TOKYO - NBA star Rui Hachimura has been selected for the Japanese men's national team's training camp for the second round of the 2027 Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers later this month, the Japan Basketball Association said Monday.
The selection comes as Hachimura has recently expressed his intention to return to play for Japan after distancing himself from the national team over concerns about its management following the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Free agent Yuki Kawamura, who played for the Chicago Bulls in the 2025-2026 season, is also among 14 players who will join the training camp starting on Aug. 11.
Japan will face South Korea twice on Aug. 15 and 16 in international friendlies, before squaring off against Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Aug. 28 and 31 for the qualifiers, respectively.
The 28-year-old Hachimura, who joined the Los Angeles Clippers in early July, had previously indicated he was considering quitting the national squad after repeatedly criticizing the JBA's management and its former head coach, Tom Hovasse.
Hovasse's contract was terminated in early February, with Dai Oketani replacing the American to take the reins of the national team.
"I'm coming back to the national team, and I want to keep grinding for Japanese basketball," Hachimura said in a video clip posted on his YouTube channel on Saturday.
