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Among the 12 teams vying for gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics' basketball event is Japan Men's Basketball. They qualified for the Olympics through the FIBA World Cup 2023 competition, thanks to their 3-2 record. The three teams they beat were Finland, Venezuela and Cape Verde.
Overall, they finished 19th in that competition, making them the highest-ranked Asian team and qualified for the Olympic event for the second straight time.
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In 2020, they were the host country, which guaranteed them a spot. Prior to 2020, Japan had not competed in Olympic basketball since 1976.
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The Japan Men's Basketball squad boasts names like Rui Hachimura, who plays for the LA Lakers, as well as Yuta Watanabe. Watanabe played in the NBA from 2018-24 before returning to Japan to continue his professional career.
Another notable player on the Japanese squad is ex-Nebraska sharpshooter Keisei Tominaga, who signed an Exhibit-10 contract with the Indiana Pacers this past free agency period.
Japan also has Josh Hawkinson, a 6-foot-10 center who stood out as a talented scorer and determined rebounder in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Here is the full roster for Japan Men's Basketball at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Japan is a part of Group B at the Paris Olympics along with Germany, Brazil and the host nation France. Here is their full schedule in the group stage.
Japan Men's Basketball will need to figure out how to beat Germany in the group stage
Japan's men's basketball team has struggled to beat Germany in international competitions lately. Of the two losses they suffered at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, one of them came against the Germans and their core back then will be similar to the one they are bringing to the Paris Olympics.
Germany held the Japanese squad to only 63 points at last year's World Cup, which ended up being their lowest-scoring game. Aside from making scoring difficult for Japan, Germany also dominated the boards as they outrebounded them 47-36.
Aside from that loss, Japan and Germany faced each other last Saturday (Jul. 20) in a pre-Olympic exhibition. In that game, the Japanese squad's struggles against the Germans were evident yet again.
The Japan Men's Basketball squad was led by Rui Hachimura, who scored 19, but it would not be enough as his team was routed by the Germans yet again. Japan lost by 21 points (104-83) behind Orlando Magic standout Franz Wagner's 27 points.
If they hope to make it past the group stage, Japan will need to find an answer for the German squad.
