How Josh Hawkinson, the sole white guy on Team Japan’s Olympic basketball team, made the cut
As Japan’s men’s basketball team attempts to rebound from some losses at the Paris Olympics, one player’s presence on the team has generated some buzz among surprised fans.
As Japan’s men’s basketball team attempts to rebound from some losses at the Paris Olympics, one player’s presence on the team has generated some buzz among surprised fans.
Josh Hawkinson, a U.S.-born player from Shoreline, Washington, is the team’s sole white player — with no ancestral roots in Japan. Though his presence has been confusing for some, Hawkinson, who made his debut with the team Saturday, is a Japanese citizen who has played in the country for several years and has said he has fallen in love with the culture.
“I’m really excited to be a part of it, and there’s only a handful of people who get the opportunity to be Olympians,” he told NBC affiliate KING of Seattle about playing for Team Japan.
Yuta Watanabe, Josh Hawkinson, Yuki Kawamura and Hirotaka Yoshii during an exhibition game against Serbia in Belgrade, Serbia, on July 21.Srdjan Stevanovic / Getty ImagesHawkinson, the starting center, played most recently Tuesday in a game against France, which his team lost 94-90. Hawkinson recorded 16 points, 8 rebounds and an assist, earning praise for his impressive play against France’s Victor Wembanyama, one of the most dominant players in the NBA.
Social media users have also been jokingly comparing him to white characters in movies set in Japan, including Tom Cruise’s “Last Samurai” and Cosmo Jarvis' character, John Blackthorne, an English pilot, in the feudal Japan-based series “Shōgun.”
Rating: 5