'For Japan basketball and my country, it's a big thing': Rui Hachimura becomes first Japanese player picked in opening round of NBA draft Rui Hachimura made history as first Japanese player picked in first round The 6ft 8in power forward was taken No 9 overall by Washington Wizards 'For Japan basketball, and all my country, it's a big thing', Hachimura said Only other Japanese player drafted in history was Yasutaka Okayama in 1981 Six Canadians were also drafted on Thursday, setting the record for outside US By Associated Press Reporter Published: 08:51 BST, 21 June 2019 | Updated: 08:54 BST, 21 June 2019 Viewcomments Rui Hachimura became the first player from Japan to get chosen in the first round of the NBA draft, taken with the No 9 overall pick by the Washington Wizards on Thursday night. The 6-foot-8, 235-pound forward averaged a team-leading 19.7 points and 6.5 rebounds last season as a junior at Gonzaga, where he was the West Coast Conference player of the year. 'It means a lot for me, for my family,' Hachimura said. 'For Japan basketball and my country, it's a big thing.' Rui Hachimura became the first Japanese player taken in the first round of the NBA draft The power forward was congratulated by a member of his family after being picked The only other Japanese player drafted in NBA history was Yasutaka Okayama, who went 171st overall in 1981. He never appeared in a regular-season game, something just two players from the country have done: Yuta Tabuse for the Phoenix Suns in 2004-05, and Yuta Watanabe for the Memphis Grizzlies in 2018-19. Hachimura said he heard about his new home from Watanabe, a teammate with Japan's national team who went to college in DC at George Washington. 'I heard a lot of good things about the city,' Hachimura said, 'so I can't wait to be there.' Hachimura was the ninth overall selection by the Washington Wizards on Thursday Hachimura is relatively new to basketball, having switched to the sport at age 13 after being a catcher in baseball. In explaining why he wanted Hachimura, Wizards interim general manager Tommy Sheppard mentioned the 21-year-old's play for Japan's national team. 'For Japan to qualify for the world championships, he's the focal point. And when the (Tokyo) Olympics come in 2020, he's going to be the focal point of that country on that basketball team,' Sheppard said. 'To be able to shoulder that load at his age - the maturity he has - I think that's going to bode well for him in the NBA.' Hachimura is one piece of the jigsaw for the Wizards who are rebuilding Hachimura is capable of playing either forward spot, a versatility that appealed to Washington, given how much help it needs up and down the roster after going 32-50 and missing the playoffs. Six Canadians were also drafted on Thursday night, setting the record for a country other than the US. A week after the Toronto Raptors won the nation's first NBA championship, Canadians RJ Barrett, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Brandon Clarke, Mfiondu Kabengele, Ignas Brazdeikis and Marial Shayok were drafted. 'It's amazing to be Canadian,' said Barrett, who went third overall to the New York Knicks. RJ Barrett was one of a record six Canadian players drafted on Thursday in New York 'We take a lot of pride. That's why I've got my Canadian flags on this side of my jacket. To put it on for our country, that means a lot.' 'To see players come out of (Canada) and be very good is something that's awesome,' said Clarke, who went 21st to the Oklahoma City Thunder. 'I'm somebody who grew up watching (Steve) Nash play and I always thought it was really cool he was from Canada.' The players selected - four in the first round - join the 13 active Canadian players in the NBA. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility