Hachimura said, “I dunno if I’m going to be able to catch up with them, hopefully, I can make it to their next game but I’m happy [to see them]. Happy to see the Japanese team. I’m proud to be Japanese and these guys are here right now competing at the highest level so it’s great.”
Of course, Hachimura would know best how competing at the highest level can elevate your game. After his outing in Dubai where he scored 25 points in a duel against USA’s Jayson Tatum, he went on to star at the U19 World Cup in Cairo and throughout many other competitions with the senior national team – not to mention being the highest Japanese NBA Draft pick ever.
With a strong performance here in Dubai, the Dragonflies can make a global impact as well, should they emerge as champions and qualify for the FIBA Intercontinental Cup where they will go up against other champions from around the world.
“It’s good, it’s a good opportunity for us, as Japanese basketball is still growing,” said Hachimura. “It’s going to be good to show what we can do. I’m hoping they’re going to be good.
“[Basketball in Japan] is growing little by little every year, I think we still need a lot of experiences like this, these international games and this kind of stuff will help us to grow more. We should be engaged.