![Basketball Yuta Watanabe “I’ll be back in no time.”[Afro Sports Professional Instant Shooting]](https://i3.wp.com/www.tokyoheadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/THL087_1.jpg?w=1240&resize=1240,&ssl=1 "Basketball Yuta Watanabe “I’ll be back in no time.”[Afro Sports Professional Instant Shooting]")
Photography/Text: Naoki Nishimura (October 5, 2024 Resona Group B League B1 Chiba Jets vs Utsunomiya Brex)
The opening game of the B League 2024-25 basketball season was held on October 5th, between the Chiba Jets and the Utsunomiya Brex.
The roughly 10,000 spectators who filled the new arena, “Lara Arena Tokyo Bay”, danced in raptures as a fierce battle befitting an opening game unfolded and the game went into overtime.
And speaking of the player who attracted the most attention on this day, this season’s American professional basketball player
Probably Yuta Watanabe, who transferred from the NBA to the Chiba Jets.
Fans were watching the superstar’s every move on the world’s biggest stage.
Of course, I am a photographer as well.
For me, who had never filmed Watanabe’s play before, the most impressive thing that day was
A casual smile that can be seen between intense plays.
This is because it seemed to symbolize Watanabe’s personality.
The second match was held the next day.
A sudden accident struck Watanabe.
Six minutes into the first quarter, he injured his left ankle landing after a jump shot and was substituted with an injury.
The diagnosis was a sprained left ankle, which took 6 weeks to fully heal.
He immediately sent the following message to his fans on his Instagram:
“I’ll be back in no time”
I want to quietly wait for the day when I can see that smile again in a packed arena.
■Photographer profile
Photography: Naoki Nishimura
Born in Hyogo Prefecture in 1969. Completed the Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University.
Fascinated by the humanity of athletes, he discovered the world of sports photography during his student days.
After graduating from university, he worked as an amateur photographer while working for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
I felt a strong desire to take on the challenge in the professional world, so I changed jobs to Afro Sports in 2016.
Currently, he is actively photographing domestic and international sports, and is working hard to create works that can be felt with all five senses, such as human passion, heartbeat, and smell.
2007 APA Award Photography Encouragement Award
2013, 2015 New Cosmos of Photography Honorable Mention, etc.
★Instagram★
