Japanese forward Rui Hachimura is out of the 2024 Paris Olympics after picking up a calf injury during their second game against hosts France. The 26-year-old, who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA, was participating in his second Olympics after previously representing Japan in the 2020 edition, which they hosted in Tokyo in a delayed event in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rui Hachimura Out For Japan In 2024 Paris Olympics Due To Injury
The Japan Basketball Association announced in a statement that Hachimura will miss the rest of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris after MRI results revealed an injury to his left gastrocnemius muscle (left calf).
The 6-foot-8 forward felt discomfort in his left calf after their second group stage game against France last Tuesday, July 30, which ended in a heartbreaking 94-90 loss in overtime.
Hachimura said that he will be stepping away from the team immediately to undergo treatment, but he will be present to cheer on their final group stage game against Brazil on Friday, August 2 at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille.
“Due to the need for early treatment of my injury, I regret to inform you that I will no longer be able to accompany the team in accordance with NBA/FIBA rules. I would like to sincerely thank the fans who supported us on site, basketball fans around the world, and fans in Japan.”
The former Gonzaga Bulldogs player has faced a multitude of injuries in his NBA career, but he played a career-high 68 games in the regular season for the Lakers in 2023-24.
Japan Loses First Two Games In 2024 Olympics
The Japanese men’s basketball team did not exactly have the smoothest of runs in the ongoing Summer Games. They lost their tournament opener against reigning FIBA World Cup winners Germany last July 27 in a 97-77 drubbing.
However, they had a chance to score a monumental upset against the star-studded hosts France, holding a two-possession lead in the waning seconds of regulation before a controversial foul call during a three-pointer by French point guard Matthew Strazel led to a game-tying four-point play. France won the game in overtime, 94-90.
Hachimura was also ejected from the game with 8:31 left in the fourth quarter after picking up his second unsportsmanlike foul. He had 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field, adding three rebounds in 28 minutes of action in his final game in the 2024 Olympics.
Japan and Brazil are the only winless teams remaining in Group B, after France and Germany won their first two games. The winner of the upcoming Japan-Brazil game has a slim chance to advance to the quarterfinals, as the two best third-place teams across all three groups secure spots in the knockout stage.
