The return home is now official. According to information from BasketNewsconfirmed by a club press release, Yuta Watanabe has officially signed with the Chiba Jets in Japan, a prospect that was first mentioned last month.
At 29, the Japanese decided to leave the Grizzlies and the NBA, even though he had a “player option” $2.7 million for next season. But the Japanese club had financial arguments to make: his contract could exceed $5 million (over several years?), which would make him the highest paid player in the history of the B.League.
“ I just want to play basketball. I want to get in there and do what I work on in practice. I hung on while I was in my twenties, but now I hope to play basketball the way I want to. The level of Japanese basketball is rising and I want to play matches where there is high intensity. “, defended the winger, tired of playing utility in the Big League.
It is recalled that the Chiba Jets are one of the biggest clubs in the local championship with four finals since the creation of the league in 2016, and one title (2021). But before returning home, Yuta Watanabe will be at the Paris Olympics with his selection.
A team he had threatened to leave last year, by retiring from international football, if it failed to qualify for the Olympic tournament. Nineteenth in the World Cup, his selection managed to secure its direct ticket to Paris 2024 as the highest-ranked Asian team in the world competition.
This year, unlike the World Cup, Yuta Watanabe will be able to count on the presence of the other major name in Japanese basketball, Rui Hachimura. Two weeks ago, however, the left-hander indicated that he was in the dark physically due to a calf injury.
Japan, ranked 26th in the FIBA rankings, will be taking part in the Olympic tournament for the eighth time. The host of the 2020 Olympics will thus play in back-to-back editions of the competition for the first time since 1972 and 1976.
Player option : possibility for a player to activate (or not) the last year of his contract, in order to finish his lease or become a “free agent” one year in advance.
