Rui Hachimura's Parents: Unveiling the Roots of the NBA Rising Star

The Gist:

• Rui Hachimura was born in 1998 in Toyama, Japan.
• Rui Hachimura's parents are Makiko Hachimura and Zakari Jabil.
• Rui's mother is from Japan, while his father comes from West Africa.

The Los Angeles Lakers have had a great NBA 2023 season thus far, and part of that success is thanks to Rui Hachimura. Rui was traded from the Washington Wizards in the middle of the 2023/2024 season, and has been a key component of the team's turnaround.

Following Rui's string of successes on the court, many want to learn more about his family, including who his parents are and where he's from. So, without further ado, let's get to the know the people Rui calls mom and dad.

Rui was born and raised in Toyama, Japan, but has played basketball in the U.S. since he began attending Gonzaga in 2016. His mother is Makiko Hachimura, who is from Japan originally, and his father is Zakari Jabil, who hails from Benin in West Africa.

Rui is Japanese by nationality, and lived there for the first 18 years of his life. His name means "base," and was given to him by his grandfather because he loved baseball.

Rui inherited his last name from his mother, and he has three younger siblings — one brother and two sisters. In February 2016, Rui claimed that he understood roughly 80 percent of English but could only speak about 30 percent to 40 percent. Since joining the NBA, it seems clear that his speaking skills have gotten a lot better. The same has been true of his basketball skills, which have vastly improved in his time in the NBA.

Because Rui has both Japanese and Beninese parents, his ethnicity is mixed. He has spoken in the past about the racism he was subjected to by people in Japan because of his skin color. Because Rui has Japanese nationality, he has often competed for Japan at the international level, and given his prominence as a key member of the Lakers, he seems likely to play for Japan's Olympic teams moving forward.

Standing at 6' 8" and weighing 230 pounds, Rui has racked up some pretty impressive stats. According to the official NBA website, Rui averages 11.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. In one of his more recent games (Dec. 16, 2023), Rui scored 20 points and provided five rebounds and four assists in just 34 minutes after coming off the bench, per the NBA.

Fortunately, Rui has not sustained any major injuries that significantly impacted his basketball career. However, the 25-year-old did suffer a broken nose during a game in November 2023. Prior to that, the power forward experienced a concussion at the end of October. Thankfully, Rui was able to return to the court and we're hoping he's able to continue on without any additional hiccups.

We look forward to seeing what else Rui will bring to the court!