Yu Okada has spent nearly a decade now knocking down jump shots for a paycheck.
He was an integral part of the Takamatsu Five Arrows¡¯ remarkable run to a championship runnerup finish as a first-year franchise in the 2006-07 season, a recognizable fixture in the team¡¯s lineup for years before joining his hometown Shiga Lakestars in 2010. Two years later, he joined the Kyoto Hannaryz and helped the Kansai franchise earn back-to-back bj-league Final Four appearances.
Above all, Okada has been a vital component of three franchises¡¯ offense, but has always been an opportunistic defender whose speed and persistence have paid off ¡ª namely steals, lots of them. (He was No. 2 in the bj-league in steals at 2.3 per game during the 2009-10 season while playing in John Neumann¡¯s intense pressure-defense system.)
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