Historically, the Japan men's national basketball team has had limited opportunities to compete on the global stage.
For example, the team qualified for the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics and the 1998 FIBA World Championship, which was held in Athens. But the upcoming FIBA World Cup (its newer name), which starts on Saturday in China, marks the next time Japan qualified for one of the two premier global competitions. (As the host nation, Japan received an automatic spot in the 24-nation 2006 FIBA World Championship.)
This summer's extravaganza is a 32-team field, with Japan returning to the fold after failing to qualify for the 2010 and 2014 editions, and Detroit Pistons head coach Dwane Casey remembers vividly Japan's last involvement in the FIBA World Championship. He served as an assistant coach alongside Japan bench boss Mototaka Kohama, the late godfather of Japanese basketball, in '98. It was an experience that gives Casey a unique perspective about a past generation of Japanese players and the current squad that has revitalized the national program and reinvigorated fan interest throughout the archipelago.