Rui Hachimura ejected in Japan’s loss to France in Olympic basketball

Former Gonzaga standout had to leave the game in the fourth quarter after two unsportsmanlike fouls

Jul 27, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; Japan small forward Rui Hachimura (8) looks to move past Germany power forward Daniel Theis (10) during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Former Gonzaga men’s basketball standout Rui Hachimura had to watch from the locker room as Japan fought tooth-and-nail against a heavily favored France squad led by Victor Wembanyama.

Hachimura had kept Team Japan in the ballgame all night long, finishing with 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the floor, though a pair of unsportsmanlike fouls from the 6-foot-7 forward had him disqualified with 8:31 left in the fourth quarter. With France leading 72-70, Hachimura was ejected after he grabbed Rudy Gobert’s arm on a layup attempt. Upon review, the refs deemed the play excessive and unnecessary.

Earlier in the second half, Hachimura picked up his first unsportsmanlike foul while trying to stop Bilal Coulibaly from getting to the rim on a fastbreak. Hachimura leaned into Coulibaly and nudged him with his hips, resulting in a hard fall from the France forward. The French couldn’t capitalize on the pair of free throws and extra possession, though the play would obviously set up Hachimura’s disqualification later in the half.

Nonetheless, Japan simply wouldn’t quit against the host nation. Yuki Kawamura, a 5-foot-8 guard from Yamaguchi, was not intimidated by France’s imposing frontcourt tandem, as he hunted for his shot regardless of who was in front of him contesting.

Kawamura and Hachimura combined for 19 of Japan’s 25 points in the first quarter, as the duo worked off each other on offense while Hachimura did his best to contain Wembanyama on the defensive end. A pair of jumpers from the Los Angeles Lakers forward, along with a pair of 3-pointers from Kawamura, kept the Japanese within striking distance.

Hachimura’s jumper with 2:42 left in the first half put Japan up 42-40 and capped an 8-0 scoring run. France countered with a 7-0 spurt of its own before heading into the break up 49-44.

Kawamura gave Japan some life coming out of the locker room, as he spearheaded another 8-0 scoring burst to reclaim momentum. France couldn’t find its post players with consistency and struggled to gain an advantage with its size, so much so that Gobert didn’t start the second half in favor of a smaller lineup to combat the Japanese.

That’s probably not what the home crowd expected to see from France, a 16.5-point favorite heading into the matchup, though Japan wasn’t going down without a fight. The French ended the third quarter on another high note, setting up a thrilling final quarter between David and Goliath.

However, the storybook ending didn’t come to fruition despite a heroic effort from Kawamura and Josh Hawkinson down the stretch. Hawkinson, a former Washington State standout and Seattle native, had a few key defensive stops to keep Japan in the fight and knocked down a jumper to put his team up 80-77 with 1:08 left. 

After two empty possessions from France, Kawamura had Japan 16 seconds away from its first win in Olympic competition in over 50 years after a pair of free throws made it 84-80.

Needing a miracle, the French’s prayers were answered as Matthew Strazel knocked down a fallaway 3-pointer while being fouled by Kawamura, setting up a 4-point play and a tie ballgame. Kawamura’s last attempt in regulation fell short, as the two sides headed to overtime with all the momentum favoring the home team.

France never looked back from Strazel’s miraculous play. After an 8-0 run to start overtime, the French survived a 94-90 ballgame and advanced to 2-0 in group stage play. Wembanyama finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and two steals; Strazel had 17 off the bench.

Japan, now 0-2, has lost 14 consecutive games in men’s Olympic basketball as it prepares for a matchup against Brazil on Aug. 2.