Yasutaka Okayama

Yasutaka Okayama (岡山恭崇, Okayama Yasutaka, born November 29, 1954) is a Japanese former basketball player and coach.[1] He was selected by the Golden State Warriors as the 10th pick of the eighth round of the 1981 NBA draft, although he did not sign with them.[2][3] At 7'8" (234 cm), he is the tallest player ever to be drafted in NBA history. Okayama was the only player from Japan drafted in the NBA until Rui Hachimura, Drafted 9th overall of the 2019 NBA Draft

Yasutaka Okayama
Personal information
Born (1954-11-29) November 29, 1954
Mashiki, Kumamoto
NationalityJapanese
Listed height7 ft 8 in (2.34 m)
Listed weight330 lb (150 kg)
Career information
High schoolKyushu Gakuin
(Kumamoto, Kumamoto)
NBA draft1981 / Round: 8 / Pick: 171st overall
Selected by the Golden State Warriors
Playing career1979–1990
PositionCenter
Coaching career1993–present
Career history
As player:
1979–1990Sumitomo Metal Sparks
As coach:
1993–1995Sumitomo Metal Sparks (asst.)
1996–1999Osaka University of Commerce (asst.)
Career highlights and awards
As player:
  • 2× JBL Scoring Leader (1981, 1982)
  • 5× JBL Best Five (1979–1983)
  • 3× JBL Rebound Leader (1979, 1981, 1982)
Medals
Representing  Japan
Asian Games
1982 New Delhi Japan
William Jones Cup
1986 TaipeiTeam

Okayama practiced judo at junior high school and high school, and obtained a second degree black belt. He started playing basketball when he was eighteen at Osaka University of Commerce. In 1975, when his height was about 2.08 metres (6 ft 10 in), he was recruited by the University of Portland; he spent two years there, but a medical check revealed gigantism and he never played for the varsity team.[4] After graduation, he joined the basketball club of Sumitomo Metal Sparks. He represented Japan between 1979 and 1986 before he retired in 1996. As of 2005, he worked for Sumitomo Metal Industries and was active as a basketball coach.[5]

In 1989, he wrote a book for young basketball players.[6]

See also

References
  1. "Draft Oddities". NBA.com.
  2. "1981 NBA Draft". Basketballreference.com.
  3. "Rising Sun creates Japanese first". BBC Sport. November 2, 2004.
  4. Nagatsuka, Kaz (20 May 2015). "Hoop hero Okayama reflects on lost chance". The Japan Times. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  5. Sports Just magazine, April–May issue 2005 at the Wayback Machine (archived March 7, 2008)
  6. Tanoshii Basuketto Boru
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