Never Too Late: Yuta Tabuse, Japan’s First NBA Player, Reflects on Life and Career at 44

The Struggling Life of a Small Giant

“My motto is ‘Never too late.’ I’m over 40, but I want to keep challenging myself as much as possible.”

These are the words of Yuta Tabuse (44) of the B.League’s Utsunomiya Brex. A basketball legend who has been in the spotlight since high school and became Japan’s first NBA player, the 173 cm little giant was appointed team captain this August. He now reflects on his half-life of struggles.

Tabuse says he has dreamed of the NBA since he first picked up basketball.

“I started playing basketball at age eight, influenced by my mother, who was a player, and my sister, three years older than me. From then on, I would watch NBA videos recorded by my father at every meal, morning and night. I was captivated by the dynamic movements of the tall players and felt a strong desire to play on the NBA stage. The player I especially admired and tried to emulate was Magic Johnson of the Lakers.”

Modeled after NBA players, Tabuse stood out among his peers in elementary and middle school. He chose Noshiro Technical High School, a powerhouse in basketball, in Akita Prefecture. During his three years there, he won all three major titles—the High School Championships, the National Sports Festival, and the All-Japan High School Invitational—and was selected as the second Japanese representative candidate while still a high school student.

“See the world,” said Noshiro Technical’s coach, Mihiko Kato. Encouraged by these words, Tabuse decided to attend college in the United States after graduation. He chose Brigham Young University–Hawaii, whose scouts had come to watch him play.

“It was really tough at first. I couldn’t speak English at all, and I didn’t even know how to open a bank account, let alone understand my classes. NCAA rules prohibited me from practicing basketball in my first year, so I focused entirely on studying English. By the second year, when I was finally allowed on the court, I suffered a herniated disc and couldn’t move. I had surgery and spent months in rehabilitation.”

By his third year, Tabuse could finally play, but he was thinking ahead. It would be extremely difficult for a Japanese player with no track record in the U.S. to enter the NBA directly. He decided to return to Japan and pursue a professional career, dropping out of college to join Toyota Alvark in May 2002 at age 21. But then—

“After playing one season, in the spring of 2003, I traveled alone to the U.S. to reflect on myself. My college coach had become a coach for the Denver Nuggets, so I went to see him. They let me into the Nuggets’ locker room, introduced me to the players, and even let me practice on the court. I was in my early twenties at the time and it was a huge inspiration. I switched on mentally and thought, ‘I want to play on this stage!’”

It was then that Tabuse’s pursuit of a feat no other Japanese basketball player had ever achieved truly began.

The September 19 issue of FRIDAY (Oct. 3–10 combined issue) and the premium edition FRIDAY GOLD feature numerous candid photos of Tabuse. His personal account covers the setbacks he faced in the NBA and his current mindset as team captain.

From the October 3 and 10, 2025, issue of “FRIDAY”