is a Japanese professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for

Utsunomiya Brex Utsunomiya Brex is a Japanese professional basketball team based in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. After winning the JBL 2 in 2008, the team played in the National Basketball League (Japan), National Basketball League. In July 2015 it was announc ...

of the

B.League The B.League is a professional men's basketball league that began in Japan in September 2016. The league is operated by the Japan Professional Basketball League and was formed as a result of a merger between the National Basketball League that ...

. A

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run the team's offense by ...

, Tabuse is and . He was the first Japanese-born player to appear in a

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

(NBA) game. Tabuse has enjoyed popularity in Japan since his high school playing days, when he led his school to three straight national championships, and has been referred to as "the

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

of Japan" for his celebrity status.

Career

Early years

Tabuse, who was born in

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...

and grew up in what he calls "a sports family", began playing basketball at the age of nine, because he was not good at

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

and not interested in

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

. He attended

Noshiro Technical High School is a high school located in Noshiro, Akita, Japan. It was established in 1912. Noshiro Tech is best known for their powerhouse basketball and won Japanese high school championship 58 times. Notable alumni * Shinji Akiba *Keishi Handa *Mak ...

Akita Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Provinces and prefectures" in ; "Tōhoku" in . Its population is approximately 966,000 (as of 1 October 2019) and its geographic area is 11,6 ...

, where he led his team to national championships all three years he was there and lost only a single game. After graduation from high school in March 1999, Tabuse chose to enroll at

Brigham Young University-Hawaii Brigham may refer to: Places * Brigham, Cumbria, England * Brigham, East Riding of Yorkshire, England * Brigham City, Utah, USA * Brigham, Wisconsin, USA * Brigham, Quebec, Canada People * Brigham (surname), including a list of people with the ...

for its English as an International Language program. He sat out his first two seasons at BYUH because of eligibility rules and played one season before turning pro. He averaged 7.6 points per game and led the

Pacific West Conference The Pacific West Conference (also known as the PacWest) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in California and Hawaii. T ...

with 6.6 assists. Tabuse returned to join the Toyota Alvark, with whom he won the Japan Basketball League Rookie of the Year award for the 2002–03 season.

NBA

After leaving the Toyota Alvark in 2003, Tabuse became the first Japanese national to play in the NBA's summer league, playing six games in the Rocky Mountain Revue for the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. Th ...

, averaging 4.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 13 minutes per game. Tabuse's first attempt at making it to the NBA made the headlines in Japan, and drew large media attention. On September 27 of that year, Tabuse joined the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

' training camp,Denver Nuggets Transactions 2002-03
/ref> but he was waived on October 24, before the start of the regular season. Tabuse spent the 2003–04 season with the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, leading to four A ...

champion Long Beach Jam, averaging 5.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, and a team-high 6.3 assists per game in 18 games. In

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...

, Tabuse joined the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

' training camp and made the opening night roster. He scored seven points in his first NBA game against the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

on November 3, 2004, becoming on that day the first Japanese player ever to play in an NBA regular season game. However, he was waived by the Suns on December 16, 2004 after playing in four games and rejoined the Jam for the remainder of the season. Suns assistant coach

Marc Iavaroni Marcus John Iavaroni (born September 15, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player and former head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has also served as an assistant coach for several ...

said of Tabuse: "I liked his energy, I liked his courage." In

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; " Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discover ...

, Tabuse signed with the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

, but was waived before the start of the regular season. That fall, Tabuse appeared on a limited edition cover of '' NBA Live'' video game in Japan, even though he did not play a single NBA regular season game. That year, he was drafted by the

Albuquerque Thunderbirds Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA Dev ...

(D-League) and averaged 6.5 points and 4.0 assists in 34 games before he was waived on March 16, 2006.

Michael Cooper Michael Jerome Cooper (born April 15, 1956) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the boys varsity coach at Culver City High School. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning ...

, former NBA player and Tabuse's coach with the

, said of him, "He automatically changes the game because of his quickness and distributing the ball. He's the best fundamental player I've seen around in a long time." In 2006, Tabuse decided to forsake an opportunity to play with the Japanese national team in the world championships that took place between August 19 to September 3 across five cities in Japan, and instead play with the Dallas Mavericks' summer league team. In November 2006, Tabuse was drafted into the NBA D-League with the 11th pick of the third round (35th overall) by the

Bakersfield Jam Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's pop ...

. In November 2007, Tabuse was cut by the Bakersfield Jam before the 2007–08 season. On December 8, 2007, Tabuse was acquired by the

Anaheim Arsenal The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often v ...

of the D-League, and he made his debut on December 9 against the Bakersfield Jam, scoring 4 points and adding 3 assists in almost 13 minutes of play. For the 2007–08 season, Tabuse averaged 4.5 points, 1.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 39 games. In July 2008, Tabuse joined the

New Jersey Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

' squad in the Orlando Pro Summer League.

Return to Japan

In August 2008, Tabuse signed for

Japan Basketball League The Japan Basketball League (JBL) was a professional basketball league in Japan. It made up the top-tier of basketball in Japan alongside the bj league, Japan's other basketball competition, with no promotion and relegation between bj and the JB ...

side

Link Tochigi Brex Utsunomiya Brex is a Japanese professional basketball team based in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. After winning the JBL 2 in 2008, the team played in the National Basketball League. In July 2015 it was announced that the team would compete in ...

