Yuta Watanabe Wiki, Age, Bio, Height, Girlfriend, Career, and Net Worth

Yuta Watanabe is a Japanese professional basketball player. Furthermore, he is a small forward for the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets.

Wiki, Bio, Family, Siblings, Childhood & Education

Yuta Watanabe was born on October 13, 1994, in Yokohama, Japan. This basketball player is 28 years old and of Japanese nationality, according to his birth date. Furthermore, he is of Asian descent and was born under the sign of Libra.

Hideyuki Watanabe (father) and Kumi Kubota (mother) raised him (mother). He also grew up with his sister, Yuki Watanabe. He was raised in Miki, Kagawa. Watanabe comes from a long line of basketball players in his family.

His mother was a Chanson V-Magic and Japanese women’s national team basketball player. Likewise, his father played professional basketball for the Kumagai Gumi Bruins. His sister used to play with the Aisin AW Wings.

Yuta Watanabe’s Age, Height, Weight, and Body Dimensions

This basketball player is 6 feet 9 inches tall and weighs around 98 kilograms. Furthermore, he has brown eyes and black hair, and there is no information on his other bodily stats.

Yuta Watanabe’s Profession & Career

In terms of his academic background, he attended Kagawa’s Jinsei Gakuen High School. Furthermore, he led the basketball team to a second-place finish in the All-Japan High School Basketball Tournament.

In 2013, he attended St. Thomas More Preparatory High School in Oakdale, Connecticut. Outside of Japan, he averaged 13 points and six rebounds in high school. He led the squad to an overall record of 26-8 and a trip to the National Prep Championship game.

Similarly, on his debut appearance in the annual National Prep School Invitational in January 2014, he scored 12 points versus Suffield Academy. He also recorded 20 points and six rebounds in a 70-61 win over Spain’s Canarias Basketball Academy.

College Life

In 2014, he enrolled as a freshman at George Washington University. Watanabe was the first Japanese-born basketball player to be recruited by the NCAA Division I level. He was only the fourth college basketball player to play at a high level after that.

Following his acceptance to George Washington, renowned media outlets such as The New York Times and The Washington Post carried feature pieces on him. Watanabe made his George Washington debut against Grambling State in November 2014, averaging eight points, seven rebounds, and a block in 20 minutes.

It was the team’s largest victory, 92-40, since 1999. As a result, after averaging 9.0 points and 4.7 rebounds and helping the club win the 2014 Diamond Head Classic, he was awarded Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week in December 2014.

Similarly, he achieved a career-high with 21 points and seven 3-pointers against Massachusetts on March 7. Watanabe was also selected Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week for the second time. As a result, he became the first player since Lasan Kromah in 2009-10 to win consecutive Rookie of the Week honors.

Junior Group

In November 2016, he recorded his first double-double against Siena, winning 77-75. In addition, at 12.2 points per game, he became George Washington’s second-leading scorer. He was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team as a result.

Senior Management Group

He recorded a career-high 13 rebounds against Rider in November 2017. He recorded a career-high five steals against Morgan State on November 29. Then, in the title game, Watanabe set a career-high with 31 points in a 72-56 win over Fordham. He was named Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year as a result. He was also named to the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team and the All-Conference Third Team. Finally, Watanabe’s time with George Washington was noteworthy; he was acknowledged and rewarded for his abilities and performance.

Grizzlies of Memphis

Watanabe went undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft and then played for the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA Summer League. He later agreed to terms with the Memphis Grizzlies and the NBA G League’s Memphis Hustle on a two-way contract.

This player made his debut in October 2018 against the Phoenix Suns, averaging 2 points and 2 rebounds off the bench. As a result, he joined Yuta Tabuse as the NBA’s second Japanese player.

Furthermore, Watanabe spent most of his season in the G League with the Memphis Hustles. In 32 of 33 NBA G League games, he averaged 14.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.1 assists.

Watanabe scored a team-high 28 points on 12 of 19 field goal shooting and 2-of-4 from three in the Memphis Hustle’s 130-126 win over the Iowa Wolves in January 2020, while also providing 7 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 assists, and 2 steals. As a result, he was named Midseason All-NBA G League Western Conference.

Raptors of Toronto

Watanabe inked a contract with the Raptors to recruit their preseason roster on December 19, 2020. He made his Toronto Raptors debut on December 31, with four rebounds, an assist, a block, and a steal in nine minutes of action against the New York Knicks.

Then, in January 2021, he scored a career-high 12 points on 80.0 percent shooting from the field while also adding 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals against the Sacramento Kings. Watanabe sprained his left ankle during training on February 9.

As a result, this player made his return on February 18 against the Milwaukee Bucks, averaging 2 rebounds and 1 block per game. Watanabe scored a career-high 21 points in a 113-102 win over the Orlando Magic in April 2021, hitting 7-of-11 from the field and 2 of 4 from three, as well as 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block.

More

As a result of a left leg ailment, Watanabe missed around 18 games this season. As a result, he averaged three points and two blocks in 14 minutes of action against the Memphis Grizzlies. Later, in December 2021, he produced a double-double with 26 points and 13 rebounds against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

At the 2013 East Asia Basketball Championship, he made his senior debut for Japan, helping the team to a bronze medal result. He had 22 points and 14 rebounds in a 101-53 win over Macau at the time.

Similarly, in four games at the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship, he ended ninth with 5.2 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.5 assists. As a result, Watanabe was picked to the 12-man roster for the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, finishing with 7.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists.

As a result, he has been selected to compete in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. He averaged 15.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game.

Awards

He has received numerous honors and recognition as a basketball player. In 2018, he was named Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year and Third-Team All-Atlantic 10.

Similarly, he was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team for two years in a row (2017, 2018). He and his team won the East Asia Basketball Championship in Men’s Basketball in 2013.

Yuta Watanabe’s Salary and Net Worth

He has amassed a significant fortune as a basketball player. He has an estimated net worth of $1 million to $5 million and a salary of $1,762,796 in 2020-2021.

Yuta Watanabe’s Girlfriend, Marriage & Relationship

Watanabe and television broadcaster Akiko Kuji recently announced their engagement on May 26th, 2022. However, there is little information about their first meeting and when they began dating. Furthermore, the pair is currently living happily ever after.

Yuta Watanabe’s Social Media(Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)

His Instagram account has almost 247k followers. Similarly, there are over 195.8k Twitter followers and over 10k Facebook followers.

Quick Facts