Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura looks to score as Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson defends on November 23 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. (©AP/via KYODO)
Read the full story on SportsLook - [JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK] Rui Hachimura Embroiled in an Ongoing Feud with the JBA
Rui Hachimura has recently ignited a verbal spat with Japan Basketball Association officials, questioning men's national team bench boss Tom Hovasse's coaching credentials.
In doing so, the NBA forward has also expressed dissatisfaction with the overall leadership of Japan's basketball governing body.
The JBA extended Hovasse's contract on October 25, and Hachimura wasn't happy about this decision.
A few weeks later, Hachimura addressed the issue during a news conference following a Los Angeles Lakers game against the visiting Memphis Grizzlies on November 13.
In Hachimura's opinion, with Hovasse running the show, the Japan men's team's "training and meetings are not managed at the world level."
His comments were widely reported by traditional media outlets and shared on social media, adding fuel to the metaphorical fire.
Hachimura has also criticized how the JBA operates as an organization, claiming it is "profit-first" rather than "player-first."
The Toyama native has taken issue with how the JBA promoted a July 2024 two-game exhibition series against South Korea in Tokyo before the Paris Olympics. As Kyodo News reported, "Hachimura had informed the JBA well in advance that he was unable to participate due to physical conditioning issues. The association said it held back on announcing his absence in the hope he would play and not to drum up ticket sales."
Although Hachimura, a sixth-year pro, is employed by a storied franchise in the world's best basketball league, it's appropriate to ask the following: Is Hachimura qualified to evaluate a coach's credentials? And why should his opinion matter any more or less than anyone else's, especially the JBA's top officials and decision-makers?
Rui Hachimura Skipped the 2023 FIBA World Cup
It's important to point out that Hachimura opted to skip the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, putting his personal interests and offseason training plans ahead of the national team's goals in Okinawa City. Pro teams and agents, of course, can exert pressure on players to skip national team duties.
Without Hachimura, Hovasse led the team's qualification to an Olympic men's basketball tournament for the first time since the 1976 Montreal Games. (As the Olympic host, Japan received an automatic berth for the 2020 Tokyo Games.)
In building a 12-man roster for a global event, the noninvolvement of a foundational player can create additional challenges for a coach. And a coach may doubt a player's commitment to the national team if he decides not to play at a major international tournament.
Watanabe Supports Hovasse as Coach
To his credit, former NBA forward Yuta Watanabe, who currently plays for the B.League's Chiba Jets, has tried to diffuse the situation.
"I'm looking to communicate with Tom, Rui and also the Japan Basketball Association in order to make the national team better," Watanabe said on Thursday, November 28, according to Kyodo News.
Watanabe also delivered a ringing endorsement of Hovasse, for whom the veteran athlete played at the FIBA World Cup and the Paris Olympics.
"I like Tom. He's more fitting than anyone as Japan's head coach," Watanabe told reporters in the Japanese capital. "Most of the current national team members are attached to Tom and to playing for him. If Tom leaves because of this saga, the current national team will disintegrate."
In claiming that Hovasse's coaching ability is not up to his own so-called world-level standards, Hachimura didn't mention Hovasse's noteworthy success in recent years.
Hovasse previously coached the Japan women's national team (2017-2021). With Hovasse at the helm, Japan finished as the runner-up at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It was Japan's best-ever finish in a global basketball event.
To his credit, Watanabe has demonstrated leadership in seeking an end to the verbal brouhaha.
"There is no villain in this drama," Watanabe was quoted as saying by Kyodo News two days before scoring eight points in the Jets' 77-65 home victory over the Ryukyu Golden Kings on Saturday. "As a member of the national team, I feel some responsibility to move toward a constructive end to this issue."
Rui Hachimura Row Sparks New JBA Policy
Meanwhile, JBA President Yuko Mitsuya is working to make structural changes within the organization.
Moving forward, the JBA will hire a staff member to serve as a liaison between the organization and national team players living overseas.
In Tokyo, Mitsuya addressed this new development as something that needs to be done to "improve communication."
"It is our responsibility as an organization to create an environment where players can feel at ease and focus on playing. We need to improve communication," Mitsuya was quoted as saying at a news conference by The Yomiuri Shimbun on Saturday, November 30.
"The players also have agents," Mitsuya told reporters, "and with so many intermediaries, it was unclear whether our intentions were being properly communicated."
From the JBA's official stance, this matter is resolved ― at least for now, according to Mitsuya.
"We will continue to fully support Coach Hovasse and the Japanese national team," she said in a statement.
Hachimura is averaging 12.0 points and 5.3 assists in 14 games for the Lakers in the 2024-25 NBA season through November 30.
Continue reading the full story on SportsLook.
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Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
