The Paris Olympics have ended early for Japan’s Rui Hachimura. Japan’s basketball federation announced Friday morning that Hachimura will miss the game against Brazil because of a left calf injury.
The team explained that Hachimura felt pain in his calf after Japan’s 94-90 overtime loss to France on Tuesday. An MRI revealed an injury to his gastrocnemius muscle, and he has since left the team.
Hachimura, who plays for the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, said, “As my injury required early treatment, I was unfortunately unable to stay with the team according to NBA/FIBA rules.
I want to thank all the spectators who supported me at the venue, basketball fans around the world, and all the fans in Japan. I think that together with my teammates, we played a very good game for Japanese basketball. I am proud to have been able to play as a member of Akatsuki Japan.”
Hachimura played 29 minutes in the loss to France, scoring a game-high 24 points.
Japan is 0-2 in group play. The team’s game against Brazil (0-2) will determine who finishes third in Group B. The loser of this game will be eliminated from the tournament.
