Hachimura could have the biggest off-court business potential of any player in this draft not named Ziongetty images
There is an "inordinate amount of pressure" on Gonzaga F Rui Hachimura as he likely will be the first Japanese player taken in the first round of an NBA Draft, and he is already "balancing his basketball responsibilities ... with his business responsibilities," according to Reid Forgrave of CBSSPORTS.com. It seems that everyone "wants a piece of Hachimura," and he "may have the biggest off-court business potential of any player in this draft not named Zion Williamson." Wasserman's Jason Ranne, who reps Hachimura, said, "The sky is the limit as far as how to do his marketing. They don't have an athlete in Japan like him." Forgrave noted a key for Hachimura is "to be selective about his business opportunities outside of basketball." The demand on his time and desire to "capitalize on his likeness will be huge because of his cultural pull in Japan and the historic nature" of his likely draft status. He could "easily gobble up every opportunity that comes his way, take the money, and dilute his brand," but his reps are "guarding him against that." Meanwhile, Hachimura seems ready to accept the pressure from Japan, which will likely increase when he becomes the "star player for the home country's men's basketball team" during the '20 Tokyo Games. Hachimura: "Basketball's getting bigger in Japan, and I want to be the guy, be the face of it" (CBSSPORTS.com, 4/30).
