Grizzlies sign Watanabe, who hopes to be 2nd Japanese to play in NBA

Yuta Watanabe plays for the Brooklyn Nets' summer league team against the Orlando Magic in Las Vegas on July 6. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

SAN FRANCISCO -- The NBA's Memphis Grizzlies announced Friday that the team has signed Japanese native Yuta Watanabe to a two-way contract.

The contract makes it possible for him to be called up to the NBA team on the premise he plays for its minor league affiliate.

Watanabe, a 23-year-old forward who played college basketball at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., has taken a step closer to becoming just the second Japanese person to play in the NBA, after Yuta Tabuse.

Yuta Watanabe visits his native Kagawa Prefecture and hands an autographed shirt to Gov. Keizo Hamada at the prefectural government office in Takamatsu. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

Under the contract, Watanabe belongs to Memphis' NBA G League team, and he can be called up to the roster of the NBA team for up to 45 days. The 2.06-meter Watanabe played for the Brooklyn Nets' summer league team this month after going undrafted in the NBA Draft in June.

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