It is a unique draft class when two of the most popular players were drafted way outside the lottery. Yuki Kawamura was not even drafted, and Bronny James went 55th overall. But these two seem to be the most popular players in the draft.
While they do not have a chance to win Rookie of the Year, they surely bring plenty of attention to their respected teams. Yuki is just the fourth Japanese player in the NBA, and Bronny is the son of LeBron James, one of the greatest players in the history of the game.
Yuki Kawamura Might Be More Popular than Bronny James
Bronny and Yuki had two of the loudest roars this season when they entered the game. Some might say there was not this much anticipation and excitement around lottery picks.
Bronny made history in the first game of the season the Lakers played when he checked in the second quarter alongside his father.
And a few days later, it seemed like Yuki had one of the loudest roars for a rookie. At the end of the Memphis Grizzlies – Orlando Magic game, fans began chanting “We Want Yuki!” With only two minutes left and the Grizzlies leading by more than 20 points, Yuki got his NBA debut. From that moment on, the crowd went crazy.
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Who Had the Better Debut?
Both Yuki and Bronny are destined to spend a lot of time in the G League for their respective teams. Yuki is the fourth or fifth guard in Memphis, and the same applies to Bronny in Los Angeles. Looking at their stats, neither had a great first impression in the NBA.
Bronny checked in with the Lakers leading by 16 in the second quarter. He spent almost three minutes on the floor and recorded one offensive rebound. He shot 0-for-2 from the field and was -5 during his time on the court.
Yuki checked in with two minutes left in the game between the Grizzlies and the Magic. During the last two garbage time minutes, the Magic went on a run and cut the lead. He had one turnover, missed two shots, and finished -11.
Who is More Popular?
We cannot say who got the bigger roar during their entrance, but we can look at other factors to determine who is more popular between the two.
One option is to look at jersey sales. Yet, with only a week into the season, there are no numbers for jersey sales yet. What we can say is that Bronny’s jersey is available only in Unisex variations so far at the official NBA store and costs $124. Yuki’s jersey is available in different colors, as well as a youth version priced at $94. The unisex version is also $124. But here is the kicker, Bronny’s jersey from his preseason debut was recently sold at an auction for little more than $38,000, impressive for a rookie drafted 55th overall.
Another aspect we can look at is Google searches. According to Semrush, a tool that calculates searches for specific keywords, the term Bronny James gathers more than 823k searches per month. On the other hand, the term Yuki Kawamura gathers just 3.4k monthly searches.
But hey, Yuki already has a signature move with his no-look passes. And some fans have begun calling him Mochi Mamba, a Japanese reference that means “cute.”
