speed and assists are his strong points.
As of 2024, Yuta Tabuse plays for Utsunomiya Brex of B.LEAGUE.
This video shows the weight of NBA, the place where Yuta Tabuse played for the first time as a Japanese player (in Japanese).
Yuta is 5.9 feet (175 cm) tall, and is on the list of shortest players in NBA history.
When Yuta Tabuse was 15 years old and in his third year of junior high school, he co-starred with Patrick Ewing in a Shinkenzemi commercial.
Here are some of the exploits of the first Japanese NBA player, "Yuta Tabuse".
Some of the videos and photos are too old, but we will add them as soon as we find them.
1996-1999: Yuta Tabuse's Activities in High School
Yuta Tabuse played for Noshiro Technical High School (now Noshiro Science and Technology High School) from 1996 to 1999.
As a member of the starting five from his first year of high school, Yuta Tabuse won three major titles in a row: high school athletics, national athletics, and the national high school team championship, becoming the first player in history to win nine titles.
This is a video of Yuta Tabuse's 98-76 win over Funabashi Municipal High School in the Winter Cup finals in his junior year of high school.
Yuta scored 37 points. You can watch the interview at 1:01:31!
NOTE: Our Founder/CEO&CTO Hiroyuki Chishiro was watching the game live, so you may be able to see it somewhere.
He was the first Japanese player to participate in the Nike Hoop Summit (U.S. Junior National Team vs. World Junior National Team) held in March 1991.
The following black jersey #4 player for Japan is Yuta Tabuse, playing against Jay Williams (white jersey #4) for United States.
2000-2002: Yuta Tabuse's Activities in University
The following is an introduction to Yuta Tabuse's activities in university.
Yuta Tabuse played for Brigham Young University-Hawaii from 2000-2002.
He was nicknamed "Jordan of Japan".
He dropped out of Brigham Young University Hawaii in 2002.
You can watch a university play at 1:52 of the following video.
2002-2003: Yuta Tabuse's Activities of Toyota Motor Alvark in Super League (Japan)
Here is a look at Yuta Tabuse's Super League (Japan) activities from 2002-2003 when he played for Toyota Motor Alvark.
2003: Super League Runner-up
The Toyota Alvark team, led by Yuta Tabuse, finished second in the Super League.
In the Super League final, Toyota Motor Alvark lost to Aisin 82-85 in overtime.
2003-2008: Yuta Tabuse's Activities in NBA (including Summer League and D-League)
This section introduces Yuta Tabuse's activities in NBA (including Summer League and D-League) from 2003 to 2008.
Here, NBA player means a player who played in NBA's regular season.
Please note that it does not mean players who played in NBA's Summer League, Preseason, or D-League (currently G-League).
July 2003: NBA's Dallas Mavericks Summer League
He participated in NBA's Dallas Mavericks summer league in July 2003 (3:07).
Videos will be added as soon as they are found.
September 2003: NBA's Denver Nuggets Preseason
In September 2003, he signed with NBA's Denver Nuggets and participated in the preseason (4:18).
He was subsequently released after failing to make the opening day roster.
Videos will be added as soon as they are found.
November 2003: ABA's Long Beach Jam Albirex
In November 2003, he joined the ABA's Long Beach Jam Albirex (5:07).
He was teammates with Dennis Rodman, who along with Michael Jordan won three consecutive late-season championships with the Chicago Bulls (3-peat, 1996-1998).
They won the ABA championship in April 2014!
Videos will be added as soon as they are found.
2004: NBA's Phoenix Suns Regular Season
He signed with NBA's Phoenix Suns on September 6, 2004 (5:55).
He became teammates with 2005 and 2006 MVP Steve Nash (now coach of the Brooklyn Nets).
Basketball fans all over Japan were eagerly awaiting Yuta Tabuse's NBA debut.
November 3, 2004: NBA debut against the Atlanta Hawks
He made his NBA debut on November 3, 2014 against the Atlanta Hawks. This is the moment the first Japanese NBA player was born (6:34)!
His first NBA score is a free throw! You can watch it at 0:33 of the following video.
December 15, 2004: Last game played in NBA against the Utah Jazz
Yuta Tabuse's last NBA game was against the Utah Jazz on December 15, 2004.
