 Sakuragi with theAisin Seahorses in 2016 | |
| Toyama Grouses | |
|---|---|
| Position | Supervising coach |
| League | B.League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1976-10-30)October 30, 1976 (age 48) Bakersfield, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American / Japanese |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 226 lb (103 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | East Bakersfield(East Bakersfield, California) |
| College | UCLA (1994–1998) |
| NBA draft | 1998: 2nd round, 56th overall pick |
| Selected by theVancouver Grizzlies | |
| Playing career | 1998–2023 |
| Position | Power forward /center |
| Number | 52 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1998–1999 | Quad City Thunder |
| 1999 | Vancouver Grizzlies |
| 1999–2001 | Las Vegas Silver Bandits |
| 2001 | Paris Basket Racing |
| 2001 | Marinos de Oriente |
| 2001–2005 | Aisin Seahorses |
| 2005 | Marinos de Anzoátegui |
| 2006 | Grises de Humacao |
| 2006–2007 | Aisin Seahorses |
| 2007 | Grises de Humacao |
| 2007–2020 | Aisin Seahorses |
| 2023 | Koshigaya Alphas |
| As coach: | |
| 2020–2021 | Aisin AW Wings |
| 2021–2023 | Koshigaya Alphas |
| 2023–present | Toyama Grouses |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Medals | |
J. R. Sakuragi (Japanese:桜木 ジェイアール,Hepburn:Sakuragi Jei Āru, bornMilton J. Henderson Jr.; October 30, 1976) is an American-Japanese professionalbasketball player.
Raised inBakersfield, California,[1][2] Sakuragi playedcollege basketball at theUniversity of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and was a member of theBruins' national championship team in1994–95. He was able to play all fivepositions.[3] On the NCAA championship team in his freshman year, Sakuragi was named the team's most valuable freshman along withToby Bailey.[4] He was named to theAll-Pac-10 first team during his sophomore and senior seasons,[5] and was also named the Bruins' co-most valuable player both years as well.[6] He averaged 14.2 points per game in his four-year career at the school. He was selected by theVancouver Grizzlies in the 2nd round (56th pick) of the1998 NBA draft where he played one season.[7]
Sakuragi played the next two years for teams in Las Vegas and France and summer-league teams in Puerto Rico and the Philippines.[8] In 2001, he moved to Japan to play for theAisin Seahorses of theJBL Super League, averaging 21.5 points and 11.6 rebounds per game in 2006.[7]
Sakuragi's application to become anaturalized Japanese citizen cleared on July 2, 2007, and he changed his name from J. R. Henderson to J. R. Sakuragi.[7][9] He chose his new name for two reasons: firstly, he thought a Japanese name would speed up the naturalization, and secondly for the Japanesesakura cherry blossoms. It also corresponded to the name ofHanamichi Sakuragi, the protagonist of the popular basketball mangaSlam Dunk.[8]
Sakuragi played for theJapan national team as they competed in the2007 FIBA Asia Championship, a qualifier for the2008 Summer Olympics.[10]
To comply with Japanese naturalization requirements, Sakuragi taught himself to read, speak and write Japanese at a "rudimentary level". He intended to stay in Japan without intention of returning to live in the U.S.[8]
Media related toJ. R. Sakuragi at Wikimedia Commons and Basketball Reference