Rui Hachimura( Mainichi/ Naotsune Umemura) NEW YORK( Kyodo)--Washington Wizards forward Rui

Rui Hachimura of the Washington Wizards dunks the ball during a game against the Orlando Magic on

Rui Hachimura( Mainichi/ Naotsune Umemura) WASHINGTON( Kyodo)--The Washington Wizards face a

Japan's Rui Hachimura( 8) dunks over Argentina's Luca Vildoza( 17) during men's basketball

TOKYO( AP)--Two multiracial athletes, two high-profile roles: Rising NBA star Rui Hachimura carried

Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum, left, drives past Toronto Raptors' Yuta Watanabe during first-half NBA basketball game action in Toronto, on Nov.... The 27-year-old forward made a late start to the season in a road win over the Memphis Grizzlies last Wednesday after straining his left calf during the preseason.... The Japan national team star also grabbed a pair of rebounds and dished an assist in 14 minutes for the Raptors, who took their second straight loss and dropped to 9-12 on the season..

Protesters were audible outside the Olympic stadium, reflecting widespread unease as the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Games got underway on Friday, while further afield Tokyo residents chose to critique the event in the company of friends.... Defying Covid restrictions under a prevailing state of emergency declaration, patrons gathered to watch the ceremony on large screens in a sports bar in Tokyo. The first ten minutes of the ceremony were subdued, featuring a sole runner on a treadmill

A crow perches on a light pole near the statue of the Olympics rings in Tokyo on July 1, 2021.... Organizers said a ticket lottery set for Tuesday was pushed back to Saturday to accommodate any changes.... Fans from abroad were banned months ago from attending....

Yuki Togashi( 2) and other members of the Japanese men's basketball team are seen after falling 76-71 to Finland on July 11, 2021, at Okinawa Arena, southern Japan.... Japan, ranked 42nd in the world, will start its Olympic men's basketball campaign against second-ranked Spain in a Group C preliminary-round game on July 26.... It will face 16th-ranked Slovenia three days later and world No....

This combined photo shows Ryota Yamagata, left, and Kasumi Ishikawa.... A source with knowledge of the matter said it was not easy to select athletes to accept the positions.... The roles require athletes to speak in public and represent the Olympic team, with some candidates choosing to avoid that spotlight amid public opposition to holding the games during the COVID-19 pandemic....