Japanese basketball fans hoping to see rising NBA talent Rui Hachimura lead the men's national team at the postponed Tokyo Olympics received a confidence boost Wednesday from the sport's international governing body.
International Basketball Federation secretary general Andreas Zagklis said he expects top NBA players to take part in the July 23 to Aug. 8 Summer Games, allaying concerns the league's altered schedule could keep them away.
"I think we will have the best players available at the Olympic Games," Zagklis told an online press conference.
A shortened 2020-21 NBA season is scheduled to start on Dec. 22 and end May 16, with playoffs between May 22 and July 22.
Zagklis said all NBA teams would be finished in time for the Tokyo Games and "more than 85 percent" of players available for the June 22 to July 4 Olympic qualifiers, which have been pushed back a week following talks between the International Olympic Committee and FIBA.
Changes to the upcoming NBA schedule came about after the previous season concluded in October inside a "bubble" to protect players from infection, following a roughly four-month interruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The first Japanese player to go pro in the United States via the NBA draft, Hachimura is set to embark on his second season with the Washington Wizards. He earned an NBA All-Rookie Second Team selection after averaging 13.5 points and leading all rookies with 6.1 rebounds per game last season.
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