Tabuse has enjoyed popularity in Japan since his high school playing days, when he led his school to three straight national championships, and has been referred to as "the Michael Jordan of Japan" for his celebrity status.
Michael Cooper, former NBA player and Tabuse's coach with the Albuquerque Thunderbirds, said of him, "He automatically changes the game because of his quickness and distributing the ball. He's the best fundamental player I've been around in a long time," and Suns assistant coach Marc Iavaroni said, "I liked his energy, I liked his courage."
Career
Early years
Tabuse, who grew up in what he calls "a sports family", began playing basketball at nine years old, because he was not good at baseball and not interested in soccer.He attended in Akita Prefecture, where he led his team to national championships all three years he was there and did not lose a single game.
After graduation from in 1998, Tabuse chose to enroll at Brigham Young University Hawaii for its English as an International Language program. He sat out his first two seasons at BYUH because of eligibility rules and played one season before turning pro. He averaged 7.6 points and led the Pacific West Conference with 6.6 assists.
He returned to join the Toyota Alvark, with whom he won the Japan Basketball League Rookie of the Year award for the 2002-2003 season.
NBA
After leaving the Toyota Alvark in 2003, Tabuse became the first Japanese to play in the NBA's summer league, playing for the Dallas Mavericks. Tabuse's first attempt at making it to the NBA made the headlines in Japan, and drew large media attention.That year, Tabuse became the first Japanese player to sign an NBA contract, joining the Denver Nuggets' training camp but was waived before the start of the regular season.
He spent the 2003-2004 season with the American Basketball Association champion Long Beach Jams, averaging 5.3 ppg, 2.4 boards and a team-high 6.3 assists in 18 games.
In 2004, Tabuse joined the Phoenix Suns' training camp and made the opening night. He scored 7 points in his first NBA game against the Atlanta Hawks on November 3, 2004. However, he was waived by the Suns on December 16, 2004.
He rejoined the Jams for the remainder of the season.
In 2005, he signed with the Los Angeles Clippers but was waived before the start of the regular season.
That fall, Tabuse appeared on a limited edition cover of NBA Live video game in Japan, although he did not play single NBA regular season game.
That year, he was drafted by the Albuquerque Thunderbirds of the NBA Development League and averaged 6.5 points and 4.0 assists in 34 games before he was waived in March.
Tabuse has joined the Dallas Mavericks' summer league team for the 2006 off-season.
References
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External links
*Official site*NBDL profile
Biography courtesy of the brilliant Wikipedia!
