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Yuki Kawamura: The NBA’s shortest player is a Memphis Grizzlies guard from Japan

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CNN
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Standing at just five feet, eight inches tall, Yuki Kawamura is perhaps an unlikely basketball star.

“It’s not like I can do any dunk shots,” says the NBA’s current shortest player, who is almost a foot below the average height in the league. He’s the only man under six feet (1.83 meters) tall on an active NBA roster.

Nevertheless, the 23-year-old Memphis Grizzlies guard has become a fan favorite in his rookie season, thanks to his seamless no-look passes and ankle-breaking jump shots, as he battles to establish himself in the league.

“I think my strengths are in assist and game control, so I’m hoping to play to my strengths to contribute to the team’s win,” Kawamura told CNN Sports in an interview, adding that he has also been working on his three-pointers.

Kawamura is only the fourth ever NBA player from Japan and it’s been a whirlwind journey to the top for the man from Yanai, a sleepy city in the southwest of the country.

He is following in the footsteps of Los Angeles Lakers star Rui Hachimura, former Grizzlies forward Yuta Watanabe, and Yuta Tabuse, the pioneering 5-foot-9 point guard who played four games for the Phoenix Suns in the 2004-05 season.

“He’s the first Japanese NBA player, and watching his play inspired me to keep working hard on basketball,” Kawamura said.

After rising to the professional ranks following a storied high school career back home, Kawamura was catapulted to international fame last year at the Paris Olympics.

The stark contrast of the diminutive Japanese guard going up against the host nation’s 7-foot-3 center Victor Wembanyama was one of the most memorable images of the Games.

Japan's Yuki Kawamura defends against Victor Wembanyama of France during the Paris 2024 Olympic basketball tournament on July 30, 2024.

And although France edged the closely fought game in overtime, Kawamura led the scoring on 29 points, with his agility, solid three-pointers and game-making vision on full display.

Crashing out in the first round of the Olympics was a “bitter” loss, Kawamura said, but he acknowledged the impact of his own performance, which helped earn him a move to the NBA on a two-way contract last October.

That marked the culmination of a lifetime dream, Kawamura said, having grown up idolizing the game’s biggest stars.

“I simply could not believe it. Ever since I was little, I watched the NBA through videos, players like Michael Jordan,” he said.

“The fact that I was in the same court, sitting on that bench, was unbelievable.”

These days, Kawamura says he draws inspiration from an all-star teammate – with whom he’s also struck up an unexpected friendship.

“Ja Morant is like my big brother, truly,” Kawamura says. “From when I arrived in America, he’s been helping me. Even now, he teaches me basketball skills and English.”

“Watching from the bench, even if you’re an amateur, he does insane dunks and plays insanely well,” he added. “He’s also incredibly smart.”

Kawamura has been a stand-out performer this season for the Memphis Hustle in the NBA’s developmental G League, scoring an average of 12.9 points per game.

And though his game-time has been limited for the Grizzlies, he delighted fans with an NBA career-high 10 points from off the bench against Oklahoma City Thunder in December.

clipped thumbnail - Interview with Yuki Kawamura - Yuki loop 3.mp4 - 00:00:05;00

Kawamura calls Ja Morant his “big brother.”

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Kawamura has averaged 1.2 points and 3.2 minutes per game in the NBA this season – leaving fans wanting more: at recent games, the cry of “We want Yuki!” has rung around the Grizzlies’ home arena.

“When I hear those cheers, I feel both great gratitude and the wish to live up to the expectations that the fans have for me and I feel that every day,” said Kawamura, whose goal now is to turn his two-way contract into an official one.

“I’d like to become a player who can receive calls like ‘we want Yuki’ during the important moments of the game.”



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Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray end coaching partnership after six months

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CNN
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Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have ended their coaching relationship after six months as the 24-time grand slam singles champion continues to struggle for form in 2025.

“Thank you, coach Andy, for all the hard work, fun & support over last six months on & off the court,” Djokovic wrote on his social media channels. “I really enjoyed deepening our friendship together.”

The longtime rivals, who faced off in several all-time classic encounters on the court, announced in November that Murray would be joining Djokovic’s coaching team.

The partnership got off to a promising start as Djokovic reached the semifinals of January’s Australian Open after beating Carlos Alcaraz in a four-set epic in the quarterfinals, only for an injury to cut his last-four match against Alexander Zverev short.

However, Djokovic and Murray have failed to rekindle anything close to that kind of form in the months since.

“Thanks to Novak for the unbelievable opportunity to work together and thanks to his team for all their hard work over the past six months,” Murray said in a statement. “I wish Novak all the best for the rest of the season.”

Djokovic’s best performance this year came in reaching the final of the Miami Open, where he lost to unseeded teenager Jakub Menšík. The 24-time grand slam champion lost in the first round at the Qatar Open and Indian Wells before Miami, and in the first round of the Monte-Carlo Masters and Madrid Open since.

As recently as March, Djokovic said he hoped Murray would be his coach through the French Open and Wimbledon.

