Following a four-year college career at George Washington University (including an NIT championship as a starter), the undrafted Yuta Watanabe spent the next two years in Memphis, both with the Grizzlies and their G League affiliate, the Hustle (an apt word to be written across Watanabe’s jersey). Heading into December, you would’ve been forgiven for not recognizing Watanabe’s name on Toronto’s training camp roster.
Of course, this is a whole different story if you’re a basketball fan from Japan, where Watanabe’s Toronto Raptors jersey is the highest-selling jersey of the past year.