All Grizzlies

NBA Superstar’s Yuki Kawamura Statement Goes Viral

Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shared praise for the Memphis Grizzlies rookie.

Liam Willerup

Dec 8, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Yuki Kawamura (17) dribbles the ball against the Washington Wizards in the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Dec 8, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Yuki Kawamura (17) dribbles the ball against the Washington Wizards in the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
In this story:

When NBA fans think of the most popular players on the Memphis Grizzlies, Ja Morant is easily at the top of that list for most fans. The former second-overall pick has nearly 10 million followers on Instagram and almost three million on X. However, there's a player on the team who despite not putting up the biggest of numbers has a massive following from overseas.

While the Grizzlies have been seeing great success from rookies Zach Edey and Jaylen Wells, rookie guard Yuki Kawamura has made a name for himself being one of two active Japanese players in the NBA. Despite getting most of his run in the G League, Kawamura's performance on Sunday night earned a shoutout from an NBA superstar.

With this video tallying almost a million views at the time of this article's publishing, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gave praise to the rookie guard for his stellar performance at the end of the game that saw him score 10 points with three rebounds and three assists in 11 minutes.

"Really good basketball player," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Very skilled, knows how to play basketball... despite the size. If you have feel, you can play. No matter what."

Standing at just 5-foot-8, Kawamura is tied for the shortest active NBA player with former Grizzlies guard Jacob Gilyard. Only ten other players in NBA history have been listed as shorter than Kawamura.

The clip of Gilgeous-Alexander continues to go viral across social media, with hundreds of thousands of impressions on X and Tik Tok.

Related Articles

NBA Fans React to Yuki Kawamura's Performance vs. Trail Blazers

Bronny James' Interaction With Ja Morant's Dad Goes Viral

Yuki Kawamura Makes NBA History in Grizzlies vs. Lakers

Published
Liam Willerup
LIAM WILLERUP

A 2024 graduate of the University of Miami, Liam spent several years covering the University’s football and basketball teams. An avid basketball fan, you can find Liam on X @theleftyliam where he’s constantly sharing his thoughts.

Home/News