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Yuta Watanabe is a professional basketball player from Japan. Additionally, he plays forward for the Brooklyn Nets of the NBA.
Early life
Yuta Watanabe was born on October 13, 1994, in Yokohama, Japan. According to his birth date, this basketball player is 28 years old and has Japanese nationality. Also, she is of Asian ethnicity and her birth sign is Libra.
He is the son of Hideyuki Watanabe (father) and Kumi Kubota (mother). Also, he grew up with his sister, Yuki Watanabe. He grew up in Miki, Kagawa. As for his family, Watanabe comes from a long line of basketball players.
His mother was a basketball player for Chanson V-Magic and the Japanese women’s national team. Similarly, her father was a professional basketball player for the Kumagai Gumi Bruins. Her sister had previously played for Aisin AW Wings.
high school career
Speaking of his academic career, he enrolled in Kagawa’s Jinsei Gakuen High School. Furthermore, he led the basketball team to second place in the Japan High School Basketball Tournament.
He attended St. Thomas More Preparatory High School in Oakdale, Connecticut in 2013. In high school he averaged 13 points and six rebounds outside of Japan. He led the team to a 26-8 overall record and reached the Prep National Championship game.
Likewise, he scored 12 points against Suffield Academy in his first appearance at the annual National Prep School Invitational in January 2014. He also had 20 points and six rebounds in a 70-61 win over Canarias Basketball Academy of Spain.
Yuta Watanabe – Net Worth 2023
As a basketball player, he has earned a good amount of money in his profession. He has an estimated net worth of $1 million to $5 million and his estimated salary in 2020-2021 is $1,762,796.
College career
He enrolled as a freshman at George Washington University in 2014. Watanabe was the first Japanese-born basketball player to earn an NCAA Division I scholarship. After that, he was only the fourth college basketball player to play at a high level.
After joining George Washington, his prominent profiles were published in prestigious media such as The New York Times and The Washington Post. Watanabe made his George Washington debut in November 2014, averaging eight points, seven rebounds and one block in 20 minutes of action against Grambling State.
It was the team’s biggest 92-40 victory since 1999. As a result, he was named Atlantic 10’s Rookie of the Week for December 2014, after averaging 9.0 points and 4.7 rebounds and helping the team win the 2014 Diamond Head Classic.
Similarly, on March 7, he set a career-high with 21 points and seven 3-pointers against Massachusetts. At the same time, Watanabe was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week for the second time. As a result, he became the first player since Lasan Kromah in 2009-10 to win back-to-back Rookie of the Week awards in the same season.
junior team
He recorded his first double-double in a 77-75 win over Siena in November 2016. Additionally, he became George Washington’s second leading scorer, scoring 12.2 points per game. As a result, he was selected to the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team.
senior team
In November 2017, he had a career-high 13 rebounds against Rider. On November 29, he had a career-high five steals against Morgan State. Then, in the championship game, Watanabe scored his career-high 31 points in a 72-56 win against Fordham. As a result, he was voted the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year. He was also named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Third Team and the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team. In the end, Watanabe’s tenure with George Washington was remarkable; he was recognized and awarded for his qualities and performance.
Career
memphis grizzlies
Watanabe went undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft and subsequently played in the NBA Summer League for the Brooklyn Nets. He later signed a two-way deal with the Memphis Grizzlies and the Memphis Hustle of the NBA G League.
This player made his debut against the Phoenix Suns in October 2018 averaging 2 points and 2 rebounds coming off the bench. As a result, he became the second Japanese NBA player after Yuta Tabuse.
Additionally, Watanabe spent most of his season with the Memphis Hustles in the G League. He averaged 14.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 assists in 32 of 33 games in the NBA G League.
In Memphis Hustle’s 130–126 win over the Iowa Wolves in January 2020, Watanabe scored a team-high 28 points on 12-of-19 field goal and 2-of-4 3-point shooting, while contributing 7 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 assists, and 2 steals. As a result, he was selected to the Western Conference Midseason All-NBA G League.
toronto raptors
On December 19, 2020, Watanabe signed a contract with the Raptors to draft their preseason roster. On December 31, he made his debut for the Toronto Raptors, grabbing four rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal in nine minutes of action against the New York Knicks.
Then, against the Sacramento Kings in January 2021, he scored a career-high 12 points on 80.0 percent shooting from the field and added 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. During training on February 9, Watanabe injured his left ankle.
As a result, this player returned on February 18 against the Milwaukee Bucks, averaging 2 rebounds and a block. In a 113-102 victory over the Orlando Magic in April 2021, Watanabe had a career-high 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 from 3-point range, as well as 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block.
As a result, Watanabe has missed around 18 games this season with a strained left leg. As a result, in 14 minutes of action against the Memphis Grizzlies, he averaged three points and two blocks. Later, against the Cleveland Cavaliers in December 2021, he had a double-double with 26 points and 13 rebounds.
national team career
Caption: Yuta Watanabe during a basketball game (Source: Instagram)
He made his senior debut for Japan at the 2013 East Asian Basketball Championship, helping the team to a bronze medal finish. During that time, he had 22 points and 14 rebounds in a 101-53 win over Macau.
Similarly, in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship he finished 9th with 5.2 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.5 assists in four games. Thus, Watanabe was included in the 12-man roster for the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, where he finished with 7.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists.
As a result, he was chosen to play in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019. He averaged 15.6 points per game, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists.
Awards
As a basketball player, he has won several awards and recognitions. He was named the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year and Third Team All-Atlantic 10 in 2018.
He also earned the All-Defensive Team Atlantic 10 team for two consecutive years (2017, 2018). With his team, he won the Bronze East Asian Men’s Basketball Championship in 2013.
Caption: Yuta Watanabe with his teammates, trophy and medal (Source: Instagram)
civil status
Recently, on May 26, 2022, Watanabe and TV host Akiko Kuji announced their engagement. However, there is not much information about their first meeting and when they started dating. In addition, the couple currently lives happily.
body measurements
This basketball player is 6 feet 9 inches tall and weighs around 98 kg. Also, he has brown eyes with black hair and there is no other information about his other body stats.
Caption: Yuta Watanabe during his practice (Source: Instagram)
Yuta Watanabe – Social networks
On his Instagram, he has more than 247k followers. Likewise, he has more than 195.8k followers on Twitter and more than 10k followers on Facebook.
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Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn