In baseball, Asian pitchers have historically drawn large crowds. People from thousands of miles away will come out or tune in to see a countryman compete in the best league in the world. With limited examples, it looks like we will see the same result in the NBA. Washington Wizards rookie Rui Hachimura has drawn plenty of media and fan attention in every Summer League game he has attended. The Japanese national spoke on the media frenzy he has attracted so far in his young career:

“I am used to it now, especially after the draft. It was crazy talking English and Japanese back and forth. But I have gotten used to it. One of my jobs is to represent Japan. People want to see me right now. I’m everywhere right now in Japan on TV, in the newspapers. I am doing it for my country and the little kids watching me.”

Rui Hachimura will be generating even more buzz if he can prove that he can dominate in the NBA as he did in college. The forward left Gonzaga after averaging 19.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in his final season.

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Rui Hachimura has plenty of pressure on his shoulders to live up to the hype, both in the United States and Japan. Judging by his answer, it looks like he is ready to answer the call.