J. R. Sakuragi

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J.R. Sakuragi (Japanese: 桜木ジェイアール), born Milton "J.R." Henderson (October 30, 1976 in Bakersfield, California, USA), is a naturalized Japanese professional basketball player.

Raised in Bakersfield, Sakuragi played college basketball at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and was a member of their 1995 National Championship team. He was named to the All-Pac-10 First Team during his sophomore and senior seasons, and averaged 14.2 points per game in his four-year career at the school. He was selected by the Vancouver Grizzlies in the 2nd round (56th pick) of the 1998 NBA Draft where he played one season.[1]

In 2001, Sakuragi moved to Japan to play for the Aisin Seahorses of the JBL Super League, averaging 21.5 points and 11.6 rebounds per game in 2006.[1]

Sakuragi application to become a Japanese citizen cleared on July 2, 2007, and he changed his name from J.R. Henderson to J.R. Sakuragi.[1][2]

Sakuragi will play for the Japan national basketball team as they compete in the FIBA Asia Championship, a qualifier for the 2008 Summer Olympics.[2]

v • d • e
UCLA Bruins Basketball 1994-1995 NCAA Champions
5 Cameron Dollar | 11 Tyus Edney | 12 Toby Bailey | 13 Charles O'Bannon | 25 George Zidek | 31 Ed O'Bannon | 35 Ike Nwankwo | 52 J. R. Henderson
Coach Jim Harrick



[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Kaz Nagatsuka, Former UCLA player gets Japanese citizenship, spot on national hoops team, The Japan Times, July 17, 2007.
  2. ^ a b Jerry Crowe, Former Bruin a true citizen of the world, Los Angeles Times, July 24, 2007.


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