Rui Hachimura is a Japanese international basketballer who plies his trade for the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. The power forward or small forward position player has also played for the Washington Wizards before his big-time move to the Lakers. However, despite his on-field success, many fans are unaware of Rui Hachimura's parents' identity.
Rui Hachimura is one of the latest NBA players of mixed-race Japanese ethnicity to don the famous colours of Purple and Gold. He has quickly established himself as a dominant force on the court, scooping numerous accolades.
Who is Rui Hachimura?
Rui Hachimura is a renowned basketball player. He was born on 8th February 1998, in Toyama, Japan, to Zakari and Makiko Hachimura. The Japanese international was fond of basketball from a tender age and played as a pitcher in childhood.
Rui transited to play basketball for Meisei High School and got his first shot at winning a title for his school in the All Japan High School Tournament. He won three straight titles at Meisei and continued his blistering form in college when he joined the Gonzaga Bulldogs in 2016.
After a successful stint in the Gonzaga Bulldogs team, Rui was scouted and drafted to join an elite NBA team shortly afterwards. He signed with the Washington Wizards, made his NBA debut on 23rd October 2019, and was named the NBA All-Rookie Second Team the following year.
Rui impressed the NBA and was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in January 2023, boasting career stats PPG of 11.2 with an RPG of 4.5, an APG of 0.9, and a PIE of 9.8. Rui will also represent the Japanese National Basketball Team in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Rui Hachimura's parents
Rui Hachimura's father and mother are Zakari and Makiko Hachimura, respectively. So what nationality are Rui Hachimura's parents? Rui's father, Zakari Jabil, hails from Benin, a state in West Africa, and is of African descent. His mother, Makiko Hachimura, is Japanese by birth.
Rui is thereby mixed race with dual citizenship of Benin and Japan. The family spent most of their lives in Japan. Rui has allegedly stated that his experience in Japan was happy but troublesome because he faced racism alongside his brother while growing up owing to their race.
Rui Hachimura's father, Zakari Jabil
Rui Hachimura is of mixed African-Japanese heritage, and judging from his skin tone, he acquired much of his genes from his dad's side. So who is Zakari Jabil? Zakari Jabil is from the West African country of Benin, which has a population of 13.7 million.
Zakari allegedly relocated to Japan in search of a better life. Rui Hachimura's dad was also a semi-professional basketball player and instilled a deep passion for the sport in his son from an early age.
Zakari Jabil has been a significant figure in Rui's life, encouraging and supporting him in his basketball pursuit. Zakari also helped his son relocate to the U.S., attend college, realize his dream of playing in the NBA, and he now makes regular visits to watch him play.
Rui Hachimura’s mother, Makiko Hachimuraz
Makiko is devoted to her family and tries her best to raise her children. So why does Rui Hachimura use his mother's last name? According to Japanese law for international marriages, a Japanese must be the head of the family register; their name must pass down the family line.
The surname is a customary Japanese requirement to be passed down to the offspring. This is why Rui Hachimura and his siblings use their mother's last name. Makiko Hachimura loves to keep most of her information private, and there is no information regarding her in the public eye.
Rui Hachimura's ethnicity
Rui Hachimura got his name Rui meaning base or fortress, from his grandfather, an avid baseball fan. Rui Hachimura is one of the growing crop of mixed raced basketball players making a name for themselves in the NBA.
Rui Hachimura's ethnicity is mixed due to his father's African and mother's Japanese descent. So is Rui Hachimura African? Yes, Rui Hachimura is of African heritage, as his father hails from the West African country of Benin.
Rui and his siblings allegedly faced racial discrimination growing up due to their mixed ethnicity. His brother Allen, a basketballer, also has been very vocal about the racism and even shared screenshots of some racial slurs hurdled towards him online.
Despite this, Rui stated he related more to Japanese culture since he spent most of his life there. In a recent interview, he also admitted that despite understanding 80% of English, he could only converse in 30- 40% of the language and only began studying it after he relocated to the U.S.
Rui Hachimura family
Rui Hachimura's family are staunch supporters of his basketball career and regard themselves as his number one fans. He is not an only child and has three siblings: Allen, Amina Hachimura, and another sister.
Rui's inspired his younger brother Allen to play basketball, and he followed in his footsteps, plying his trade at the tertiary level for the Tokai University of Japan. Aside from his older brother Allen touts Lebron James as his other idol and strives to achieve similar success.
Rui Hachimura's parents' Fast facts
- What is Rui Hachimura's ethnicity? Rui Hachimura is of African-Japanese descent.
- Where did Rui Hachimura attend high school? Rui Hachimura attended Meisei High School, where he helped the school win three straight titles in the All Japan High School Tournament.
- Why does Rui Hachimura use his mother's last name? Rui Hachimura uses his mother's last name owing to Japanese tradition and international law that requires the family's surname to pass down to the offspring in the case of marriage to a non-citizen.
- Does Rui Hachimura have siblings? Yes. Rui Hachimura has three siblings: Amina, Allen Hachimura, and another sister.
- What are Rui Hachimura's parents' nationalities? Rui Hachimura's father, Zakari Jabil, is from Benin, while his mother, Makiko Hachimura, hails from Japan.
- Which team drafted Rui Hachimura into the NBA? Rui Hachimura was drafted into the NBA by the Washington Wizards as the 9th overall pick in the 2019 national draft.
- Which team does Rui Hachimura currently play for in the NBA? Rui Hachimura is a power/small forward who plies his trade for the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA.
Rui Hachimura's parents - Final word
Rui Hachimura has made himself a trailblazer for Japanese basketball owing to his success on the court. Much respect should be given to Rui Hachimura's parents, who brought up their children with encouragement, support and a desire to succeed despite their mixed racial backgrounds.
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