Japanese basketball’s discovery of Isaiah Murphy was hardly conventional.
His mother, Susako, happened to send a tape of his highlights from their home in Arizona to the Japan Basketball Association on the advice of her friend before the 2017 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Egypt.
“She just came up to me one day (and said) ‘Hey, do you want to go to Japan and play?’ And I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’ ” Murphy told The Japan Times during an online interview last week. “(She said) ‘They really liked your highlight tape and you are invited to go to the camp. You should go.’” Murphy eventually joined the Japan national team and competed alongside Rui Hachimura and other star players of the age group. The squad finished 10th with a 3-4 record in the biennial tournament, in which Murphy averaged 3.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.