Rui Hachimura is a professional basketball power forward for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2024/25 NBA season. Born to a Japanese mother and a Beninese father, he helped his high-school basketball team win back-to-back tournaments in 2013 and 2014 respectively. This led to an invitation to the 2015 Jordan Brand Classic international game, where he garnered the attention of scouts and college recruiters. After signing a Letter of Intent, he cleared all the SAT and GPA requirements to enroll at Gonzaga University in 2016. (via Yahoo Sports)
Hachimura went on to play three seasons for Gonzaga and emerged as one of the top prospectss for his draft class. Despite playing very little during his freshman season, he bounced back in the subsequent years. He played a total of 102 games by the end of his junior season and averaged 24.5 points, nine rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, as per Sports Reference. Hachimura declared for the 2019 NBA Draft and was picked ninth overall by the Washington Wizards. After three and a half seasons with the franchise, Hachimura was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks in 2023.
Rui Hachimura's national team
Rui Hachimura plays for team Japan in international competitions. Hachimura first represented team Japan in the 2013 FIBA U16 Asia Championship hosted by Iran and dominated the competition by averaging 22.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per contest, securing Japan the third spot. He was part of Japan’s 2014 FIBA U17 World Cup team and managed a performance similar to 2013, averaging 22.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.7 blocks in seven games played. He averaged 20.6 points, 11 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game in the U-19 World Cup in 2017. Japan managed to make it to the round of 16 but a closely contested loss against Italy ended the team’s run. 2019 marked another significant moment for Rui Hachimura's national team career when he participated in the FIBA World Cup held in China and averaged 13.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.7 blocks per contest.
Hachimura also represented Japan in the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Japan. He averaged 22.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 0.3 steals, and 0.7 blocks. Hachimura's most recent appearances for Japan's senior national team are in the Paris 2024 Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament, where he averaged 22.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists in two games. (via FIBA's official website)
FAQs on Rui Hachimura
A. Born on February 8, 1998, Rui Hachimura is 27 years old, as of April 2025.
A. Rui attended Gonzaga University, located in Spokane, Washington.
A. Rui Hachimura was born in Toyama, Japan.
A. Rui Hachimura is 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 m) tall.
