Former NBA forward Yuta Watanabe had 16 points and eight rebounds in his Japanese B-League debut Saturday as the Chiba Jets beat the Utsunomiya Brex 91-84 in overtime.
D.J. Hogg scored a team-leading 26 points for the Jets at LaLa arena Tokyo-Bay in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, while the Brex’s D.J. Newbill scored a game-high 35 points and sent the game into overtime at 77-77 with a late three-point basket.
The Chiba Jets’ Yuta Watanabe (L) looks to pass the ball during the second quarter of a B-League basketball game against the Utsunomiya Brex on Oct. 5, 2024, in Funabashi, eastern Japan. (Kyodo)
Watanabe played a total of 213 games over six NBA seasons, the longest any Japanese player has lasted in the world’s top basketball league.
The 2.06-meter wing is expected to be the B-League’s biggest draw in light of both his NBA exploits and his leading role for the men’s national team.
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