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Yuta Watanabe, one of Japan’s leading basketball stars, has hinted that the 2023 FIBA World Cup could be his last appearance for the national team. The 28-year-old forward, who was signed for the Phoenix Suns in the NBA earlier this month, said that this might be his last Basketball World Cup.
He has spent ten years playing for the senior national squad. He has participated in the World Cup, Tokyo Olympics, and Asia Cup during the previous four years, and every time he has been on the court, Akatsuki Japan has benefited from his expertise. In addition to saying those things, the 28-year-old forward has demonstrated that he is among the greatest players for Japan by averaging 16.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per game in the aforementioned three major FIBA events.
The passionate 2.06M (6'9") forward, who recently signed to play for the Phoenix Suns in the NBA this coming season, has found it difficult to accept the results. Japan lost 5 games in a row during the 2019 World Cup in China. They lost three games in a row to Spain, Slovenia, and Argentina at the Tokyo Olympics. Watanabe has undoubtedly been left heartbroken as a result, which has further fueled his drive to succeed this summer.
"If we end up losing again, I will take off my national team uniform. That's how much I'm putting into this World Cup," stated the small forward.
"As a leader, I find myself in a position to lead the team to victory, but in major international competitions, we have suffered five consecutive defeats in the previous World Cup and three consecutive defeats in the Tokyo Olympics. As a key player, I believe I must fulfill my responsibilities there," Watanabe added further, according to the FIBA Basketball website.
Watanabe is demonstrating his strong resolve for the forthcoming World Cup campaign, which will be necessary given the challenging road ahead for Akatsuki Japan. For the Group Phase, Japan will play at home in Okinawa and finds itself in one of the more competitive groups in Group E with Germany, Australia, and Finland.
If Japan ends up becoming the top team in Asia according to the final rankings, they can qualify for the Paris Olympics as Watanabe has envisioned. Even though there will be other opportunities to earn a spot in Paris 2024 through the Olympic Qualifying Tournaments, it would be ideal to do so during the World Cup, which will be held from August 25 to September 10.
