How The NBA Erased Its Shortest Player

In the last 25 years, only 2 players under 5'8" have ever made it to the NBA. One of them is playing right now — and he probably shouldn't exist. Yuki Kawamura is a 5'7" point guard from Japan who has no business being anywhere near an NBA court in 2026. But somehow, against every odd stacked against him — his size, his era, his competition level, and the death of the traditional point guard — he's still developing like a legitimate prospect. This is the full story. We cover: Why playing in the NBA under 5'8" is basically impossible in the modern era Japan's basketball history and the players who paved the way for Yuki Kawamura's dominant B.League career, MVP season, and what it actually means The FIBA World Cup Finland comeback that put him on the global map His legendary 29-point performance against Wemby and Gobert at the Paris Olympics Why Memphis signed him and what his rookie NBA numbers actually tell us His G League dominance — and the advanced stats that prove he's no gimmick How Chicago is using him and what his EPM really says about his defense Why the death of the traditional point guard might be his biggest obstacle Can Yuki Kawamura actually stick in the NBA? 🔔 Subscribe for more NBA player breakdowns, international prospect deep dives, and basketball storytelling. #YukiKawamura #NBA #ChicagoBulls #MemphisGrizzlies #JapanBasketball #GLeague #NBAProspects #BasketballStory #FIBA #ParisOlympics #Wembanyama #NBAInternational #PointGuard #NBABreakdown #EarlBoykins #BLeague #NBARookies