Akira Jacobs’ welcome-to-the-national-team moment came on Day 1 of Japan’s Olympic training camp, when he found himself matched up against NBA veteran Rui Hachimura – an idol he’d watched and admired for years.
“Playing against him, the first practice, I felt like I was getting cooked,” Jacobs said with a laugh, recalling the Los Angeles Lakers forward’s speed, strength and decision-making. “Just from there, you slowly learn how they move. It’s a part of the experience.”
Jacobs, a 20-year-old prospect in his country’s junior national team circuit, resolved to stand his ground and be a little better on the next play, then the next. He apparently showcased enough improvement to Japanese basketball brass, because on Monday the rising University of Hawaii sophomore was named to the country’s 12-man Olympic roster for the Paris Games.
He is UH’s first Olympian in men’s basketball in more than half a century. The only one in program records is one of its all-time greats, guard Tom Henderson, who played for the U.S. in 1972.
Jacobs was born in Yokohama and was raised in California. He is the youngest member of the Japanese squad.
Japan is No. 26 in the FIBA men’s world rankings. It will attempt to place in the top two of its four-team group, Group B, with No. 3 Germany, No. 9 France and No. 12 Brazil for a spot in the eight-team knockout round. It opens against Germany on July 27.
The team leaves for Europe on Thursday and will play tune-up games against Poland, Germany and Serbia ahead of the opening ceremonies. Japan’s goal is to qualify for the quarterfinals, Jacobs said in a Zoom interview with Hawaii media on Monday, after a subpar showing as the host team in the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Hawaii native Hugh (Watanabe) Hogland is also on the team. The Iolani School alumnus played collegiately at Portland and UC Davis before making Japan’s national team for the Tokyo Games that were pushed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jacobs shares a close bond with Hogland, who helped him acclimate to Hawaii and the national team.
The team has stressed to its players the importance of staying within their defined roles. For the 6-foot-9 Jacobs, that is as a stretch big man – likely behind NBA talents Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe (Memphis Grizzlies).
He said he thought he had a “solid chance” when he was invited to the Olympic training camp in Tokyo.
“I always believed that if you’re called to the camp, no matter how small of a chance it might seem, that means you’re there for a reason,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs came off the bench for the UH frontcourt in 28 games in 2023-24 and scored 68 points (2.4 per game) in 6.8 minutes per game. He shot 40% from the field, with the majority of those attempts coming from beyond the arc where he shot 34.8%.
He feels that campaign helped him gain both physical strength through UH’s weight program, and confidence to play through struggles.
In addition to Jacobs making Japan’s 12-man roster, former Hawaii forward Zigmars Raimo was named to Latvia’s four-man roster for Olympic 3x3 competition.
Latvia won gold in 3x3 basketball’s debut at the Tokyo Games and Raimo helped his country qualify for Paris by winning the FIBA 3x3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Hong Kong this spring.
Latvia opens 3x3 pool play against Lithuania on July 30.
Former UH guard Junior Madut is in training camp with South Sudan with a chance of making its Olympic basketball roster.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with an interview with Akira Jacobs. (July 8, 2024)
Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.