Photo by Joel RushĪll of this, however, was just the warm up for the main events, the two games to be played on Friday and Sunday, and as excited as the NBA players, coaches and staff are to be both ambassadors for the league and travelers in Japan, they still have to focus on the work at hand. with executives from NBA corporate partners Rakuten, Nissan and NEC at the reception for the NBA Japan Games 2022 at the ANA Intercontinental Hotel in Tokyo on September 29. Kyle Kuzma of the Washington Wizards and Andre Iguodala of the Golden State Warriors share the stage. Honors were paid to NBA legends Richard Hamilton, Tim Hardaway and Dikembe Mutombo, who will participate in the NBA Japan Games Saturday Night 2022 on the day between the two regular preseason games, were in attendance, and the night was capped off with brief comments from the Kuzma and the Warriors’ Andre Iguodala. The event featured speeches from executives with Rakuten and Nissan, the NBA’s official presenting partners for the Japan Games, as well as NEC, which sponsored the reception. “Basketball shows a tremendous momentum here in Japan in terms of the growth,” Tatum explained, “and these games are just going to continue that momentum.” “And I can’t think of a better matchup to play here in Tokyo than between the reigning world champion Golden Sate Warriors, and the Washington Wizards featuring Rui Hachimura, Kyle Kuzma, Bradley Beal, and all the great players on that team.” “You know, this our first time playing international games in over two years,” he said. NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum expressed the NBA’s excitement in his speech at the reception. Later that evening, a reception was held at the ANA Intercontinental Hotel, where the NBA officially began the festivities by celebrating the league’s return to Japan after three years, and its corporate partnerships which have been instrumental in bringing NBA basketball back here. “And that definitely happens on a long trip like this.” “It’s great for our players to bond and to get to know each other well,” he said. “Traditional camp is usually in your home market,” Unseld said “To have this opportunity to get away kind of pulls guys together in a sense.” replied that “It's a great opportunity for bonding.” In terms of the basketball itself, asked about the positives of holding training camp in Japan, Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. Center, where the Golden Sate Warriors and Washington Wizards held practice, SeptemPhoto by Joel Rush Clark shot the lights out from outside, making four 3-pointers in six attempts on Tuesday and 2-of-4 from 3-point range in each of his first two preseason games, including an impressive debut earlier this month.Japanese NBA fans wait for a glimpse of their favorite players outside the Minato Ward Sports. He shot 55.6 percent from 3-point range.Įdwards averaged 2.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game.Ĭlark poured in 16 points with five rebounds and three blocks in 27 minutes off the bench in Houston's 128-86 preseason win last Tuesday against the Shanghai Sharks. In five preseason games, Clark averaged 7.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 16.6 minutes per game. Remarks made recently by Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni indicated that Clark is a likely candidate to secure a roster spot for a team that finished last season with the league's best record (65-17). The Athletic's Kelly Iko reported earlier on Twitter that Clark's deal would be converted to a two-way contract, according to his agent, Austin Walton.ĮSPN's Chris Haynes reported via Twitter in June that Clark, the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year in his final season at UC, signed a two-way deal with the Rockets just after the conclusion of the 2018 NBA Draft - meaning he would belong to both the G League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers and Houston's NBA parent club. Former Cincinnati Bearcats standout Gary Clark and former Middletown High School star Vincent Edwards of Purdue will be part of a Houston Rockets roster of 14 entering the NBA regular season, according to a report via Twitter from The Athletic's Alykhan Bijani.
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