The 37-year-old pulled out of the ongoing Italian Open at the end of April, and this week accepted a wildcard into the Geneva Open which begins on May 18.



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Jayson Tatum: Boston loses star to leg injury as Knicks come up huge at home to take 3-1 lead over Celtics

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CNN
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Jayson Tatum will have an MRI on the lower leg injury he suffered during the Boston Celtics’ 121-113 Game 4 defeat against the New York Knicks on Monday.

Late in the fourth quarter, the Celtics forward went down with an apparent non-contact injury as he tried to go after a loose ball. He quickly grabbed his right ankle and appeared to be in a lot of pain.

Tatum was helped off the court as he couldn’t put any pressure on his right leg and was taken through the tunnel in New York’s Madison Square Garden in a wheelchair.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said after the game Tatum suffered a “lower body injury” and will have the scan on Tuesday.

“You are always worried about someone’s health,” Mazzulla told reporters. “He’s the type of guy that gets right up. He didn’t and we’ll know tomorrow exactly what it is. It’s tough to watch a guy like him getting carried off like that.”

To make matters worse, Monday’s defeat means the Boston Celtics now trail 3-1 in the series and face elimination in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Trainers check on Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum after he was injured late in the fourth quarter.

Down by as many as 14 points in the third quarter, New York ended the period on a 12-2 run to take an 88-85 lead into the fourth.

With less than six minutes remaining in regulation of a tied 102-102 game, OG Anunoby drained a three-pointer to give the Knicks a 105-102 lead, which New York would not relinquish.

Four Knicks players scored at least 20 points with Jalen Brunson leading the way with 39 points, 12 assists and five rebounds. Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns each had 23 points and Anunoby added 20.

After the victory, Brunson discussed the comeback win and extending the series lead.

“It means a lot. It’s a big game for us, just the way we responded, is what I’m most proud of, sticking together and making sure we are not quitting,” Brunson said at the postgame news conference.

“That’s a tough team over there. Obviously, we want to get off to better starts, but they got experience. They’re the defending champs for a reason.”

Tatum finished with a game-high 42 points, tying Celtics legends Larry Bird and John Havlicek for the most 40-point postseason games in franchise history. Tatum also had eight rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks in 40 minutes.

“That’s our brother, hate to see him go down. We know the type of guy he is. It’s tough to see him go down,” Celtics guard Derrick White, who scored 23 points in the loss, said after the game. “We just have to find a way to win Game 5.”

Boston guard Jaylen Brown, who finished with 20 points and seven rebounds, said it was “tough” seeing Tatum go down.

Tatum is set to undergo an MRI Tuesday.

“Tonight is tough. I think everybody is kind of at a loss of words just because, one losing a game, but obviously, the concern with JT. But we pick our heads back up tomorrow and go from there,” Brown said.

Brunson said he’s “praying for the best” for Tatum.

“We want to go out there and compete, but when a player of his caliber goes down and he’s rolling in pain like that, you know something is wrong, so that why I gave my thoughts and prayers because you never want to see something like that ever. ”

The Knicks will look to eliminate the defending NBA champion Celtics on Wednesday in Boston.



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Coco Gauff makes history with dominant victory over Emma Raducanu to advance to Italian Open quarterfinals

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American tennis star Coco Gauff put on a dominant display as she eased past Emma Raducanu on Monday to book her spot in the Italian Open quarterfinals.

The No. 4 seed dropped just three games in her convincing 6-1, 6-2 win over her British opponent in Rome, needing just 79 minutes to secure victory.

In reaching the quarterfinals, the 21-year-old becomes the youngest player to reach four quarterfinals in WTA 1000 clay tournaments since the top-level events were introduced in 2009.

Gauff will face world No. 7 Mirra Andreeva in the final eight on Wednesday after the 18-year-old came back to beat Clara Tauson in three sets.

Gauff is showing impressive form on clay at the right time with the French Open just around the corner.

The American has won eight of her last nine matches on the surface, with her only loss coming in the final of the Madrid Open to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

Gauff revealed after her victory over Raducanu that she has been focusing on her footwork over the last two weeks in preparation for playing at Roland Garros, and highlighted her forehand – which has been inconsistent of late – as a key factor in her win on Monday.

“I think, today, (it) was the reason why I won the match,” Gauff told reporters. “Especially on this surface, I think I can do a lot with it.”

Gauff was in control from the outset against Raducanu on Campo Centrale and never let up. She won 39 of her 59 service points and broke Raducanu’s serve four times.

Gauff has now won both of her matches against Raducanu during her career.

She admitted that it has taken some time to get adjusted to playing on a different surface in Italy but feels good about where she is now.

“It still feels so slow compared to Madrid,” Gauff said, “but I’m getting used to it with each match. I feel really happy with how I played. I think I really was the one dictating the match for the most part.”

Elsewhere on Monday, Sabalenka held of a stiff challenge from Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk to book her spot in the quarterfinals, winning 6-1, 7-6 (8) in two hours and five minutes.



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