. Tochigi's head coach

Mitsuhiko Kato , nicknamed Semi, is a current college basketball head coach for Bunri University of Hospitality in Japan and the former head coach for Noshiro Technical High School and Link Tochigi Brex . Head coaching record , - , style="text-align:left ...

was in charge of the basketball club of

when Tabuse played for the school. In April 2009, Tabuse was named to the 22-man roster for the

Japan national basketball team The Japan national basketball team is administered by the Japan Basketball Association (JBA), (Japanese: 日本バスケットボール協会, ''Nihon Basukettobōru Kyōkai''). At the 1936 founding member of FIBA Asia, Japan has one of Asia ...

. The team played at the FIBA Asia Championship for Men. In May 2009,

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

reported that Tabuse would leave the national team after receiving an invitation by the

to compete in their summer camp. In 2010, his team won the JBL Basketball League championship game. Tabuse was named Finals MVP. Tabuse's team would later win their second Japanese League championship in 2017 under the rebranded Japanese Professional Basketball League.

Career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" ,

2004-05 A coxless four is a rowing boat used in the Rowing (sport), sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with Sweep (rowing), sweep oars, without a Coxswain, coxswain. The crew consists of four rowers, each ha ...

, align="left" , Phoenix , 4 , , 0 , , 4.3 , , .167 , , 1.00 , , 1.00 , , 1.0 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.8 , -

D-League

, - , align="left" , 2005-2006 , align="left" , ABQ , 34 , , 4 , , 23.2 , , .406 , , .313 , , .780 , , 2.1 , , 4.0 , , 1.2 , , 0.0 , , 1.21 , , 6.5 , - , align="left" , 2006-2007 , align="left" , BAK , 44 , , 3 , , 18.7 , , .412 , , .263 , , .773 , , 1.4 , , 3.5 , , 0.9 , , 0.0 , , 1.20 , , 6.1 , - , align="left" , 2007-2008 , align="left" , ANA , 39 , , 0 , , 13.0 , , .374 , , .341 , , .810 , , 1.2 , , 2.0 , , 0.9 , , 0.0 , , 1.07 , , 5.7

JBL

, - , align="left" , 2008-2009 , align="left" , Tochigi , 33 , , 33 , , 34.2 , , .475 , , .226 , , .742 , , 3.5 , , 5.6 , , 2.3 , , 0.1 , , 2.24 , , 11.0 , - , align="left" , 2009-2010 , align="left" , Tochigi , 26 , , -- , , 26.6 , , .551 , , .360 , , .803 , , 3.1 , , 3.5 , , 2.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.46 , , 11.8 , - , align="left" , 2010-2011 , align="left" , Tochigi , 31 , , -- , , 28.8 , , .455 , , .375 , , .792 , , 2.6 , , 3.4 , , 1.3 , , 0.1 , , 0.97 , , 8.7 , - , align="left" , 2011-2012 , align="left" , Tochigi , 39, , , , 20.9, , .488, , .156, , .741, , 2.3, , 2.6, , 1.2, , 0.1, , 1.5, , 6.4 , - , align="left" , 2012-2013 , align="left" , Tochigi , 22, , , , 26.8, , .476, , .188, , .879, , 2.4, , 2.7, , 0.8, , 0.0, , 1.5, , 10.4

NBL

, - , align="left" , 2013-2014 , align="left" , Tochigi , 54 , , , , 32.8 , , .441 , , .330 , , .858 , , 4.2 , , 5.9 , , 2.0 , , 0.1 , , 2.1 , , 15.6 , - , align="left" , 2014-15 , align="left" , Tochigi , 51, , , , 26.9, , .471, , .250, , .814, , 2.2, , 4.5, , 1.7, , 0.1, , 1.7, , 10.3 , - , align="left" , 2015-16 , align="left" , Tochigi , 50, , , , 23.7, , .484, , .310, , .826, , 2.0, , 3.3, , 1.2, , 0.0, , 1.0, , 7.0

B.League

Regular season

, - , align="left" , B1 2016-17 , align="left" , Tochigi , 59, , 59, , 20.8, , 49.7, , 27.8, , 83.9, , 1.8, , 3.4, , 1.0, , 0.1, , 0.9, , 7.4 , - , align="left" , B1 2017-18 , align="left" , Tochigi , 60, , 60, , 17.9, , 47.7, , 13.6, , 86.2, , 1.7, , 2.7, , 0.8, , 0.0, , 0.8, , 5.4 , -

References

External links

Official siteNBA.com D-League profileNBA.com player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tabuse, Yuta 1980 births Living people Albuquerque Thunderbirds players Alvark Tokyo players Anaheim Arsenal players Bakersfield Jam players Basketball players at the 2010 Asian Games BYU–Hawaii Seasiders men's basketball players Japanese men's basketball players Utsunomiya Brex players Long Beach Jam players National Basketball Association players from Japan Phoenix Suns players Point guards Sportspeople from Yokohama Undrafted National Basketball Association players Asian Games competitors for Japan

Career

Early years

NBA

Return to Japan

Career statistics

Regular season

D-League

JBL

NBL

B.League

Regular season

See also

References

External links