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Yudai Baba

In this Japanese name, the surname is Baba.
Yudai Baba
馬場 雄大
Baba with Alvark Tokyo in 2018
No. 18 – Nagasaki Velca
PositionShooting guard
LeagueB.League
Personal information
Born (1995-11-07) November 7, 1995 (age 29)
Toyama, Japan
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight198 lb (90 kg)
Career information
High schoolToyama Daiichi
(Toyama, Toyama)
CollegeUniversity of Tsukuba
NBA draft2017: undrafted
Playing career2017–present
Career history
2017–2019Alvark Tokyo
2019–2020Texas Legends
2020–2021Melbourne United
2021–2022Texas Legends
2022Melbourne United
2022–2023Texas Legends
2023–presentNagasaki Velca
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Basketball Reference 
Medals
Representing  Japan
FIBA Asia Under-16 Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Nha Trang Team

Yudai Baba (馬場 雄大, Baba Yūdai, born November 7, 1995) is a Japanese professional basketball player for Nagasaki Velca of the B.League. He played college basketball for the University of Tsukuba. Baba has been a member of the Japan men's national basketball team.

High school career

Baba played at Toyama Daiichi High School where his father, Toshiharu Baba, was the head coach at that time.[1]

College career

Baba played for the men's basketball team of the University of Tsukuba. In 2015, he was a part of the team that won the 67th All Japan Intercollegiate Basketball Championship.[2] In 2016, Baba, along with teammate Shusuke Ikuhara, received the best player award as Tsukuba won the 68th All Japan Intercollegiate Basketball Championship for the third time in a row.[3]

Professional career

Alvark Tokyo (2017–2019)

On June 30, 2017, Baba joined the Alvark Tokyo of the B.League.[4] On November 17, he scored a career-high 22 points on 50 percent shooting from the field, to go along with seven rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block across 27 minutes in an 81–76 loss to Levanga Hokkaido.[5] On December 24, Baba had 14 points and a career-high three blocks in a 62–60 loss to the Hitachi Sun Rockers.[6] Baba helped Tokyo defeat the Chiba Jets Funabashi to claim their first B.League championship title, tallying 14 points and three steals in the final game.[7] Following his impressive debut season, Baba was named Newcomer of the Year.[8]

On October 17, 2018, Baba scored nine points, grabbed four rebounds, dished out a career-high 10 assists and tacked on three steals in a 79–74 loss to Link Tochigi Brex.[9] On December 23, Baba had 21 points, three rebounds and five assists in a 69–68 victory against the Yokohama B-Corsairs. He recorded a career-high in playing efficiency rating with 28.[10] On February 1, 2019, he grabbed a career-high nine rebounds versus the Fukuoka Rizing.[11] On March 30, Baba had a career-high six steals in a win against the Akita Northern Happinets.[12] Baba led Tokyo to back-to-back championship titles.[13][14][15] He was eventually named B.League Final MVP, after logging 12 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and two steals in the final game against the Chiba Jets Funabashi.[16][17] Baba was also named the season's Best Sixth Man.[8][18]

Texas Legends (2019–2020)

On September 19, 2019, Baba signed with the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).[17] On October 12, he was waived by the Mavericks.[19] On October 26, Baba was included in the training camp roster of the Texas Legends, the G League affiliate of the Mavericks.[20] He was later included in the opening night roster of the Legends.[21] In the G League, Baba played in 41 games, averaging 6.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals in 19.6 minutes per game.[14][22]

For his efforts of becoming the first Japanese player to make it from the B.League to the NBA, Baba was given the B.League's Break the Border award.[23][24]

Melbourne United (2020–2021)

On July 19, 2020, Baba signed with Melbourne United of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL).[13] On February 22, 2021 Baba posted an NBL career-high 17 points, four rebounds and three assists in an 88–81 win over the Cairns Taipans.[25][26] Baba helped the United return to the NBL Grand Final, where they faced the defending champions, the Perth Wildcats. In Game 2, Baba scored 15 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out one assist in an 83–74 win, helping the team take a 2–0 series lead.[27][28] In Game 3, he tallied 11 points, two rebounds and an assist, helping the United win the NBL championship title.[29][30] Baba was named Melbourne United Defensive Player of the Year for tallying 31 steals and nine blocks across the season. He was also the recipient of the club’s SHARE Award, an honor that is voted on by the playing group after each game that goes to the player who best upholds the squad’s values.[31]

Return to Texas (2021–2022)

On October 22, 2021, Baba signed with the Texas Legends of the NBA G League, reuniting him with his former team.[32][33][34] On December 23, Baba announced that he tested positive for COVID-19 and would be sidelined for 4 to 6 weeks.[35]

Return to Melbourne (2022)

On March 23, 2022, Baba signed with Melbourne United for the 2021–22 NBL season.[36][37]

Third stint with Texas Legends (2022–2023)

On November 3, 2022, Baba was named to the opening night roster for the Texas Legends.[38]

