Nagasaki Velca of the B1 League basketball team has announced that Japan national team player Hiroya Kawamada will join the team.

Kawamada is 26 years old and from Tokushima City.

The player has been dubbed the “real-life Sakuragi Hanamichi” by fans and boosters in reference to the character Sakuragi Hanamichi from the popular basketball manga “Slam Dunk,” and is likely to help boost the popularity of Nagasaki Velca, which is in its second year in the B1 League.

Photo courtesy of B.LEAGUE

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