Memphis Grizzlies rookie point guard Yuki Kawamura scored his first career NBA points on Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Lakers.
After the Grizzlies created a double-digit cushion with two minutes to play, the Grizzlies put Kawamura in the game. After being fouled by Bronny James, Kawamura scored his first career NBA points by knocking down two free throws with 33.9 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
Memphis won the game 131-114 over the Lakers.
The 5-foot-8 point guard’s first points is not just a special moment for himself. Kawamura is the fourth Japanese born player to score in the NBA. He joins Rui Hachimura, Yuta Watanabe and Yuta Tabuse.
Watanabe played for the Grizzlies in two different stints. He joined Memphis as a rookie in 2018 and recently played for Memphis last season in 2024.
Kawamura is keeping the Japanese connection to the Grizzlies alive. The point guard earned a two-way contract after initially being signed to a non-guaranteed exhibit 10 deal. He’ll be active for up to 50 regular season games for the Grizzlies and will spend the rest of his time in the G League with the Memphis Hustle.
Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.