National team career

Baba with the national team in 2019

Baba has played for the Japanese national team. At the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup, Baba averaged 5.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He was also Japan's best free throw shooter with 100 percent free throw percentage.[39] At the 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, he logged an average of 8.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game.[40] Baba was also a member of the national team that competed at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. His tournament highlights included a team-high 18-point and 3-steal outing in a 98–45 loss to USA, outperforming Japanese NBA players Rui Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe who had four and nine points, respectively.[41][42][43] Baba played in all five games, averaging 9.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.4 steals.[44]

Player profile

Baba is known for his signature move, a slam dunk dubbed "Baba Boom" by the media and fans.[24][45][46] NBL commentator and former player Corey "Homicide" Williams gave Baba the moniker "Tokyo Drift" for his speed.[46]

Personal life

On July 1, 2021, Baba announced on Twitter and Instagram his marriage to Japanese actress Kanna Mori.[47][48][49][50]

Baba's father, Toshiharu Baba, played for Japan's national team from the 1970s until the 80s.[51][52][53]

Baba attended the School of Health and Physical Education during his time at the University of Tsukuba.[4]

References

  1. ^ Jiwani, Rory (31 August 2019). "Yudai Baba aims to follow Rui Hachimura's lead". olympicchannel.com. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  2. ^ "Basketball Teams Claim Victory at All Japan Intercollegiate Basketball Championship". tsukuba.ac.jp. 14 December 2015. Archived from the original on 28 October 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  3. ^ "Men's Basketball Team Claims Victory at All Japan Intercollegiate Basketball Championship for the Third Year in a Row". tsukuba.ac.jp. 5 December 2016. Archived from the original on 28 September 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  4. ^ a b "University Senior Joins Basketball B-league Team". tsukuba.ac.jp. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  5. ^ Proballers. "Toyota Alvark vs. Levanga Hokkaido - Nov 17, 2017". Proballers. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  6. ^ Proballers. "Hitachi Sun Rockers vs. Toyota Alvark - Dec 24, 2017". Proballers. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  7. ^ Odeven, Ed (26 May 2018). "Alvark capture B. League title". The Japan Times. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  8. ^ a b "From Tokyo To Texas". www.jrnbaasia.com. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  9. ^ Proballers. "Toyota Alvark vs. Link Tochigi Brex - Oct 17, 2018". Proballers. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  10. ^ Proballers. "Yokohama B-Corsairs vs. Toyota Alvark - Dec 23, 2018". Proballers. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  11. ^ Proballers. "Fukuoka Rizing vs. Toyota Alvark - Feb 1, 2019". Proballers. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  12. ^ Proballers. "Toyota Alvark vs. Akita Northern Happinets - Mar 30, 2019". Proballers. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Japanese Star Yudai Baba Signs with Melbourne". NBL.com.au. 19 July 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  14. ^ a b "The sky is the limit for Yudai Baba says G-League and former Jordan coach". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  15. ^ Odeven, Ed (16 February 2020). "Rui Hachimura, Yuta Watanabe and Yudai Baba reunite during All-Star Weekend". The Japan Times. Retrieved 7 May 2021. Baba, who helped the Alvark Tokyo capture back-to-back B. League titles in 2017-18 and 2018-19, joined the G League's Texas Legends (affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks) for the current campaign.
  16. ^ "Alvark Tokyo repeat as B.League champions, return to FIBA Asia Champions Cup". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  17. ^ a b "Mavericks sign Yudai Baba". Mavs.com. 19 September 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  18. ^ "Japanese B.League Best 6th Man Recipients - RealGM". basketball.realgm.com. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  19. ^ "Mavericks waive Yudai Baba". Mavs.com. 12 October 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  20. ^ "Legends Draft Two, Announce Training Camp Roster". texas.gleague.nba.com. 26 October 2019. Archived from the original on 7 December 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  21. ^ "Legends Announce Opening Night Roster". texas.gleague.nba.com. 7 November 2019. Archived from the original on 9 December 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  22. ^ "Yudai Baba". NBA G League Stats. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  23. ^ Nagatsuka, Kaz (10 May 2020). "Former Alvark guard Yudai Baba given special B. League award; Satoru Maeta named top rookie". The Japan Times. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  24. ^ a b "Rakuten to Power Japanese International Basketball Star Yudai Baba". Rakuten Today. 16 March 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  25. ^ "Yudai Baba and the Road Less Travelled". nbl.com.au. Retrieved 7 May 2021. He went on to start 4 games in a row and play 28 minutes per game over that span, setting a new NBL career-high in the process with 17 points – against Cairns – in Melbourne's Round 6 win.