Here are the records for the four games Yuta Tabuse played in NBA.
This is a great record for the first Japanese player to play in NBA!
September 2005: Los Angeles Clippers of NBA
He signed with NBA's Los Angeles Clippers and played in seven preseason games.
He was subsequently fired and did not play in the regular season.
Videos will be added as soon as they are found.
November 2005: Albuquerque Thunderbirds of NBA D-League
He signed with Albuquerque Thunderbirds of NBA D-League in November 2005.
Videos will be added as soon as they are found.
July 2006: NBA's Dallas Mavericks Summer League
In July 2006, he participated in NBA Dallas Mavericks Summer League.
Videos will be added as soon as they are found.
November 2006: NBA D-League's Bakersfield Jam
In November 2006, he signed a contract with Bakersfield Jam of NBA D-League.
Bakersfield Jam is the former ABA Long Beach Jam, so he is back in his old stomping grounds.
December 16, 2006: Video of Anaheim Arsenal game
Here is a video of Anaheim Arsenal game on December 16, 2006.
Yuta Tabuse is number #11 on the white jersey.
November 2007: Anaheim Arsenal of NBA D-League
In November 2007, he signed a contract with the Anaheim Arsenal of NBA D-League.
Videos will be added as soon as they are found.
July 2008: NBA's New Jersey Nets Summer League
In July 2008, he participated in NBA's New Jersey Nets summer league.
Videos will be added as soon as they are found.
2008-Present: Yuta Tabuse's Activities of Link Tochigi Brex (Presently: Utsunomiya Brex) in Japan
The following is an introduction to Yuta Tabuse's activities of Link Tochigi Brex (Presently: Utsunomiya Brex) from 2008-present in Japan.
Yuta Tabuse's number is #0.
For reference, the team names and the history of the leagues they belong to are listed below.
- Teams: 2007-2008: Tochigi Brex, 2008-2019: Link Tochigi Brex, 2019-present: Utsunomiya Brex
- League Affiliation: 2007-2008: JBL2, 2008-2013: JBL, 2013-2016: NBL, 2016-present: B.LEAGUE
2010: First JBL Championship
In 2010, the Link Tochigi Brex, led by Yuta Tabuse, won their first championship in JBL!
Here is a video of Yuta Tabuse receiving the MVP award.
2017: First B.LEAGUE Championship
On May 27, 2017, Tochigi Brex, led by Yuta Tabuse, defeated the Kawasaki Brave Thunders 85-79 to become the first B.LEAGUE championship.
Here is a video of Yuta Tabuse hoisting the trophy.
2022: Second B.LEAGUE Championship in Five Years
On May 29, 2022, the Utsunomiya Brex defeated the Ryukyu Golden Kings 82-75 to win the B.LEAGUE championship for the second time in five years!
Yuta Tabuse is seen giving advice to his teammates at halftime, and he and teammate Makoto Hiejima (number #6) are celebrating their victory.
Yuta Tabuse's Activities of Japan National Team
The following is an introduction to Yuta Tabuse's activities of Japan national team.
2010: 4th Place at Asian Games
Japan national team, led by Yuta Tabuse, finished fourth in the 2010 Asian Games.
Here is the video of the semi-final match against Korea.
2015: 4th Place at FIBA Men's Asian Cup
Led by Yuta Tabuse, the Japanese national team placed fourth in the 2015 FIBA Men's Asian Cup.
Here is the video of the quarterfinal match against Qatar.
Here is the video of the semi-final match against Philippines.
Here is the video of the 3rd place game against Iran.
June 21, 2022: NBA KAIWA with Yuta Tabuse
Here is the video "NBA KAIWA with Yuta Tabuse" in which Chris Sasaki interviews Yuta Tabuse, published on June 21, 2022.
Summary
We introduced Yuta Tabuse, the first Japanese NBA player.
It turns out that Yuta Tabuse played for Phoenix Suns of NBA.
The greatness of Yuta Tabuse is that he proved that a Japanese can be an NBA player.
You can see photos of Yuta Tabuse's career to date in the "[Birthday Special] The History of Yuta Tabuse in Pictures" section!
If you want NBA goods, please go to NBA Store!
If you want to know more about Yuta Watanabe and Rui Hachimura, who became NBA players after Yuta Tabuse, please click the following.
