page_title: Rui Hachimura
section_title: Early life and career
hierarchical_section_title: Rui Hachimura / Early life and career
caption_attribution_description: 日本語: 明成高等学校、八村塁選手。代々木第一体育館で。
context_page_description: Rui Hachimura is a Japanese professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs and is a member of the Japanese national team. Listed at 6 ft 8 in and 230 lbs, he plays both the small forward and power forward positions. He was considered one of the top prospects for the 2019 NBA draft, and he was selected 9th overall in the first round by the Wizards.
  Born in Toyama Prefecture, Hachimura achieved success at the youth level in Japan, leading Meisei High School to three straight All-Japan High School Tournament titles and being a top player for the Japanese under-17 and under-19 national teams in FIBA competition. He joined Gonzaga in 2016 as the fifth Japanese-born men's NCAA Division I player and became the first Japanese national in 2017 to play in the NCAA Division I men's tournament. As a sophomore, he earned first-team All-WCC honors. He was named a finalist for the Naismith Player of the Year.
context_section_description: Hachimura was born in Toyama Prefecture in Japan to a Japanese mother Makiko (麻紀子) and Beninese father, Zakari Jabil. His given name, Rui (塁), means "base" or "fortress" in Japanese; the name was given to him by his grandfather because he was a big fan of baseball (the character 塁 is also used for "base" in context of baseball). He has three younger siblings, one brother, and two sisters. Hachimura's younger brother, Allen (阿蓮, Aren), is a basketball player at Tokai University in Japan. In his childhood, he played baseball as a catcher and pitcher. On December 29, 2013, Hachimura led the Meisei High School basketball team to its second title in the All-Japan High School Tournament, scoring 32 points in a 92–78 win over Fukuoka University Ohori. In 2014, he helped his team win the tournament for a second straight year. In April 2015, Hachimura was invited to the Jordan Brand Classic, where he recorded nine points and five rebounds in the International Game. On November 21, 2015, he signed a National Letter of Intent to play college basketball for Gonzaga Bulldogs in the U.S., being considered by ESPN as one of the best international players entering college. On December 29, 2015, Hachimura posted 34 points, 19 rebounds and three blocks to guide Meisei past Tsuchiura Nihon University High School for his third All-Japan Tournament victory.
  Despite signing with Gonzaga in the early signing period for 2016, Hachimura had his eligibility to play college basketball called into question. The concerns were that he needed to acclimate better culturally and linguistically to the U.S. and would potentially need to attend a prep school before entering Gonzaga or redshirting if eligible. In February 2016, Hachimura claimed to understand 80 percent of English but speak only 30-40 percent of it. By April 2016, Hachimura was still working toward passing the SAT to gain entrance to college. In May 2016, Hachimura announced that he met the SAT and GPA requirements to be eligible to play at Gonzaga beginning as early as fall 2016. He planned to play as a true freshman and did not redshirt his first year.
caption: Hachimura with Meisei High School in 2016
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