.jpg) | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1974-09-05)September 5, 1974 (age 50) Kokubunji, Tokyo,[1] Japan |
| Nationality | Japanese (formerly American) |
| Listed height | 198 cm (6 ft 6 in) |
| Listed weight | 92 kg (203 lb) |
| Career information | |
| College | Cal State Northridge (1993–1995) |
| Playing career | 1995–2017 |
| Position | Small forward |
| Career history | |
| 1995–2002 | Isuzu Motors / Isuzu Giga Cats |
| 2003–2004 | Niigata Albirex BB |
| 2004–2014 | Toyota Alvark |
| 2014–2017 | Aisin Seahorses |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Michael Takahashi (高橋 マイケル,Takahashi Michael, formerlyMichael Dorsey; born September 5, 1974), sometimes calledMaikeru Takahashi, is a Japanese-born American professionalbasketball player who was considered in the mid-1990s to early 2000s one of the best players in Asia, a prolific scorer and rebounder, dominating the opposition through his athleticism and technique.
Takahashi was born inKokubunji, Tokyo to Ikuko Takahashi, a Japanese woman who now works as a computer programmer in Missouri and American actor Willie Dorsey who died sometime before 1995. Michael moved to the United States when he was 2 years old, settling inLos Angeles where he started playing basketball in high school.[3] He is married and has two children.[4] It was revealed that Takahashi has one younger brother, actorJun Soejima.[5]
After playing in college forCal State Northridge he moved to Japan after playing there in theUniversiade. On arrival he adopted his mother's surname of Takahashi to integrate.
Takahashi joinedIsuzu Motors of theJapan Basketball League for the 1995–1996 season and quickly established himself in Japanese basketball, winning the league title and being awarded rookie of the year and the first of many All-Star designations. From then on he would be a vital element of the team that won all but two titles until it withdrew from the league due to financial difficulties in 2002.
Takahashi would later repeat that success atToyota Alvark where he won the title a further three times before joining his current team theAisin Seahorses. He won his ninth championship in his first year with the Aisin seahorses.
Takahashi became a mainstay on theJapanese national team starting with the1995 Asian Championship where he helped the team win a bronze medal. They would do better at thenext edition losing the final toSouth Korea which qualified them for theFIBA World Championship for the first time in 31 years.[2]
At the1998 tournament in Athens they were eliminated at the group stage, losing all their games although Takahashi finished as his team's best scorer with 16.4 PPG.[6] After playing in the1999 Asian Championship, the2002 Asian Games and the2003 Asian Championship (missing the2001 edition due to club interference) without repeating earlier successes, his distinguished international career ended.
