CHICAGO - The announcement that Yuki Kawamura will ink an Exhibit 10 contract with the Memphis Grizzlies shatters two myths that were deemed barriers for Filipinos with grand hoop dreams.
They don't have to be skyscrapers to make it to the NBA. And being 23 isn't too old.
At 5-foot-8 and 159 lbs, the boyish-looking Kawamura is more like a team accountant than a cold-blooded gunslinger. But looks can be deceiving.
READ After dazzling in Paris, Kawamura to get NBA shot with Grizzlies
While playing for the Yokohama B-Corsairs, he won both the Rookie of the Year and MVP awards in the 2022-23 Japan B.League season.
Known among Filipino fans as the former teammate of Kai Sotto, Kawamura's star began to get noticed by the rest of the world when he led Japan to a 98-88 upset of Finland in the FIBA World Cup 2023.
In the ongoing Paris Olympics, he blossomed into Japan's worst-kept basketball secret.
GIANT LEAP.
Through two games, Kawamura has averaged 20 points, 6.5 assists and 4 rebounds. He is shooting 39.1 percent from 3-point range (9-of-23) and is perfect from the free throw line (7-for-7).
Before I delve into his chances of actually playing in the NBA with a fully-guaranteed contract, here's a little explainer.
Per the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), an Exhibit 10 is a one-year non- guaranteed contract. It does have an optional $75,000 bonus for players who spend at least 60 days in the team's G League affiliate after they are waived.
However, If Kawamura makes the 15-man Memphis roster when the 2024-25 NBA season starts on October 22 , his Exhibit 10 contract becomes a fully-guaranteed one-year minimum contract worth $1.16 million.
If he does not, he can hope for at least a two-way contract that pays only half the league minimum ($580,000). This deal allows the Grizzlies to keep Yakamura's rights while he grows his game splitting time between the Grizzlies and their G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle.
In the meantime, Yuki will receive a per diem after he signs the Exhibit 10 contract and enters training camp in September, an NBA agent told SPIN.ph.
TOUGH TASK BUT DOABLE.
It's unclear how much that per diem is but for context, as of 2023 NBA players had a daily meal allowance of $156.
Obviously, it's an uphill climb to make the Final 15 of a team whose star player is also a point guard, Ja Morant, and is surrounded by a bevy of other proven veteran guards.
But there's a slight opening for Yuki.
Marcus Smart is 30 years old and played only 20 games last season due to injuries. Derrick Rose is 35.
Scottie Pippen Jr, who averaged 12.9 points and 4.7 assists in 16 games while starting in lieu of Morant late last season, will be Kawamura's stiff competition in that coveted second-string point guard slot.
But with a little luck and timing, who knows?
Either way, being recognized by the NBA through an offer from the Grizzlies and earning a shot at making a roster spot is already a huge win for the diminutive Japanese.
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