“Really good basketball player… Very skilled, knows how to play basketball”. Not everyone gets praise like this from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Then again, not everyone is Yuki Kawamura. Despite facing a disadvantage as the NBA’s shortest player, standing at 5-foot-8, the 24-year-old has become a sort of ‘cult hero’ thanks to his on-court skills, electrifying playstyle, and resilience in making a mark on a court with big, star players. While he would have continued playing on for the Memphis Grizzlies, the same wasn’t meant to be, as a recent announcement revealed the player is set to play for the Chicago Bulls in the NBA 2K26 Summer League. Both the player and his teammates didn’t waste time reacting to the news.

Yuki Kawamura recently took to his official Instagram account to share a story with his 912,000 followers. He put out a story of himself posing with his Memphis Grizzlies jersey along with a caption that read “All love Memphis (Bear emoji) Good grizz and see you soon (folded hands emoji)”.

Even before that story had been put out, Ja Morant paid his tribute to Yuki Kawamura. Taking to his official X account, he wrote “yukiX12 dont die”.

Yuki Kawamura had become an unrestricted free agent on Monday after he did not receive a qualifying offer from the Memphis Grizzlies. This recent shift provides a golden chance for the Japanese player to get a full-fledged, or even a two-way contract, with the Chicago Bulls. While Yuki Kawamura had become a fan favourite among many within the Grizzlies fanbase, he played in only 22 games with Memphis in the 2024-25 season, while playing 24 additional games for the Memphis Hustle, aka the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate. With the Bulls, things could be different.

However, the player will have to work hard even there to leave a mark, given the limitations stemming from his 5-foot-8 stature. Furthermore, he will have some competition too within his ranks, as other players signed to the Bulls Summer League roster include Wing Emmanuel Miller, guard Jahmir Young, who were with the Bulls on two-way deals last season, Josh Primo, etc. Thanks to the fan base formed around him, Kawamura will have some major support at Las Vegas, which the Bulls might also take into account.

Ja Morant will certainly be one player who will miss the Japanese athlete. Over just one year, the duo had formed a memorable bond. The same involved not only discussion on basketball-related stuff, but also teaching new things to each other.

Yuki Kawamura revealed learning bad slang from Ja Morant while the latter gained knowledge on Japanese snacks

Back in March, Yuki Kawamura sat down for an interview with CNN international correspondent Hanako Montgomery. When discussing his time with the Memphis Grizzlies, he touched base on his friendship with Ja Morant, and how the 2x NBA All-Star had been serving as a mentor to him. In the Japanese player’s own words, “Ja Morant is like my big brother. He teaches me basketball skills and English. Well, sometimes he teaches me bad slang”. When asked what he had learned recently, Kawamura replied, “I’m not sure if you can use this, but things like ‘type s—.’ Yeah, ‘type s—.’” Yikes! In return, Kawamura revealed introducing both Morant and the other Grizzlies players to the different types of Japanese snacks.

“Ja really likes Poifull jelly beans” Kawamura added. “So he eats Poifull a lot. But Scotty Pippen Jr. really loves the chocolate Kinoko-no-Yama. Our lockers are right next to each other, so he steals them from my locker a lot.”

Ja Morant might have felt it was his duty to inform the player about the different sorts of slang. After all, as he revealed in a 2024 interview, “A lot of stuff he learns and he just say and it don’t be at the right moment. But aye man, it’s Yuki. It’s his world and we’re just living in it. He just brings a light and joy to the team. Just making sure he’s as comfortable as possible. Just making sure that he’s being him, and he ain’t shying away from it at all.” Several people remained in awe of the bond between Morant and Kawamura. According to Brandon Clarke, “It’s funny to watch, they seem like two little buddies. I like to watch them. Feels like it’s two sides colliding.”

Well, this bond will certainly be missed in the upcoming NBA season. However, you never know. If things don’t work out with the Bulls, Yuki Kawamura might find himself coming back to Memphis. If he does, he’d better bring in some more new snacks to continue maintaining that bond with the squad.