Athlete’s turning point vol.25[Yudai Baba]Consecutive league wins and MVP who decided to challenge overseas! | Lifestyle | Safari Online

2022.10.01 NEW

[Yudai Baba]Consecutive league wins and MVP who decided to challenge overseas!

Aiming to stand on the NBA court, Yudai Baba continues to challenge overseas leagues. The greedy SG, who says, “If I’m going to do it, I want to go all the way to the top,” and with the confidence he gained during the big game in Alvark Tokyo, he started climbing the steep road toward his dream, step by step.

YUDAI BABA
TURNING POINT
May 11, 2019
B.LEAGUE
CHAMPIONSHIP 2018-19
VS Chiba Jets

To the next stage without regret
It made me feel like moving on!

Yudai Baba has walked the elite course of the Japanese basketball world. He joined Alvark Tokyo as an active college student player and won the Rookie of the Year award in the first year when he achieved the league’s first victory. He won the championship MVP in his second year as a pro when the team won back-to-back victories. Since three years ago, he has been competing in overseas leagues aiming to become an NBA player following Yuta Tabuse, Rui Hachimura, and Yuta Watanabe. This match was a turning point for Baba to move on to the next stage of the NBA. It is said that it was against Chiba Jets, which was the final of the 2018-19 season. Tokyo, aiming for the second consecutive league title, and Chiba, aiming for the double crown with the Emperor’s Cup. This match, where the powerhouses collided with pride, was a hot match suitable for the B League championship match.

“This was the last season I played in Japan, but I was able to win the final big game of the season and win the championship, and I was able to win the MVP. It was this match that made me decide to do that, especially because I was able to prove myself in the form of MVP. Already, I naturally felt that way.”

In this game, the total number of rebounds, which Alvark Tokyo surpassed Chiba Jets 49-36, is said to be one of the factors that divided the outcome of the game. It was Baba who played the leading role in that aerial battle. In this game, Baba marked 12 rebounds, the highest in the season, surpassing tall center Alex Kirk’s 9 rebounds. Taking advantage of his characteristic jumping power and abundant momentum, he stole the ball from the big players and connected it to the attack. In addition to the offense and defense under the goal, Baba also has a strong presence on the offensive side. In the first quarter, he brilliantly scored a one-handed dunk from his signature steal, contributing to a 12-6 lead. In addition, in the 4th quarter, where the opponent’s ace, Yuki Togashi, was chased after 3 points were decided, in the final stage when the 5-point difference was 64-59, there were 2 times with 3 minutes remaining and 2 minutes remaining. I decided to jump shot over and stopped the pursuit. Baba, who won the championship MVP with 12 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals throughout the game, was a key player in winning the B League for the second time in a row.

“The moment when the championship was decided was exactly the moment I had been waiting for. In fact, the ace Daiki Tanaka, who had been injured in the semi-finals of the playoffs that year, came back, but he was still the original player. I wasn’t in good condition.That’s why the head coach told me that unless someone stepped up, we wouldn’t be able to win a second consecutive championship.In the midst of that, I was put on the semi-finals court as a starter (starter), something I hadn’t done before. I was able to express the role that should be fulfilled.And I was able to lead the victory as a culmination of continuing to express such a new me through the playoffs.I felt a great growth in that.”

The road to the stage, which was aimed at stepping up, was not smooth, but it seems that the inherent greed has been polished. The first year of his overseas challenge started with the Texas Legends of the NBA lower league and participated in 41 games. He then re-signed with Australia’s Melbourne United, but his own injuries kept him from playing well. On the other hand, in the Japan national team, which became the new system of Tom Horvath HC, he was selected as a member of the 2023 World Cup Asian regional qualifiers. Attention is focused on how far he can demonstrate his experience and skills that have been tortured overseas.

“Horvath’s team clearly says, ‘If you attack 10 times, you want 7 3-pointers and 3 drives.’ In other words, they are required to hit 3-pointers more aggressively. However, I have to change my mindset from the 3-point drive, which has been my weapon until now, to the drive that only has a 3-point.I will build up my style that I have been doing for 20 years from scratch. I don’t know if I can change it anytime soon, but this is what I need to do to move on to the next step.At this height, if 3-pointers are lower priority than driving, there are some areas where the probability of entering the NBA is low. I want to hone my new weapons and achieve things that no one has ever done before.For that reason, I am facing myself right now while playing.”

basketball player
Yudai Baba
YUDAI BABA
Born in Toyama Prefecture in 1995. He joined Alvark Tokyo while attending University of Tsukuba. In his first year, he won Rookie of the Year, and in his second year, he won the league title for the second time in a row and was named Championship MVP. In 2019, he moved to the United States to join the NBA. As a representative of Japan, he participated in the 2019 World Cup as a main force. He is a representative member of the Asian regional qualifiers for the 2023 World Cup.

TAMURA’S NEW WORK
[ “PROJECT22”]
In the first installment of “Project 22,” 22 artists selected from around the world drew the top club players competing in the UEFA Champions League, making the most of their respective styles. “As a representative of Asia, I would be happy if I could contribute to the project in terms of the number of sales.”

The first step to aim for the world

Ajax striker Anthony (currently a member of Manchester United) is drawn on a trading card housed in a collector’s case with Tamura’s characteristic dynamic touch. This has just been released as the first Sports Illustrated trading card project by Tops, a global trading card brand.

“I was appointed as one of the 22 artists participating in ‘Project 22’, which was launched to further boost the trading card culture. It’s like a representative.”

It is also an important step towards your dream.

“My dream is to become the best artist in the world. So, I would like to take the opportunity to draw on trading cards that are loved by fans around the world as a step towards that goal. I want to leave an impact.”

Dai Tamura
DAI TAMURA
Born in Tokyo in 1983. In 2016, he won the overall championship at the ISCA Caricature World Competition, a caricature world competition held in Arizona. Her work depicting her athletes has attracted attention on SNS, and currently has over 200,000 followers. NBA players are among them. She has an overwhelming popularity overseas. Instagram: @dai.tamura

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Illustrated by Dai Tamura Text by Takumi Endo
illustration : Dai Tamura　text : Takumi Endo　photo by AFLO

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