Yuta Watanabe rightfully celebrated Japan’s first non-automatic Olympic bid since 1976 after the country’s victory over Cape Verde.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!"This means a lot to us. I'm very proud of us."
🗣️ @wacchi1013 on Japan qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games! 🇯🇵
🎥: NBA Asia pic.twitter.com/UjNhvpFQ5L
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) September 2, 2023
“This means a lot to us,” Watanabe said in a postgame interview. “It’s the first time in 48 years (we got a non-automatic bid for the Olympics). We made history. This is the first time we beat a European team in the World Cup. I believe this is the first time we won three games in the World Cup, so this means a lot to us. I’m very proud of us.”
まじでさいこーのチーム
パリ行くぞーーーーーーーーー！！！ pic.twitter.com/4qTZOnqVNz
— Yuta Watanabe 渡邊 雄太 (@wacchi1013) September 2, 2023
こんな大口たたいといて実はめちゃくちゃ不安でした。みんなに本当に助けられた。
死ぬまで代表でいつづけます。今後も応援お願いします！！！ https://t.co/3qjWGixeEn— Yuta Watanabe 渡邊 雄太 (@wacchi1013) September 2, 2023
改めてみなさんにお礼を。本当に応援がすごく力になりました。あの応援がなければ結果は違ってたと思います。会場に来れなかった方々からもSNSなど通して応援をずっと感じてました。本当にありがとうございました。 pic.twitter.com/FACtIRB3F9
— Yuta Watanabe 渡邊 雄太 (@wacchi1013) September 3, 2023
Watanabe had five points and 10 rebounds while playing all 40 minutes in today’s victory. Throughout the tournament, he averaged 14.8 points and 6.2 rebounds across Japan’s five games in the FIBA World Cup.
Read more about the victory here:
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Brendan Mau is a Phoenix Suns insider and college sports reporter for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
