Rui Hachimura to Miss Basketball World Cup

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:40 JST, June 27, 2023

Rui Hachimura of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers will not play for Japan at this year’s FIBA World Cup, which starts on Aug. 25 and takes place in Okinawa, the Philippines and Indonesia, the Japan Basketball Association announced Tuesday.

The association said it “fully considered everything from his contract for next season in the NBA, to issues such as conditioning, and has accepted his wishes.”

Said Hachimura in a statement: “It was a very difficult decision, but after last season and a long playoff run, I made this decision to give priority and consideration to my future NBA career as I prepare for my first time in free agency.”