  26. ^ "Mitch McCarron lifts Melbourne to win over Cairns". www.melbourneutd.com.au. Retrieved 7 May 2021. Landale (18 points and 11 rebounds) finished with yet another double-double, while Baba (career-high 17 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists) and White (9 points and 8 rebounds) played key roles on both ends of the court.
  27. ^ "United too powerful to take 2-0 Grand Final lead". nbl.com.au. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  28. ^ "NBL GRAND FINAL SERIES GAME 2 BOX SCORE". fibalivestats.dcd.shared.geniussports.com. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  29. ^ "United secure NBL21 championship on home court". nbl.com.au. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  30. ^ "NBL GRAND FINAL SERIES GAME 3 BOX SCORE". fibalivestats.dcd.shared.geniussports.com. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  31. ^ "Landale, Baba headline Melbourne United club award winners". www.melbourneutd.com.au. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  32. ^ "馬場雄大、今季はNBA下部レジェンズでプレー「夢に向かって1日1日全力で頑張ります」（THE ANSWER）". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  33. ^ Yudai Baba 馬場雄大 [@yudai_baba] (23 October 2021). "I've signed with Texas Legends of Gleague" (Tweet). Retrieved 22 October 2021 – via Twitter.
  34. ^ Odeven, Ed (24 October 2021). "[JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK ] Boheng Zhang Edges Daiki Hashimoto in World Gymnastics Championships | JAPAN Forward". japan-forward.com. Retrieved 24 October 2021. After helping the NBL Australian club Melbourne United win a championship last season, free agent shooting guard Yudai Baba signed a contract with the NBA G League's Texas Legends for the 2021-22 campaign.
  35. ^ "現在Gリーグでプレーする馬場雄大が新型コロナ陽性…「4〜6週間の安静必要」と明かす". バスケットボールキング (in Japanese). 24 December 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  36. ^ "Melbourne United sign Yudai Baba for remainder of NBL22 season". MelbourneUTD.com.au. 23 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  37. ^ @MelbUnited (23 March 2022). "BABA IS BACK" (Tweet). Retrieved 24 March 2022 – via Twitter.
  38. ^ "Legends Announce 2022-23 Opening Night Roster". oursportscentral.com. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  39. ^ "Japan at the FIBA Asia Cup 2017". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  40. ^ "Japan at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers 2019". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  41. ^ Nagatsuka, Kaz (6 September 2019). "U.S. crushes Japan in World Cup group game". The Japan Times. Retrieved 9 May 2021. In the complete defeat, forward Yudai Baba was the lone bright spot for Japan (0-3), finishing with 18 points and three steals in 24 minutes
  42. ^ Shapiro, Michael (5 September 2019). "Team USA cruises vs Japan in FIBA WC before Giannis battle". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 9 May 2021. Yudai Baba led the Japanese team with 18 points. NBA rookie Rui Hachimura totaled four points after being drafted by the Wizards with the No. 9 pick in the 2019 NBA draft
  43. ^ "USA Men Bounce Back From Nail-Biter Against Turkey to Rout Japan 98-45". www.usab.com. Archived from the original on 9 September 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2021. Yudai Baba had 18 points for Japan, which is ranked 48th in the world but with an Olympic spot guaranteed as the host of next year's Olympics. Japan went 0-3 in the World Cup. Rui Hachimura, the 21-year-old who was the ninth overall pick in this summer's NBA Draft out of Gonzaga University by the Washington Wizards, was held to four points. Yuta Watanabe, who played in 15 games for the Memphis Grizzlies last season, had nine points.
  44. ^ "Japan at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  45. ^ Ramirez, Brianna (11 February 2020). "Texas Legends Helping Change NBA's G League". Back Sports Page. Retrieved 8 May 2021. Yudai Baba is a fan favorite in Japan and has quickly become a fan favorite for the Texas Legends giving his dunks a nickname- Baba Boom.
  46. ^ a b Houben, Michael. "Tokyo Drift: Yudai Baba on Melbourne life, the United experience and more". pickandroll.com.au. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  47. ^ Yudai Baba 馬場雄大 [@yudai_baba] (1 July 2021). "宜しくお願い致します。" (Tweet). Retrieved 1 July 2021 – via Twitter.
  48. ^ Yudai Baba / 馬場雄大 [@babaseyo] (1 July 2021). "日頃から応援して下さるファン、関係者の皆様へ..." Retrieved 1 July 2021 – via Instagram.
  49. ^ "バスケ日本代表・馬場雄大＆森カンナが結婚を発表…森は事務所から独立し芸名も本名に（スポーツ報知）". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  50. ^ "森矢カンナ＆バスケ日本代表の馬場雄大選手が結婚 「森カンナ」への改名＆事務所退所も発表". Oricon. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  51. ^ "The heartfelt revelations driving NBL stars to success". SBS.com.au. Retrieved 8 May 2021. Toshiharu Baba was a Japanese national player himself, before going on to become his son's first coach and lifelong inspiration.
  52. ^ Nagatsuka, Kaz (2 December 2018). "Yudai Baba aims for greatness under father's watch". japantimes.co.jp. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  53. ^ "Melbourne United's Yudai Baba keen to reproduce his past heroics in Australia". www.melbourneutd.com.au. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
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