You already know that Japanese basketball's significance on a global scale is minor in comparison to most nations. And yes, most of this nation's residents can tell you that Yuta Tabuse was a trailblazer for Japanese basketball by becoming the first Japanese to play in the NBA.
But that's likely where the conversation will end.
What many people don't realize, however, is that power forward/center Jeremy Tyler, who played for the Tokyo Apache last season, has a chance to be a first-round pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday.