Akatsuki Five star Yudai Baba has signed with Australian powerhouse Melbourne United, the National Basketball League team announced on Sunday.
The five-time NBL champion announced that Baba has been signed as a Special Restricted Player, allowing him to compete as a local player on the United roster.
¡°We haven¡¯t signed a Special Restricted Player before, so we are definitely excited to have signed Baba,¡± Melbourne CEO Vince Crivelli said in a statement. ¡°And we¡¯re looking forward to welcoming him to our club.¡±
The former Alvark Tokyo guard played for the G League¡¯s Texas Legends in the 2019-20 season, which was cut short in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 24-year-old, who has been a regular member of Japan¡¯s men¡¯s team, averaged 6.3 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting 41.1 percent from outside the 3-point arc for the Legends.
¡°I¡¯ve signed with Melbourne United of the NBL,¡± Baba tweeted following the team¡¯s official announcement. ¡°I¡¯m very grateful that the team gave me the opportunity and I¡¯m going to do my best.¡±
Baba is scheduled to hold a news conference in Tokyo on Monday.
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