NBA

Gonzaga All-American forward Rui Hachimura declares for 2019 NBA Draft

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Gonzaga junior forward Rui Hachimura, a consensus All-American, has declared for the 2019 NBA Draft.


In a statement, Hachimura shared that "the last three years at Gonzaga have been a dream come true, and now I'd like to pursue my next dream of playing in the NBA."

Over his three-year career at Gonzaga, Hachimura consistently improved as he became a full-time starter this past season. The 6-foot-8 native of Toyama, Japan finished the 2018-19 season with averages of 19.7 points (on 59.1% shooting) and 6.5 rebounds over 37 games.

He helped lead the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight where they would lose to eventual National Runner-Up Texas Tech.

Through his standout performance in his junior season, Hachimura was named 2019 West Coast Conference Player of the Year, the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award and was also named a first-team All-American by the NABC and the USBWA.

Hachimura is widely considered to be a first-round pick in the 2019 Draft, with most projections coming in the late lottery. Should he be selected, he would become the first Japanese-born draft pick in NBA history.

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Gilbert McGregor is an NBA content producer for The Sporting News.