It is a fact that even though basketball is an American-dominated sports league, the NBA still has a lot of talented basketball players from all over the world participating. Among them are Asian basketball players and they make up about 0.4% of all NBA players past and present and contribute a lot to the achievements and ambassadors of that continent’s game. Today, let’s take a look at some playing and retired Asian basketball players in this article.
3 Current Asian basketball players
Jordan Clarkson
Jordan Clarkson is at the top of this list. He is a Filipino-American athlete. The 28-year-old has a Filipino mother and an African-American father. As part of the Philippines, Jordan Clarkson’s international NBA fans outnumber his American fans. His Filipino blood makes him have a large following in the Philippines. He even got to play in the 2018 Asian Games and the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers in 2023. Jordan Clarkson is arguably the best player of Asian descent in the tournament right now.
All in all, Clarkson has had an epic career in the NBA, having played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers and, most recently, the Utah Jazz. This defender has achieved certain successes in his career. Clarkson just finished eight seasons in the NBA and averaged double figures over his entire career.
Rui Hachimura
Rui Hachimura is the second Japanese-born player to sign with the NBA and has shown his talent in less than two seasons. Hachimura was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and northern father. He lived his entire childhood and adolescence in Japan until he moved to Gonzaga to play football for the Bulldogs. Until now, Rui Hachimura is still Japan’s biggest basketball star. However, unlike baseball, Japan’s mark in the NBA is really very faint. Rui Hachimura has been with the Washington Wizards since 2019 and the fact is that he has only played at a full-fledged level.
Yuta Watanabe
Yuta Watanabe is also one of the original Japanese Asian basketball players. He averaged 16 points during his senior year at George Washington University, taking home the Atlantic-10 Defensive Player of the Year and capturing the NBA’s attention. He entered the NBA in 2018 but his dream was shattered when he was not selected for the NBA tournament. He eventually signed with the Memphis Grizzlies and performed very well in the Summer League.
11 Notable Former Asian Basketball Players
Yuta Tabuse
Yuta Tabuse goes on to the calendar as the first Japanese-born player to play in the NBA. Tabuse is one of Japan’s best high school players thanks to his incredible passing and dribbling skills, so much so that he led his high school team to win three national championships. He is a gifted basketball player and was once dubbed the “Michael Jordan of Japan”. This former player only had 1 season in the NBA and then he went down to the lower leagues to look for opportunities. Although not successful in the NBA, Yuta Tabuse is still quite sublimated in the Japanese national team shirt.
Yao Ming
If you are an NBA fan, you are familiar with the name Yao Ming. Ming has earned a reputation not only as the best Asian player in the tournament but also as one of the best players of any nationality to have ever played basketball. At an outstanding height of 7ft 6in, he is the tallest player in the NBA along with the Houston Rockets. Ming has won the NBA All-Star 8 times and made it to the knockout stages 4 times. Unfortunately, his career was cut off due to injury, so he never reached his full potential.
Even so, he was deservedly selected for the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016 along with other players – Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson – who have shaped the league for an entire generation. He is also one of the most loved Asian basketball players of the past decade.
Wang Zhizhi
In the same generation, Yao Ming was also another famous player of Chinese basketball. It was Wang Zhizhi. But not as prominent as Ming, Wang Zhizhi only played round. Not only that, but Wang Zhizhi also caused a scandal with controversies in the domestic basketball scene. That’s why when Zhizhi went to the US to compete, the Chinese authorities sent two security guards just to monitor his every move. Wang Zhizhi is the first Chinese player ever selected by an NBA team, spending five seasons in the league and playing as a center for the Mavericks, Clippers and Heat, scoring a career average of 4.4 points and 1.7 pounds.
Raymond Townsend
Referring to Asian basketball players, the name Raymond Townsend cannot be ignored. Raymond Townsend is a former Filipino-American basketball player. Townsend is the first Filipino player to play in the NBA. But glory only came to Townsend when he left the NBA. It was 1984 when he played for a club in Italy. Here he won the World Cup for clubs.
Wataru Misaka
Not great, but Misaka still goes down in history because he is the first Asian-born player to play in the NBA. For many reasons, including coming from Japan, a fascist country during World War II, Misaka was discriminated against in the US. He only played 3 games in the NBA before sinking into oblivion. Misaka then couldn’t make a living on her job but had to switch to an electrical engineer. This late player died at the end of 2019, at the age of 95.
Jeremy Lin
Also one of the Asian men basketball players, Jeremy Lin has had 9 years playing for teams in the NBA and left a certain mark. He is often mentioned as an inspirational basketball player for many Asians in the United States. His peak was the 2019 season, with the NBA championship in the Toronto Raptors shirt. The championship win made Jeremy Lin the first Asian to win the NBA championship. After Yao Ming, Jeremy Lin is the most famous Chinese-born player in the NBA. Unfortunately, his career went downhill during his time in the NBA, though many will never forget the era he created.
Hamed Haddadi
Not only is a rare Asian basketball players in the NBA, but Hamed Haddadi is also an extremely rare Middle Eastern player at the number one basketball tournament on the planet. More notably, Hamed Haddadi comes from Iran, a country that has many political conflicts with the US. But that doesn’t stop Hamed Haddadi from comfortably playing in the NBA. The 40-year-old former defender joined the Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns. Compared to the other Asian players featured here, Hamed Haddadi’s NBA career may not have been as successful, but he has achieved success in other basketball leagues throughout the world.
Ha Seung-Jin
Ha Seung-Jin is a rare name from Korea. His basketball career started in high school in which he played for Samil Commercial School. Later in college, he played for Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. The 35-year-old has nearly two years of playing in the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers, but he can’t compete for the position. In the end, he had to return to Asia to play for mid-range clubs here. Despite not being successful in the NBA, Ha still goes down in history as a rare player in Korea who can “swim” to the NBA’s great sea.
Yi Jianlian
Yi Jianlian is often described as a legend in Chinese sports due to his career in the NBA and CBA. However, his career did not last long as he battled injuries later in his career, which greatly reduced his playing ability. Despite all that, Jianlian’s legacy in the NBA will never be forgotten. Yi, along with Yao Ming, is an inspiration to many Asians aiming to join the NBA.
Omri Casspi
Not to mention Omri Casspi is not on the list of Asian basketball players. Omri Casspi is a versatile Israeli professional basketball player who can play both as a winger and as a winger. He spent 9 years in the NBA and the most successful part of his career was with the Sacramento Kings, where he averaged 11.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. Omri Casspi is an inspiration to Israeli athletes and a benchmark for judging how other unknown basketball nations can make their mark in the sport, especially in the NBA.
Mengke Bateer
The last player on the list of Asian basketball players is Mengke Bateer. His name is very special when it is combined with two words with a meaning derived from Mongolian History: Monkh means Eternal while Baatar means Strong. He is one of the most successful Asian NBA players in history, spending 3 years in the Association and playing for the Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors, and becoming the first Asian player to win the championship NBA.
Conclusion
More and more Asian basketball players join the NBA and have many opportunities to shine and show their talents. Asian silhouette players are on the verge of becoming more popular in the NBA as certified by the outstanding play of current players such as Jordan Clarkson and Rui Hachimura. Although some have found success and others have not been so lucky. Hopefully, through this article, you have learned more about the current Asian community in the NBA and other sports.
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