Few, if any, NBA mock drafts last summer correctly predicted the Washington Wizards’ selection at No. 9 overall, but Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard said the night of the draft that “we knew it was going to be” Rui Hachimura all along.
The decision is paying dividends for Washington thus far, and not just on the court. Hachimura’s status as Japan’s basketball prodigy is beneficial for business, too.
Last month, the Wizards announced their first sponsorship deal with a Japanese organization: NEC, a computer manufacturer and IT company. Now, Monumental Sports and Entertainment vice chairman Raul Fernandez and president and chief commercial officer Jim Van Stone will return to Tokyo next week and hold upwards of 20 meetings with other Japanese companies.